Getting Started with Zo Computer: Login, Setup, and First Steps

Getting started with Zo Computer is straightforward. The free plan requires no credit card. Your personal Linux server spins up automatically after you sign up. This guide walks you through each step, from creating an account to running your first automated task.

If you want to understand what Zo Computer is before setting it up, start with What Is Zo Computer first.

What you will have after setup

By the end of this guide you will have a personal cloud computer with 100GB of storage, an AI you can text from your phone, at least one integration connected, and your first scheduled task running.

That takes most people under 30 minutes. Each step below takes roughly three to five minutes on its own.

Step 1 — Create your account

Go to zo.computer and sign up. The free plan is available without a credit card. You enter an email address, set a password, and your personal Linux server spins up automatically.

What happens in the background: Zo provisions a persistent cloud server in your name. This is not a shared server. It is your personal compute instance with your own file system and your own storage allocation.

The whole process takes under two minutes. When it completes, you are looking at your Zo dashboard for the first time.

Step 2 — Explore your server on first login

When you log in, you see three main areas.

• Chat interface. Where you talk to your AI. You can ask questions, give tasks, or instruct Zo to do something with your files or connected apps.
• Cloud filesystem. Your 100GB personal storage. You can upload files, create folders, and organize documents, code, and images here.
• Tools panel. A list of Zo’s 50+ built-in tools, including file operations, shell commands, web search, and integrations.

Free plan note: On the free plan, your server goes to sleep when inactive. When you log back in, it wakes up, but this delay means scheduled tasks that should run overnight will not fire reliably. The Basic plan ($18/month) keeps your server always on.

For a full breakdown of what each plan includes, see Zo Computer pricing.

Step 3 — Download the mobile app

Zo has an iOS app. Download it and log in with the same credentials you used at zo.computer.

What the mobile app gives you:

• Text your AI from anywhere. Send a message to Zo from your phone the way you would text a person. It has access to all your files and connected apps.
• Check task results. When a scheduled task completes, you can see the output in the app.
• Manage files. Browse your cloud filesystem from your phone.

The mobile experience is most useful once you have scheduled tasks running. You check your morning briefing there, or review the output of a weekly report Zo generated while you were offline.

Step 4 — Connect your first integration

Go to the integrations panel in your Zo dashboard. You will see a list of supported services.

Available integrations include: Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, Linear, Airtable, Dropbox, and Spotify.

If you want the daily briefing use case, connect Gmail first. The connection process is an OAuth flow: you click Connect, authenticate with your Google account, and grant Zo access to read your inbox.

Once connected, you can immediately ask Zo things like: “What emails did I receive today from clients?” or “Summarize my unread inbox.” The integration is live the moment the OAuth flow completes.

Recommendation: Connect one integration before moving to the next step. You will use it to run your first task.

Step 5 — Run your first AI task

There are two ways to use Zo. Conversational and scheduled.

Conversational: Type a question or instruction in the chat interface. Zo responds using its built-in tools and whatever integrations you have connected. This is instant and interactive.

Example: “Summarize my unread Gmail from the last 24 hours.”

Scheduled: Give Zo a recurring instruction. It runs automatically on your cloud server, with results delivered via email or SMS.

Example: “Every morning at 7am, summarize my unread Gmail and text me the five most important items.”

To set up a scheduled task, type the instruction in the chat interface with a time reference. Zo will confirm the schedule and begin running it on the specified cadence. You do not need to configure a separate scheduler. The instruction itself is enough.

Step 6 — Install the Zo MCP Server (for developers)

If you use Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, or Codex, you can connect them to your Zo via the MCP server. This gives your IDE access to your cloud files, connected apps, and all of Zo’s built-in tools.

What this unlocks in practice:

• Claude Code can read and write files stored in your Zo cloud.
• Your IDE can query data from connected Notion or Airtable databases.
• Shell commands run through your AI client execute on your Zo server, not your local machine.

For step-by-step installation instructions, go to zocomputer.mintlify.app. The MCP setup is covered in the developer documentation. For a full guide on the developer use case, see Zo Computer for developers.

Step 7 — Choose a paid plan if you need one

The free plan is a genuine entry point. It gives you 100GB storage, access to AI models, the ability to host one project, and access to the Zo MCP Server. The server sleeps when inactive.

Plan comparison:

All plans let you bring your own API keys. AI usage is charged at cost, meaning Zo does not mark up what you pay for AI model access.

The practical threshold: if you want to run scheduled tasks reliably overnight, or keep a hosted project live at all times, the Basic plan at $18/month is the starting point. For heavier AI usage or compute needs, Ultra covers that.

What to do if your server does not respond

A few things to check if Zo feels slow or unresponsive.

• Free plan sleep state. On the free plan, your server takes a moment to wake up after a period of inactivity. Wait 30 seconds and try again. If reliability matters, upgrade to Basic.
• Browser refresh. If the chat interface seems stuck, refresh the page. Your session state and files are preserved server-side.
• Mobile connectivity. If the iOS app is not responding, check your connection. The app requires internet access to reach your cloud server.
• Documentation. If you hit a specific error, the docs at zocomputer.mintlify.app have a troubleshooting section with common issues and fixes.

For questions not covered in docs, the security and support contact is security@zo.computer.

Common questions on Zo Computer setup

”Do I need a credit card for the free plan?”

No. The free plan is available without payment information. You only need to provide payment details when upgrading to Basic or Ultra.

”How long does it take to set up a working daily briefing?”

Under 15 minutes from account creation. Sign up, connect Gmail via the integrations panel, type one scheduled task instruction in the chat interface. Zo handles the rest. You will receive your first briefing the next morning.

”Can I use Zo on Android?”

The iOS app is confirmed available. Check zo.computer for the current state of Android support, as availability may have expanded since launch. Zo is fully usable in a mobile browser on any device.

”What happens to my files if I cancel my account?”

Review Zo’s current terms at zo.computer for the specific data retention policy on account cancellation. In general, your files are stored in your personal cloud server and are not shared with other users. The question of export and deletion on cancellation is governed by Zo’s terms of service.

Start with the step that gives you the fastest result

For most people, that is the daily briefing setup. Connect Gmail, write one task instruction, and you have a working automated workflow before the end of the day.

The fastest path to understanding what Zo can do is running a scheduled task and seeing the result arrive in your pocket the next morning. Everything else becomes clear from that point.

Path one: sign up and run a task today. Go to zo.computer. Create an account on the free plan. Connect Gmail. Set up a morning briefing. That is the full setup for your first useful automated workflow.

Path two: bring in a partner. Phos AI Labs helps teams deploy AI infrastructure like Zo in a way that fits their existing workflows and tools. Thirty minutes, no deck. Start here.