AI Tools

Jan Quickstart: A Beginner's Implementation Guide

Ready to run AI locally? Our Jan quickstart guide for beginners walks you through setup, downloading models, and your first chat. Start your private AI journey!

Alex Carter

Open-source enthusiast and tech writer passionate about making AI accessible to everyone.

September 16, 20256 min read27 views

Your First Steps with Jan: A Beginner’s Quickstart Guide to Local AI

Ever felt a spark of curiosity about the powerful AI models you see everywhere, but a little hesitant about where your data is going? What if you could have that same conversational AI power, but running entirely on your own computer, completely private and even offline?

That’s not science fiction. That’s Jan.

If you're new to the idea of local AI, the concept can feel a bit daunting. But Jan is designed to change that. Think of this guide as a friendly handshake, here to walk you through setting up your very own private AI playground in just a few simple steps. Let's get started!

So, What Exactly is Jan?

In the simplest terms, Jan is a free, open-source desktop application that lets you run Large Language Models (LLMs) on your personal computer.

Imagine a web browser. With a browser, you can access countless different websites. With Jan, you can download and chat with countless different AI "brains"—or models, as they're called in the AI world. It's a secure sandbox where you are in complete control. Your conversations are yours, your data is yours, and the experience is tailored by you.

Why Bother with Local AI? The Big Wins

Before we dive into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Why would you choose Jan over a cloud-based service?

Unbeatable Privacy

This is the big one. When you use Jan with a local model, your prompts and the AI's responses never leave your machine. They aren't sent to a server owned by a large corporation or used to train future models. It’s 100% private, period.

Work Offline, Anytime

Once you've downloaded a model, you don't need an internet connection to use it. On a plane, in a cabin with spotty Wi-Fi, or during an internet outage—your AI assistant is always ready to go.

Kiss API Bills Goodbye

Experimenting with cloud-based AI can get expensive, with costs racking up based on usage. Running models locally on your own hardware is completely free. You can chat, write, and code with your AI as much as you want without worrying about a single bill.

The Ultimate Playground

Jan opens the door to a world of different AI models. You can try models optimized for coding, creative writing, or factual question-answering. It’s an incredible way to learn and discover what different AI architectures are capable of, right from your desktop.

The 5-Step Quickstart to Your First AI Chat

Ready to get your hands dirty? It’s easier than you think. Here’s how you go from zero to chatting with your own local AI.

Step 1: Download and Install Jan

First things first, you need the app itself. Jan is available for Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), and Linux.

Head over to the official Jan website: jan.ai.
The site should automatically detect your operating system and highlight the correct download button. Click it.
Once the download is complete, install it just like any other application. On Windows, you'll run the .exe file. On a Mac, you'll drag the Jan icon into your Applications folder.

That's it! No complicated setup or command-line wizardry required.

Step 2: A Quick Tour of the App

Open Jan for the first time. You'll be greeted by a clean, straightforward interface. Don't feel overwhelmed; there are only a few key areas to know for now:

The Chat Window (Center): This is where the magic happens. It’s the familiar chat interface where you'll type your prompts and see the AI's replies.
The Hub (Rocket Icon 🚀): On the left-hand sidebar, you'll see a rocket icon. This is the Hub. It’s Jan's built-in marketplace where you can discover and download new AI models.
Threads (Chat Bubble Icon 💬): This is where your conversation history is saved. Each new chat is a "Thread."
Settings (Gear Icon ⚙️): At the bottom-left, this is where you can tweak application settings. We'll peek in here later.

Step 3: Download Your First AI Model

Your Jan app is the car, but now you need an engine. That's your model. Let's go get one.

Click the Hub (🚀) icon in the sidebar.
You'll see a list of popular models. A fantastic starting point for most modern computers is Mistral 7B Instruct. It offers a great balance of performance, intelligence, and resource usage. Use the search bar if you don't see it immediately.
Click on the model card. You'll see a "Download" button. Click it.

A quick heads-up: These models are large! A 7-billion-parameter model like Mistral 7B can be several gigabytes (GB) in size. The download will take some time, depending on your internet speed. Go grab a coffee—it's worth the wait.

Step 4: Start Chatting!

Once the download is complete, the real fun begins.

Navigate back to the main chat screen (you can click the "New Chat" button or the Threads icon).
At the top of the chat window, you'll see a dropdown menu that likely says "Select a model." Click it and choose the Mistral model you just downloaded.
The model will take a few moments to load into your computer's memory. Once it's ready, the text input box at the bottom will become active.
Type your first prompt and press Enter! Try something fun:

Explain the concept of gravity as if you were a pirate.

Watch as the AI generates a response right there on your screen, with no data sent to the cloud. Congratulations, you're officially running a local LLM!

Step 5: A Peek into Settings

You don't need to change anything yet, but it's good to know what's there. Click the Settings (⚙️) icon. Under "Application," you can switch between Light and Dark themes. The "Models" tab will show you where your downloaded AI models are stored on your computer. It's all designed to be transparent and user-controlled.

You've Mastered the Basics. What's Next?

You've taken your first, most important steps. Now you're ready to explore.

Try Other Models: Head back to the Hub and look at other models. You might find smaller ones that run faster or larger, more powerful ones if your computer can handle them. Models like Llama 3 or specialized coding models like Code Llama are great to try.
Explore Threads: As you have more conversations, you'll see them organized in the Threads panel. You can rename them, delete them, and easily switch between different topics.
Join the Community: Jan has an active community on Discord where you can ask questions, share what you're building, and get help from other users and the developers themselves.

Welcome to the World of Local AI

You did it! You've successfully set up and run a powerful AI model on your own terms. Jan demystifies the world of local AI, putting incredible technology directly into your hands while championing privacy and user control.

This is just the beginning of your journey. You're no longer just a user of AI; you're an explorer with a powerful new tool at your disposal. So go ahead, experiment, ask silly questions, write a poem, or debug some code. The sandbox is all yours.

Happy tinkering!