Get comfortable · Lesson 2 of 16

How to Sign Up for ChatGPT and Find Your Way Around

Create a free ChatGPT account, then take a short tour: the message box, the plus and microphone buttons, the sidebar and your settings.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

In this lesson you create your free ChatGPT account and take a short tour of the screen. With an account, your chats are saved, so you can go back to them later. By the end, you will know where everything is.

Go to chatgpt.com

Open your web browser and type chatgpt.com into the address bar at the top. The page already has a message box that says Ask ChatGPT, and you can try a few questions there without an account. But to save your chats, click Sign up for free at the top right. (If you already have an account, click Log in next to it instead.)

The top right of the ChatGPT website, with chatgpt.com in the address bar. The Sign up for free button is highlighted, with the cursor on it and a label that says Sign up for free. A black Log in button sits to its left. — Signing up is free, and it lets you save your chats.

Create your free account

A small window opens, called Log in or sign up. You can continue with Google, with Apple or with your phone, using the three buttons at the top: Continue with Google, Continue with Apple and Continue with phone. Or type your email address in the Email address box and click Continue.

Then follow the steps on the screen. It only takes a minute. If you sign up with your email and the steps ask for a password, this guide can help: How to create passwords you can remember.

The Log in or sign up window, with three buttons: Continue with Google, Continue with Apple and Continue with phone. Below them, the email box holds alex.demo@example.com and the cursor is on the black Continue button. A label under the window says About a minute. — Choose one way to continue, then follow the steps on the screen.

Find the message box

Once you are in, this is your home screen. In the middle is the message box. It says Ask ChatGPT until you start typing, and this is where you type your questions. In the picture, the question What can you help me with? is typed in.

The ChatGPT home screen with the words Ready when you are. Below them, the message box is highlighted, with What can you help me with? typed in it and a label that says The message box. — Your questions go here, starting in the next lesson.

Know the plus and microphone buttons

Next to the message box are a few buttons. The plus button, at the left end of the box, lets you add photos and files: click it, and a menu opens with Add photos & files at the top. The microphone, near the right end, lets you speak instead of typing. You will use these in later lessons.

The message box with What can you help me with? typed in it and the cursor on the plus button at its left end. Near the right end, the microphone button is highlighted with a label that says Speak instead of typing. A round blue arrow button sits next to it. — You will use the plus and microphone buttons in later lessons.

On the left is the sidebar. New chat, near the top, starts a fresh conversation. The magnifying glass, at the top next to the ChatGPT name, searches your old chats. And under Recents, you see your past chats, so you can go back to any of them: click one, and it opens again.

The sidebar on the left of the ChatGPT screen, with a magnifying glass next to the ChatGPT name and New chat below it. The Recents section, with three past chats called Explain budgeting briefly, Egg dinner ideas and Birthday Message Writing, is highlighted with a label that says Your past chats. — Click any chat under Recents to go back to it.

Find your account and settings

At the bottom left is your account, with your name next to it. Click it to open a menu with Personalization and Settings. Choose Settings, and you can change things like the language. The Language setting is on the General page. In the picture, it is set to Auto detect.

The ChatGPT Settings page, open on General, with a list of settings pages on the left. The Language row, set to Auto detect, is highlighted with a label that says Nothing to change today. — Language is one of the things you can change in Settings.

Nothing to change today

You do not need to change anything in Settings today. For now, it is enough to know where to find them.

YOUR TURN

In the next lesson, you will have your first real conversation: Your first ChatGPT conversation, step by step.

Read the full video transcript

In this lesson, you'll create your free ChatGPT account and take a short tour of the screen. By the end, you'll know where everything is.

Go to chatgpt.com. You can try a few questions without an account. But to save your chats, click Sign up for free, at the top right.

A small window opens. You can continue with Google, with Apple, or with your phone. Or type your email address, and click Continue. Then follow the steps on the screen. It only takes a minute.

Once you're in, this is your home screen. In the middle is the message box. This is where you type your questions.

Next to the message box are a few buttons. The plus button lets you add photos and files. The microphone lets you speak instead of typing. We'll use these in later lessons.

On the left is the sidebar. New chat starts a fresh conversation. The magnifying glass searches your old chats. And under Recents, you see your past chats, so you can go back to any of them.

At the bottom left is your account. Click it to open a menu with Personalization and Settings. In Settings, you can change things like the language. You don't need to change anything today.

So remember: sign up for free, type in the message box, and find your chats in the sidebar. Before the next lesson, sign up and find each of these on your own screen. Next, you'll have your first real conversation.