How to set up a new Windows laptop safely

A few careful steps in the first hour make your new laptop safer, faster and easier to look after.

Quick fixes to try first

Before you begin, have these ready: your Wi-Fi name and password, your Microsoft account email and password if you have one, and the charger. Plug the laptop in.

Step by step

1. Switch on and follow the setup screens. Choose your country as United Kingdom and the UK keyboard layout.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi when asked.
3. Sign in with your Microsoft account, or create one. Write down your password somewhere safe. Use a password only you know, and consider a password manager.
4. When asked about privacy options, read them and choose what suits you. You can change them later in Settings.
5. Once you reach the desktop, open Settings, then Windows Update, and click Check for updates. Install everything and restart, repeating until it says you are up to date. This can take a while on a new laptop.
6. Open Windows Security from the Start menu and check it shows no red warnings. Windows includes free protection, so you may not need extra.
7. Turn on a backup. See our guide on OneDrive.
8. Create a PIN or fingerprint sign-in under Settings, then Accounts, then Sign-in options, if you want it.

If that did not work

• If setup demands an account you do not have, create a free one using another device.
• If Wi-Fi will not connect, restart the router and try again.
• Be cautious about pre-installed trial programs. Remove ones you do not want from Settings, then Apps. Leave anything you are unsure of.
• Only download programs from official websites or the Microsoft Store.

When to get more help

Stop and email us if you are stuck on a setup screen, asked to pay for something you did not expect, see warnings you do not understand, or cannot sign in. Do not enter payment details on pop-ups. Tell us the laptop's make and model and what the screen says.