The What

Getting started with Xero takes just a few minutes. This lesson walks you through creating your account, activating it, and completing the initial organisation setup before you reach the dashboard.

1. Sign Up for a Free Trial

Go to xero.com and click Try Xero for free. Enter your details, agree to the terms and conditions, and click Get started.

Xero will send a confirmation email to your inbox. Open it and click the link to continue.

2. Set a Password and Activate Your Account

Enter a secure password on the activation screen, then click Activate your account.

3. Complete Initial Organisation Setup

Xero needs a few more details before you can start:

Organisation name — this appears on your invoices, so use your trading name.
Country and currency — verify these carefully. You cannot change them once your trial has begun.
Industry — start typing and select the best match from the dropdown. Xero uses this to recommend connected apps.
Financial year end — this feeds into your reporting (e.g. the balance sheet).
Current accounting solution — select what you use today.

When you're done, click Start trial.

4. Explore the Dashboard

The first screen you see is the Xero dashboard. Watch the introduction video and review the setup overview. You'll find key panels here such as Invoices owed to you.

5. Manage Your Trial Account

Click your organisation name at the top and select My Xero to manage your account:

Pay now — converts your trial to a paid subscription.
Add an organisation — creates another Xero account under the same login (useful if you run multiple businesses).
Demo company — each Xero login includes a demo company pre-loaded with test data. It resets every 28 days and can be manually reset anytime. Use it to practise new skills safely.

6. Get Help When You Need It

Click the help icon at any time. From there you can:

Browse help articles on Xero Central
Search for a specific topic
Scroll down and click Contact Xero Support to submit a query