# Getting started

By the end of this page SearchBox will be installed on your PC, you'll have an account, and your first folder of files will be searchable. It takes about five minutes.

## Install SearchBox on Windows

1. Open the [Releases page](https://github.com/SourceBox-LLC/SearchBox/releases) and find the newest release at the top.
2. Download the installer for your PC:
   - **`SearchBox-…-x86_64.msi`** — for almost all PCs (Intel and AMD).
   - **`SearchBox-…-aarch64.msi`** — only for ARM64 Windows machines, like Snapdragon laptops.
3. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the installer.

> ⚠️ Windows may show a blue **"Windows protected your PC"** notice the first time, because SearchBox is a new app from a small publisher. Click **More info**, then **Run anyway**. This is Windows being cautious, not a problem with your download.

Prefer the terminal? This does the same thing:

```
winget install SourceBox.SearchBox
```

> 💡 **Tip:** On Windows 10, if SearchBox won't open after installing, you may need Microsoft's free [WebView2 Runtime](https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/) — install it and try again. Windows 11 already includes it.

## First launch: create your account

Open **SearchBox** from the Start menu. The first time it runs, it asks you to create an account.

![The setup screen asking for an email and password](img/setup-account.png)
<!-- SCREENSHOT NEEDED: A fresh SearchBox install's first-run screen (the "Welcome to SearchBox — Create your admin account to get started" card with Email, Name, Password, Confirm Password fields and the Create Account button). Requires a clean install or a reset data folder. -->

1. Enter an email and choose a password, then click **Create Account**.
2. That's it — no confirmation email, no sign-up service. This account exists only on your computer. It's how you log in, and your password is also what locks your [private vault](./vault.md).

> 🔒 Your email and password never leave your machine. There is no SearchBox server to send them to.

### Save your recovery key

Right after setup, SearchBox takes you to Settings and shows your **recovery key** — a long string of letters and numbers.

![Settings showing the recovery key right after setup](img/recovery-key.png)
<!-- SCREENSHOT NEEDED: The Settings page immediately after creating an account, showing the recovery-key banner/dialog with the key visible (blur or use a throwaway account) and its download/save action. If your install is past setup, use Settings → Account → Generate Recovery Key to reproduce the same screen. -->

**Download it and keep it somewhere safe** — a password manager, a printed copy in a drawer, anywhere that isn't only this PC.

> ⚠️ If you ever forget your password, the recovery key is the **only** way back into your account and vault. Nobody — including us — can reset it for you, because nothing about your account exists outside your computer.

Lost it? You can make a new one any time you're logged in: **Settings → Account → Generate Recovery Key** (the new key replaces the old one).

## A quick tour of the home screen

![The SearchBox home screen](img/home-screen.png)
<!-- SCREENSHOT NEEDED: The logged-in home screen: SearchBox logo with the cube, the search bar, the Search Documents / Search Images / Explore buttons, five bookmark tiles, the upload/bell/gear buttons top-right, and the ? help button bottom-right. Same shot as the manual front page — one capture works for both. -->

- **The search bar** — type here and press Enter. It searches *inside* your files, not just their names.
- **Search Documents / Search Images / Explore** — run a document search, jump to picture search, or [browse everything visually](./images-and-explore.md).
- **The five tiles** — [bookmark slots](./bookmarks-and-history.md) for the documents you open most.
- **Top-right buttons** — upload & indexing (the arrow), notifications (the bell), and [Settings](./settings.md) (the gear).
- **The ? button** (bottom-right) — a built-in cheat sheet for [search filters](./searching.md) like `::pdf`.

## Add your first folder

SearchBox starts out knowing nothing. Point it at a folder and it reads everything inside so it becomes searchable. Your files stay exactly where they are — SearchBox only takes notes on them.

1. Click the **upload button** (the arrow icon, top-right).
2. Switch to the **Index Folder** tab.
3. Type or browse to a folder — your *Documents* folder is a great start.
4. Click **Index Folder**.

![The Index Folder tab with a folder path filled in](img/index-folder.png)
<!-- SCREENSHOT NEEDED: The "Manage Documents" modal on the Index Folder tab, with a real folder path typed into the input and the Index Folder button visible. Bonus if the Connected Folders list below already shows one folder. -->

A progress banner appears while it works, and the bell rings when it's done. Big folders take a few minutes the first time; after that, [**Sync Folders**](./folders-and-archives.md) picks up changes quickly.

## Run your first search

Type a word you know is *inside* one of your files — not the file's name — and press **Enter**.

![Search results for a first query](img/first-results.png)
<!-- SCREENSHOT NEEDED: A results page for a simple one-word query with several results visible: the result list with highlighted matching words in snippets, and the image rail on the right if any pictures are indexed. -->

Notice the matched words highlighted in each result, and that a typo like `quartarly` still finds "quarterly" — SearchBox is forgiving on purpose.

## Where to go next

- Follow the [Your first search tutorial](./tutorials/first-search.md) for a gentle guided version of the steps above.
- Learn the powerful bits of the search bar in [Searching](./searching.md).
- Put your sensitive files behind a second lock in [The private vault](./vault.md).

---
[← Back to the manual](./README.md)