---
title: "Get started with Halo: install and first task"
description: "Start using Halo in four steps: install the app, connect an AI model, finish a first real task, and learn the layout. Each step says what you should see."
type: "tutorial"
audience: ["beginner"]
related: ["getting-started/install", "getting-started/setup-ai", "getting-started/first-chat"]
lang: "en"
canonical: "https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/getting-started/"
last_updated: "2026-10-19T00:11:17+08:00"
source: "Halo 3.0.4 docs"
---
# Get started

Start using Halo in four steps: install the app, connect an AI model, finish a first real task, and learn the layout. Each step says what you should see.

This page is the route map. You do the first two steps (installing and connecting a model) yourself. From step 3 on, you can ask Halo anything you're unsure about: it reads these docs to answer you.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- **A computer**: macOS 12 or later (Apple silicon or Intel), Windows 10 or later (64-bit), or 64-bit Linux with glibc 2.34 or later. Full requirements are in [Install Halo](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/getting-started/install.html#before-you-start).
- **An internet connection**: you need it to download Halo and to sign in to an AI account.
- **A way to use AI**. Any one of these works:
  - a paid Claude, ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot account you already have;
  - an API key (from your company, or one you created on a provider such as OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek or OpenRouter);
  - nothing yet: the sign-in screen also offers free options, and step 2 helps you choose.

Halo itself is free and open source. Model usage is billed by the account or API provider you connect.

## Four steps {#steps}

| Step | What you do | What you see when it's done |
|---|---|---|
| 1. [Install Halo](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/getting-started/install.html) | Download, install and open Halo | "Let's set things up" |
| 2. [Connect an AI model](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/getting-started/setup-ai.html) | Pick a sign-in option, or enter an API key | "What do you want to do today?" |
| 3. [Your first task](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/getting-started/first-chat.html) | Ask Halo for a real file in one sentence | A new file in the panel on the right |
| 4. [A tour of Halo](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/getting-started/app-tour.html) | Learn the left rail, the conversation view, the task panel and Settings | You know where everything lives |

On Windows, the first launch adds one screen, "First-time setup required", which installs a command environment for the AI. Keep the default option and click **Continue**. Details are in [Install Halo](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/getting-started/install.html#git-bash).

::: done
After the four steps you have a Halo connected to an AI model, a first file Halo made for you in the Halo Workspace, and you know where conversations, Digital Humans, the knowledge base, the Store, tasks and Settings are.
:::

## Next steps {#next-steps}

- [Create a Digital Human](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/digital-humans/create.html): let AI do recurring work on its own, such as a news summary every weekday morning.
- [Digital Human teams](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/digital-humans/collaboration.html): one sentence gets several Digital Humans to split up a bigger job.
- [Use cases](https://hello-halo.cc/docs/en/use-cases/): ready-made requests grouped by job, to copy into Halo.