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# Quick Start

Here is a quick, no-choices path to install Immich and take it for a test drive.
Once you've tried it, perhaps you'll use one of the many other ways
to install and use it.

## Requirements

Check the [requirements page](../install/requirements) to get started.

## Install and launch via Docker Compose

Follow the [Docker Compose (Recommended)](../install/docker-compose) instructions
to install the server.

- Where random passwords are required, `pwgen` is a handy utility.
- `UPLOAD_LOCATION` should be set to some new directory on the server
  with free space.
- You may ignore "Step 4 - Upgrading".

## Try the Web UI

import RegisterAdminUser from '../partials/_register-admin.md';

<RegisterAdminUser />

Try uploading a picture from your browser.

<img src={require('./img/upload-button.png').default} title="Upload button" />

## Try the Mobile UI

### Download the Mobile App

import MobileAppDownload from '../partials/_mobile-app-download.md';

<MobileAppDownload />

### Login to the Mobile App

import MobileAppLogin from '../partials/_mobile-app-login.md';

<MobileAppLogin />

In the mobile app, you should see the photo you uploaded from the web UI.

### Transfer Photos from your Mobile Device

import MobileAppBackup from '../partials/_mobile-app-backup.md';

<MobileAppBackup />

Depending on how many photos are on your mobile device, this backup may
take quite a while.

You can select the Jobs tab to see Immich processing your photos.

<img src={require('../guides/img/jobs-tab.png').default} title="Jobs tab" />

## Set up your backups

You may want to back up the content of your Immich instance
along with other parts of your server; be sure to read about
[database backup](../administration/backup-and-restore).

## Where to go from here?

You may decide you'd like to install the server a different way;
the Install category on the left menu provides many options.

You may decide you'd like to add the _rest_ of your photos from Google Photos,
even those not on your mobile device, via Google Takeout.
You can use [immich-go](https://github.com/simulot/immich-go) for this.

You may want to
[upload photos from your own archive](../features/command-line-interface).

You may want to incorporate an immutable archive of photos from an
[External Library](../features/libraries#external-libraries);
there's a [Guide](../guides/external-library) for that.

You may want your mobile device to
[back photos up to your server automatically](../features/automatic-backup).
