Extensions

Extensions

An extension is a numbered SIP endpoint within your Nova PBX — a desk phone, a softphone, or the Pulse mobile app. Each person (or shared device) that makes and receives calls needs one. Navigate via the sidebar: Nova PBX → People & Extensions → Extensions.

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Screenshot

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The extensions table

Column	Meaning
Ext.	The internal extension number (3–10 digits, e.g. 1001). What teammates dial to reach this person.
Name	Display name (shown on caller ID and the phone screen) with the email underneath when set.
Tenant	Your account’s PBX namespace — set during setup, doesn’t change.
Department	Optional organizational tag with a color swatch. Used for filtering and reporting; doesn’t affect call routing.
Location	The physical address used for E911 emergency-call routing. A “No location” warning badge shows until one is assigned.
Voicemail	Whether the extension has a voicemail mailbox (On/Off).
Forwarding	The forward-all target when call forwarding is enabled, otherwise Off.
Devices	Live device state — see the four states below. Click it for per-device detail.
Status	Active (registers and rings) or Disabled (stops registering; inbound fails over).

Click any row to open the nine-tab extension editor.

The Devices column

Live state from the SIP edge, refreshed automatically. Click any cell to open the device detail panel.

State	Meaning
Online	At least one device is registered right now. The number beside it is how many.
Push	Nothing is registered, but a signed-in Pulse mobile app can be woken by a push notification when a call arrives — the phone is reachable. See why a signed-in Pulse app shows this way.
Offline	Nothing is registered and no app is reachable by push. Calls go to voicemail or the forwarding target.
Unknown	We could not read live state just now — for example the registrar was briefly unreachable, or the account has not been assigned a region yet. Hover for the specific reason. Unknown is not offline: phones already registered keep working normally; only our view of them is affected.

Search and filters

The search box matches extension numbers and names as you type. The toolbar adds three dropdown filters:

• Status — Active vs Disabled
• Department — one team, or “No department”
• Location — one office, or “No location”

Active filters appear as removable chips above the table; click the ✕ on a chip to clear it.

Row actions

The ⋯ menu at the end of each row offers:

• View / edit — opens the extension editor (same as clicking the row)
• Delete — permanently removes the extension after a typed confirmation (you must type the extension number)

Bulk actions

Select rows with the checkbox column to act on many extensions at once:

• Apply profile — assign a phone profile (self-service permission template) to every selected extension in one pass
• Delete — bulk-remove the selected extensions (typed confirmation required)

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Adding an extension

1. Click Add extension in the top-right.
2. Enter the extension number (3–10 digits, unique within your PBX), a display name, and an optional email (used for voicemail-to-email and portal self-service login).
3. Click Create extension.

SIP credentials and a voicemail mailbox are provisioned automatically. After saving you land on the extension editor where the remaining tabs unlock — assign a department and an E911 location on the General tab there.

Note

Saving stages the change on your PBX configuration. Click Apply Changes in the pending-changes banner to push it live — until then the new extension won’t register or accept calls.

Tip

Setting up a whole team at once? Set Up Your Team takes a pasted staff list and creates every extension, sign-in account, and Pulse app login in one pass.

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E911 and locations

Assign every extension to a location. When a phone dials 911, the location’s validated dispatchable address is what emergency dispatchers see — this is required under RAY BAUM’s Act §506. Extensions without a location show a warning badge in the list and a warning panel in the editor; their 911 calls dispatch using whatever DID is configured for outbound caller ID, which may not match the caller’s actual location.

Locations are managed under Nova PBX → People & Extensions → Locations. Add one per physical address you operate from.

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Disabling vs deleting

• Disable (Active toggle on the editor’s General tab) — the extension stops registering and inbound calls fail over, but the number, voicemail, and configuration are preserved. Use this when someone leaves temporarily or you want to keep history.
• Delete (row menu or bulk action) — permanently removes the extension along with its voicemail and call-flow rules. Update any ring groups, IVR keys, or inbound routes that referenced it.

Caution

Deleting an extension cannot be undone. The confirmation dialog requires typing the extension number before the delete proceeds.

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Emergency-route compliance banner

If your account has voice extensions but no enabled emergency outbound route, a red banner appears above the table: 911 calls would die in routing without reaching a PSAP (a Kari’s Law §9.10 violation). Follow the banner’s link to add an emergency outbound route.

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Related pages

• Adding & Editing Extensions — the full nine-tab editor reference
• Departments — organizational tags for filtering
• Locations & E911 — dispatchable addresses
• Phone Profiles — self-service permission templates
• Voicemail — tenant-wide voicemail features