> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.asquareportal.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get started with Portals in under 5 minutes

> Download the Portals desktop app, create your account, choose a mode, and run your first Portal Agent prompt — all in a few minutes.

Portals is a Mac desktop app (also available as a web app). This guide walks you through downloading it, creating your account, and launching your first creative project. The whole process takes about five minutes.

<Note>
  The free tier uses [Pollinations AI](https://pollinations.ai) for image and text generation — no API key required to get started. If you want to use OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, or other providers, you can add your API keys later in the AI Providers settings.
</Note>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download and install the app">
    Download the latest Portals `.dmg` from the releases page and open it to install.

    Once installed, open **Portals** from your Applications folder. On first launch you'll see the Portals startup screen with the product branding and sign-in options.

    <Info>
      Portals is also accessible as a web app if you prefer not to install the desktop version. The interactive startup screen with mode demos is only available in the desktop app.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create your account">
    On the startup screen, choose how you want to sign in:

    * **Continue with Google** — connects your Google account in one step
    * **Sign up with Email** — enter your email address and a password, then click **Create Account**

    After signing in, you'll land in the main workspace. Your session persists across restarts; you won't need to sign in again on the same machine.

    <Tip>
      If Portals is in closed beta, you'll see an invite code prompt on the startup screen. Enter your 6-digit invite code to unlock the full workspace. No code yet? Join the waitlist from the same screen.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your first mode">
    Portals has three modes, selectable from the mode switcher at the top of the app:

    <CardGroup cols={3}>
      <Card title="Brainstorming" icon="infinity">
        Start here if you have a topic to explore. Infinite canvas for cards, shapes, mind maps, and moodboards.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Design" icon="pen-nib">
        Start here if you're ready to work on a visual mockup or layout. Artboard-based vector editor.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Compose" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
        Start here if you want to generate an app, slides, or storyboard directly from a prompt.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>

    If you're not sure, start with **Brainstorming** — it's the most open-ended mode and a good way to get familiar with the canvas and the Portal Agent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Try the Portal Agent">
    The Portal Agent bar runs across the top of the workspace. Click it, type a prompt, and press **Enter**.

    A few prompts to try on your first session:

    * `Research sustainable architecture and create a moodboard`
    * `Create a mind map of product-market fit strategies`
    * `Find inspiration images for a dark mode dashboard`
    * `Build me a simple to-do app`

    The agent selects from 40+ canvas tools to execute your request — it searches the web, adds cards, draws shapes, fetches images, and arranges content on your canvas automatically.

    <Tip>
      You can switch modes mid-session without losing your work. Try brainstorming an idea, then switch to Design mode to create a mockup, and finally use Compose to generate a working app from it — this is the full Design-to-Build workflow.
    </Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Set up AI providers" icon="key" href="/configuration/ai-providers">
    Add API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, or Ollama to use premium models.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Portal Agent deep dive" icon="sparkles" href="/agent/overview">
    Explore all 40+ canvas tools and learn how to run complex multi-step workflows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Design-to-Build workflow" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/workflows/design-to-build">
    Turn a Design mode artboard into a working app with a single click.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Brainstorming mode" icon="lightbulb" href="/modes/brainstorming">
    Learn about the infinite canvas, inspiration view, ambient sounds, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>