---
title: "Quickstart"
description: "Install GlassHome, connect it to Home Assistant, and add your first widget in under 5 minutes."
canonical: https://glasshome.app/docs/quickstart
section: "Getting started"
updated: 2026-06-09
---
# Quickstart

End-to-end in under 5 minutes: install, connect, customize. Assumes you already have Home Assistant running.

## Before you start

- A reachable Home Assistant URL (e.g. `http://homeassistant.local:8123`).
- A device to run GlassHome on. Same machine as HA is fine. CPU requirements: SSE4.2 / ARMv8 ([details](/docs/installation#supported-cpus)).
- No HA yet? You can still try demo mode. Skip to step 2 and pick **Demo mode** on the welcome screen.

  1. Pick one. Both deploy the same app.
   
       **HA OS or Supervised users.** Add the [GlassHome Addon repository](/docs/addon) and install from the Add-on Store. One-click, no Docker needed.
   
       **Everyone else.** Run the container:
   
       ```bash
       docker run -d \
         --name glasshome \
         -p 3123:3123 \
         -v glasshome_data:/data \
         --restart unless-stopped \
         ghcr.io/glasshome/dash:latest
       ```

  2. Go to `http://<host>:3123` in your browser. The setup wizard loads.
   
       For addon installs, `<host>` is your Home Assistant machine's IP address (e.g. `http://192.168.1.100:3123`).
   
       No HA yet? Click **Demo mode** on the welcome screen to explore with simulated data.

  3. Enter your HA URL (with `http://` or `https://` and the port). Authorize in the HA popup. The wizard hands back to Dash automatically.
   
       Stuck? See [Connecting](/docs/connecting#troubleshooting).

  4. 1. Tap the **pencil** icon to enter edit mode.
       2. Tap **Add Widget**.
       3. Pick a widget type, then pick the entity to bind.
       4. Tap **Done**. Changes saved automatically.

  5. - **Settings > Theme.** Pick a preset or customize. [Themes guide](/docs/themes).
       - **Settings > Dashboards.** Add more dashboards, each with its own layout.
       - **Settings > Remote Access.** Get a `*.glasshome.cloud` URL via tunnel. [How](/docs/remote-access).

## What next

- **Use it well:** [Widgets](/docs/widgets), [Editing](/docs/editing), [Layouts](/docs/layouts).
- **Build your own widgets:** [Widget Development](/docs/widget-development).
- **Something off:** [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting) or post in [Discord](https://discord.gg/FJYdeDmrzv) and I'll take a look.

> **Mental model first?:** If terms like Hub, addon, scope, and tunnel are blurring together, the [Concepts](/docs/concepts) page is one screen.