# Customize the Express Dashboard

Learn how to customize the Express Dashboard for your users.

The Express Dashboard displays an **Activity** feed, an **Earnings** chart, and your platform’s name and icon. In this guide, learn how to customize the Express Dashboard for your connected accounts. To learn about all the available features, see [Express Dashboard](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/express-dashboard.md).

## Add your platform's brand name and icon

Display your platform’s brand name, icon, and customized theming in the Express Dashboard.

1. Go to the [Express branding settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/connect/express-dashboard/branding).
2. Enter your platform’s `business_name`.
3. Upload your platform’s icon and choose a theme.
4. Save your changes.

If you’ve already saved your brand information before this guide, this step is optional.

## Customize features

To configure which Express Dashboard features are available to your connected accounts:

1. Go to the [Express features settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/connect/express-dashboard/features).
2. In a sandbox, turn off any features you don’t want to show to your connected accounts in the Express Dashboard.
3. Preview your changes with a test connected account before you go live.

Enable **Collect eventually due requirements** if you want connected accounts to see and submit missing `eventually_due` requirements in the Express Dashboard, including when you request information through [remediation links](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/dashboard/remediation-links.md).

When Stripe is responsible for [negative balances](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/risk-management.md) on your connected accounts, you can’t disable the following features:

- **View payments**: Connected accounts can see their payment activity to understand charges and respond to risk interventions.
- **Issue refunds**: Connected accounts can process refunds to resolve payment issues before they escalate to disputes.
- **Manage disputes**: Connected accounts can view and submit evidence for disputes because Stripe bears the financial loss.
- **Top up refunds and disputes balance**: Connected accounts can add funds to cover potential negative balances.

These features let connected accounts participate in risk management when Stripe covers losses.

## Set custom descriptions for charges and transfers

By default, the **Transactions** list in the Express Dashboard displays generic descriptions for charges and transfers (for example, `Payment on {YOUR_PLATFORM}`). To change these descriptions:

1. Determine which type of charge your platform uses. The two recommended charge types for Express connected accounts are [Destination Charges](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/charges.md#destination) and [Separate Charges and Transfers](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/charges.md#separate-charges-transfers).

2. After you determine the charge type, use the following instructions to update your integration.

   ### Destination charges

   To update the [description](https://docs.stripe.com/api/charges/object.md#charge_object-description) on a payment object that’s visible to your platform’s users, you need to use the Stripe API. This applies to all platforms that use [destination charges](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/destination-charges.md).

   1. Find the existing transfer object you created for an account by finding the latest [charge](https://docs.stripe.com/api/payment_intents/object.md#payment_intent_object-charges) created on the [PaymentIntent](https://docs.stripe.com/api/payment_intents/object.md).
   2. Use the charge object to find the [transfer](https://docs.stripe.com/api/charges/object.md#charge_object-transfer) object associated with the charge.
   3. Use the transfer object to find the [destination_payment](https://docs.stripe.com/api/transfers/object.md#transfer_object-destination_payment) ID that exists on the transfer.
   4. Call the [Update Charge](https://docs.stripe.com/api/charges/update.md) API to update the [description](https://docs.stripe.com/api/charges/update.md#update_charge-description) on the destination payment using the `destination_payment` ID.

   > The [destination_payment](https://docs.stripe.com/api/transfers/object.md#transfer_object-destination_payment) object belongs to the connected account, so you’ll need to set [the Stripe-Account header](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/authentication.md) to the connected account’s ID to make this call.

   ```curl
   curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/charges/{{PAYMENT_ID}} \
     -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
     -H "Stripe-Account: {{CONNECTEDACCOUNT_ID}}" \
     -d "description=My custom description"
   ```

   This description becomes visible on the charge after you’ve written this field.

   Learn more about [creating destination charges on your platform](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/destination-charges.md).

   ### Separate charges and transfers

   To update the [description](https://docs.stripe.com/api/charges/object.md#charge_object-description) on a payment object that’s visible to your platform’s users, you need to use the Stripe API. This applies to platforms that use [separate charges and transfers](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/separate-charges-and-transfers.md).

   1. Use the transfer object to find the [destination_payment](https://docs.stripe.com/api/transfers/object.md#transfer_object-destination_payment) ID that exists on the transfer.
   2. Call the [Update Charge](https://docs.stripe.com/api/charges/update.md) API to update the [description](https://docs.stripe.com/api/charges/update.md#update_charge-description) on the destination payment using the `destination_payment` ID found in the previous step.

   > The [destination_payment](https://docs.stripe.com/api/transfers/object.md#transfer_object-destination_payment) object belongs to the connected account, so you’ll need to set [the Stripe-Account header](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/authentication.md) to the connected account’s ID to make this call.

   ```curl
   curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/charges/{{PAYMENT_ID}} \
     -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
     -H "Stripe-Account: {{CONNECTEDACCOUNT_ID}}" \
     -d "description=My custom description"
   ```

   This description becomes visible on the charge after you’ve written this field.

   Learn more about [creating separate charges and transfers](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/separate-charges-and-transfers.md).

## Manage Stripe communications with your connected accounts

Use your platform’s Dashboard to manage the communications that Stripe sends to your connected accounts.

### Emails

Stripe occasionally sends emails to your connected accounts to share important information and help them stay in compliance. You can customize these emails on the [Connect Emails settings page](https://dashboard.stripe.com/test/settings/connect/emails).

### SMS messages

By default, Stripe sends an SMS notification to connected accounts using the Express Dashboard when they receive their first payout. You can disable or re-enable these notifications on the [Connect SMS settings page](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/connect/sms).

## See also

- [Express Dashboard](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/express-dashboard.md)