# Your first chat

> Launch the app, connect a model vendor, and chat - with a tour of the screen and the backup habit to start on day one.

- Canonical: https://big-agi.com/docs/first-chat
- Minimum tier: open  [Open ⊂ Free ⊂ Pro - a tier only ever ADDS to the Open baseline]
- Kind: how-to · Last content update generation: 2026-07-27 · Review by: 2027-01-23
- Answers: How do I get from nothing to a working answer? · Do I have to install anything or create an account first? · What is everything on this screen? · What should I set up right after my first answer?

From a fresh browser to a model replying, in four steps.

## Prerequisites

| You need | Why |
|---|---|
| One API key, from one AI service | Big-AGI calls the AI services you connect, using your key. |
| Credit on that service account | A key with no credit connects and returns nothing. |

That key comes from the service's API console. That account is separate from any consumer chat subscription you pay for - [the two bills](/docs/choose-version).

Running your own instance: [install it first](/docs/self-host), then rejoin at step 3. Or at step 4, if its environment already carries keys ([keys and access control](/docs/self-host-configuration#keys-and-access-control)).

## 1. Launch the app

Load `app.big-agi.com`, or your instance's address, in a modern browser. Sign in - Free is enough.

## 2. Get a key

Pick one AI service: use a key you already have, or create one there. Some services are aggregators - [OpenRouter](/docs/connect-openrouter), or [NVIDIA NIM](/docs/connect-nvidia-nim), which is free. Others are first-party model vendors. [Connect models](/docs/connect-models) walks each console. One key is enough; come back with it on your clipboard.

## 3. Paste the key

The setup panel opens by itself on a fresh workspace; `Ctrl+Shift+M` reopens it any time.

1. Find your AI service under **Popular**. **Local** covers model servers on your machine, **More Services** everything else.
2. Paste the key into that service's API key field; a **Save** button appears.
3. Press **Save**: it stores the key and refreshes the model list. The vendor icon then carries a count - tooltip `N ... models available`.
4. Press **Done**, and you are back in the chat.

> **Warning:**
> **Done** stays disabled until a model has loaded and nothing is unsaved. Greyed out? Look for `You have 1 unsaved change` above it. A pasted key that was never saved looks identical to a saved one.

## 4. Ready to chat!

Type into the composer at the bottom - or speak, attach files, or drop them. **Enter** sends; `Shift + Enter` adds a line. The model dropdown in the top bar starts on **Auto**, a curated pick per job - change the model there any time ([model settings](/docs/model-settings)).

## Tour of the screen

Four vertical bands: navigation rail, conversation drawer, the chat, an optional right-hand panel. The six regions:

1. **Navigation rail** (far left) - the apps: chat, personas, voice calls, ramble; at the bottom, **App Preferences** (`Ctrl+,`) and your account.
2. **Drawer** - conversations, folders, and the storage banner.
3. **Top bar** - contextual; in the chat it sets the title, the persona, and the model.
4. **Composer** - text box, file attach and drop, send. The **Beam** button next to send: one prompt to several models at once ([your first Beam](/docs/multi-model)).
5. **Message label** - the model name above each reply; hover to reveal token usage, cost, and speed.
6. **Split pane** - up to four conversations, side by side or stacked; `Ctrl+Shift+)` toggles the right-hand panel.

Full sheet: `Ctrl+Shift+?` (`Ctrl+Shift+/` on macOS). Three worth knowing from day one:

- `Alt + Enter` (`Option + Enter` on macOS) posts your message without requesting a reply - write both sides of a conversation, or prime the context, then send.
- `Ctrl + Up` and `Ctrl + Down` step to the previous or next message or Beam.
- Holding `Shift` skips a delete confirmation, app-wide: chats, messages, attachments.

## If this browser is wiped

Your chats go with it. Clearing site data, a reset profile or a new laptop erases them, with no server copy. The drawer says so, permanently: `Chats are saved only in this browser. Export important chats to keep a backup.` Dismissing that banner takes typing `I understand`. Make one file today, from **Export** at the drawer's bottom:

| Button | What you get |
|---|---|
| **Backup All Chats** | Chats only. The file to repeat regularly. |
| **Export All** | Settings and chats, with **Include Models & Settings** on by default. Carries your API keys - store it like a password. |

Restore replaces rather than merges - mechanics: [back up, restore and import](/docs/account-backup).

> **Pro:** Chats, personas and rambles stay on this device and browser only, unless you subscribe to Pro: cloud backup and multi-device sync (1 GB). On Open there is no sync. Disabling sync never deletes local data.

## Related

- [Connect an AI service](/docs/connect-models)
- [Back up, restore and import](/docs/account-backup)
- [Your first Beam](/docs/multi-model)
- [Open, Free, or Pro](/docs/choose-version)