# First steps

Open [chatBHT](https://chatbht.com/) and sign in. If you do not have an account yet, select **Register** on the sign-in page. Registration depends on your institution's access policy.

## The start screen

After signing in, you see the navigation on the left, the model selector at the top and the message field below. A new chat displays the university logo in the centre.

```{include} ../_includes/ui-overview.md
```

## Your first message

1. Select **New chat** on the left – the pen-and-square icon.
2. Enter your task in **Message chatBHT**.
3. Click the **Send** arrow on the right of the message field.
4. Ask follow-up questions in the same chat.

```{include} ../_includes/ui-composer.md
```

For example:

> Explain the difference between a research question and a hypothesis. Give a short example from university studies.

On desktop, **Enter** also sends the message. **Shift + Enter** inserts a line break. On touch devices, use the arrow to send. While a response is running, **Stop** appears instead.

## Start a new topic

Select **New chat** to begin with an empty conversation history. Your saved prompts and active memories can also affect new chats. You can find the previous conversation in **Chat history**.

[Next: AI models](choose-a-model.md)