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@MargusG
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@MargusG MargusG commented Jan 14, 2026

What this PR does

Adds a beginner-first “First Time Setup” guide focused on reducing confusion and early drop-off during initial use of Open WebUI.

The guide is written for non-technical users and:

  • avoids jargon where possible
  • defines clear success checkpoints
  • explains common points of confusion without blaming the user
  • includes a simple, verifiable document test flow
  • documents real first-run UI friction (upload delay, silent indexing)

Why this is needed

New users often struggle to reach first success due to:

  • not knowing whether the system is working
  • uncertainty around model selection
  • silent or slow document ingestion
  • difficulty finding Knowledge-related UI actions

This guide is designed to shorten “time-to-first-success” and reduce early abandonment.

Scope

  • Documentation only
  • No behavioral or UI changes
  • Beginner-focused, not a replacement for advanced docs

Target audience

  • First-time users
  • Non-technical users
  • Self-hosted users evaluating Open WebUI for the first time

Feedback welcome — especially on wording, structure, and placement.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for first-time users to set up and use Open WebUI, including connecting to an AI model and chatting with documents.
This guide is intended for first-time users and outlines the steps required to set up and use Open WebUI, including connecting to an AI model and optional document integration.
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ℹ️ Documentation PR Guidelines

👋 Welcome! This is an automated message posted on all new documentation PRs to help guide our contributors. Just because this comment appeared doesn't mean you have done anything wrong!

Please ensure you're using the correct branches:

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@Classic298
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Thanks for your contribution. If you attempted to add this to the tutorials section I would probably have approved this PR, but since you attempt to add this to getting-started, i am not sure it is wanted there.

@tjbck will have to confirm that here and review the PR and the tutorial

@MargusG
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MargusG commented Jan 14, 2026

Thanks for the feedback — that makes sense.

I’m happy to move this guide to the tutorials section if that’s a better fit.
My intention was to help first-time users reach a working setup with minimal friction, not to redefine the getting-started structure.

I’ll wait for @tjbck’s input, and once confirmed I can move the guide to the appropriate tutorials location and update the PR accordingly.

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3 participants