Setup Wizard

Make sure you’ve installed Pia first. The first time you launch it, a setup wizard guides you through the basics. It takes about a minute and helps Pia work the way you want.

You can skip any step and come back to it later in Settings.

Step 1: Welcome

The wizard opens with a quick intro to what Pia can do — AI-powered assistance, memory that learns your preferences, and instant access via hotkeys.

Choose your language from the dropdown at the top of the screen if you’d like Pia in a different language.

Step 2: Sign In to Pia Cloud

You can sign in with Google, Microsoft, or an email and password. Signing in gives you:

• Cloud sync — your data follows you across devices
• Pia Cloud AI — a built-in AI provider, no API key needed
• End-to-end encryption — your data stays private

Tip

Signing in is the fastest way to get started. You can skip the AI provider setup entirely because Pia Cloud AI is ready to go.

Don’t want to sign in yet? No problem — click Skip and set it up later in Settings → Cloud Sync.

Step 3: AI Provider Setup

Note

This step only appears if you didn’t sign in to Pia Cloud. If you signed in, the wizard skips straight to the next step.

If you’re not using Pia Cloud AI, you’ll need to connect an AI provider. Pia supports:

• OpenAI
• Azure OpenAI
• Ollama (for local models)
• OpenRouter
• OpenAI-compatible endpoints

To set up a provider:

1. Pick a provider type from the list
2. Enter the endpoint URL (the address where the AI service runs)
3. Enter your API key if the provider requires one
4. Click Fetch Models to load available models, then pick one
5. Click Test Connection — the wizard checks that everything works

You must pass the connection test before moving on. If it fails, double-check your endpoint URL and API key, then try again.

Step 4: Meet the Three Modes

Pia has three ways to help you, shown as cards you can explore:

• Optimize — Highlight text and transform it using templates. Great for rewriting, translating, or fixing grammar.
• Assistant — Chat with an AI that remembers your preferences and can use tools to help you.
• Research — Ask Pia to dig deep into a topic and put together a thorough analysis.

Each mode has its own hotkey for quick access. You’ll see the shortcuts on each card.

Step 5: Your Profile

Tell Pia a bit about yourself so it can personalize its responses. All fields are optional:

• Name and Nickname — how Pia addresses you
• Location — helps with location-aware answers (weather, time zones, local info)
• Mode — choose Personal or Business to set the overall tone

Tip

You can click the microphone button next to any field to dictate instead of typing.

Step 6: You’re Ready!

The final screen shows a few quick-start tips to remember:

• Use hotkey shortcuts to open Pia instantly from anywhere
• Pia lives in your system tray — right-click the icon for quick options
• Pia remembers things you tell it across conversations
• Visit Settings anytime to change your setup

Keyboard Shortcuts

You can move through the wizard with your keyboard:

Key	Action
Enter	Go to the next step
Escape	Skip the wizard
Alt + Left	Go back
Alt + Right	Go forward

Next Steps

Now that Pia is set up, head to Your First Conversation to start chatting.

If you skipped the AI provider step, see the AI Providers Guide to connect one now.