# Install & Sign In

> Create your account, install the app on Windows, sign in, and let the setup wizard connect everything.

*Source: https://tradelabs.org/docs/start-here/install-and-sign-in*

Three short steps: make your account, install the app, sign in. Then a wizard walks you through the rest.

## 1. Create your account

1. Go to [dashboard.tradelabs.org](https://dashboard.tradelabs.org).
2. Click the **Create account** tab.
3. Enter your email and a password (at least 6 characters).
4. Enter your **License key** in the format `TLABS-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX`, from your TradeLabs purchase email.
5. Click **Create account**.

![The Create account form on the TradeLabs Cloud Dashboard](/docs-assets/dash-create-account.png)
*The Create account tab: email, a password of at least 6 characters, and your license key.*

> **Heads up**
>
> Can't find your license key? Check spam or junk. It's sent to the email you subscribed with.

Already have an account? Use the **Sign in** tab instead.

![The Sign in tab on the TradeLabs Cloud Dashboard](/docs-assets/dash-signin.png)
*Signing back in later: email and password, same page.*

You can link your Discord account from your **Profile** on the dashboard, using the **Connect** button on the Discord panel. This links your real Discord account so it can verify subscriptions, sync roles, and receive alerts.

This is separate from whichever account you sign in with for copying trade signals — they don't have to be the same one, and they don't have to be different either.

## 2. Install the app

The Companion is a Windows desktop app. You do **not** need to install Node, Python, or anything else by hand. The installer is self-contained.

Requirements: Windows 10 or 11 and Google Chrome.

1. Sign in to the dashboard and click the **Download** button in the top bar to open the **TradeLabs Companion** download panel.
2. Pick a release channel (**Stable** is the default and recommended) and click **Download**.
3. Run the installer, then launch the app when it finishes. It updates itself from here on.

> **If your antivirus flags the installer**
>
> New `.exe` files that aren't yet widely downloaded are sometimes flagged as a false positive. If Windows Security quarantines the Companion, add its folder as an exclusion:
>
> 1. Open **Windows Security → Virus & threat protection**.
> 2. Under **Virus & threat protection settings**, click **Manage settings**.
> 3. Scroll to **Exclusions** and click **Add or remove exclusions → Add an exclusion → Folder**.
> 4. Paste this path and select the folder:
>    `%localappdata%/Programs/tradelabs-companion`
>
> Then re-run the installer.

## 3. Sign in and run the wizard

Launch the app and sign in with your TradeLabs email and password.

![The app sign-in screen](/docs-assets/onboarding-signin.png)
*Sign in with the email and password you just created*

The first time, a **setup wizard** walks you through connecting everything, and it **skips any step you've already done**:

| Step | For |
| --- | --- |
| Sign in | Log into your account |
| Migrate | Import an older TradeLabs setup (new users skip) |
| Discord / Telegram / TradingView | Connect the signal sources you'll use |
| AI parser | Add an OpenAI or Gemini key so the app can read plain-English calls |
| Broker | Pick your first broker to trade in |
| Strategy | Start with a template |

If you used an older version of TradeLabs, the **Migrate** step offers to import your old setup so you do not start from scratch. It's non-destructive and only fills empty slots, carrying over your brokers, OpenAI key, and Discord webhook from v1. Click **Import my settings** to bring them across, or **Start fresh** to skip.

![The wizard migrate step](/docs-assets/onboarding-migrate.png)
*The wizard offers to import your settings when it finds an older install*

You can re-run the wizard any time from **Settings → Advanced → Onboarding wizard → Run wizard**, or set everything up manually from the app's own pages.

![The Advanced tab in Settings, where the Run wizard button lives](/docs-assets/app-settings-advanced.png)
*Settings → Advanced holds the Run wizard button, so you can restart onboarding whenever you want.*

> **Heads up**
>
> Can't sign in? Usually your subscription expired, your password is wrong, or your license is tied to a different computer. If you switched machines, reset the binding from the dashboard (**Profile → Reset hardware binding**) and sign in again.

Once you're signed in and the wizard is done, you're ready to pick your track.