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Last validated: Jan 5, 2026
\nWelcome! Follow the steps in this topic to create your own private Tailscale network (known as a tailnet), or watch the following video to get started with Tailscale and set up some useful features.
\nHow to get started with Tailscale in under 10 minutes - YouTube
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\nHow to get started with Tailscale in under 10 minutes Tailscale
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\nGo to tailscale.com and select Get Started. Alternatively, you can download and install the Tailscale client on your device, then sign up.
On the Sign up with your identity provider page, log in using a single sign-on (SSO) identity provider account.
\nIf you sign up using a custom-owned domain, you are automatically enrolled in the Enterprise plan for a 14-day trial. If you sign up using a public domain email account such as @gmail.com, you are automatically enrolled in the Personal plan, which entitles you to six free users and many of the features offered in the Enterprise plan. You can always change your plan. For more information, refer to Manage your plan.
On the Welcome to Tailscale page, select either Business use or Personal use.
\nOn the Let's add your first device page, select the OS that corresponds to the device you are using to download and install the client. Authenticate the client using the same credentials that you used to create the tailnet in step 2.
\nOnce you are authenticated, the device will appear in the browser window.
\nOn the Next, add a second device page, select the OS for another machine to add to the tailnet. Copy the link and send it to the second device. After the second device is authenticated, both devices will display.
\nSelect Take me home. You will be redirected to the Tailscale admin console. This interface lets you control most aspects of your tailnet including users, devices, DNS, permissions, authentication keys, and more.
\nEvery device added to a tailnet, including servers, nodes, phones, and personal computers is assigned a unique name generated from the device's OS hostname. This name is displayed in the Machines page of the admin console. You can also rename a device to help you locate and organize devices in the Machines page list.
\nMagicDNS makes communicating with devices across your tailnet easier by allowing you to use the name listed in the Machines page of the admin console instead of an IP address. This works using automatically assigned OS hostnames or renamed device names. MagicDNS is enabled by default, and we recommend you keep it enabled.
\nThere are two types of tailnet user invites.
\nTeam member invites are for users who will authenticate using the same identity provider you used when creating the tailnet.
\nExternal invites are for users who are not part of your custom domain, such as contractors, friends, and family.
\nIf your tailnet uses a custom domain (example.com), users with email addresses with the same domain can log in without needing an invite. Alternatively, you can send team member invites to notify them to join.
To invite external users to a tailnet, open the Users page of the admin console, select Invite external users, and choose one of the following options:
\nWhen users select the link, they will be directed to the Tailscale login page, where they can authenticate using a supported single sign-on (SSO) identity provider account. Once they are authenticated, users are added on the Users page of the admin console.
\nFor more information, refer to Invite any user to your tailnet.
\nYou can add more devices to your tailnet using one of the following methods:
\nTailscale automatically assigns each device on your network a unique 100.x.y.z IP address, to establish stable connections between machines no matter where they are in the world, even when they switch networks or are behind a firewall.
\nFor more about adding devices, refer to Add a device.
\nKeep your internet activity private on an untrusted network by designating devices in your tailnet as exit nodes, then configure your tailnet devices to use those exit nodes.
\nYou can provide tailnet access to existing resources in your network using a subnet router. This can be useful if you need to access devices on which the Tailscale client cannot be installed, such as printers.
\nYou can define your own custom permission for the users and devices in your tailnet, using access control policies (such as ACLs or grants). These permissions are configured in the tailnet policy file, which is located on the Access controls page of the admin console.
\nYou can monitor and log tailnet activity such as network traffic, client activity, tailnet configuration changes, and SSH session recordings.
\nFor more information, refer to Logging, auditing, and streaming.
\nNeed some inspiration? Tailscale can be used for a wide variety of users and environments. This section provides guidance for some common scenarios that you may want to use in your tailnet.
\nVisit our Support page to read common questions and answers, file bugs, request new features, observe Tailscale's operational status, or engage directly with our Support team.
\nHere are some links that provide assistance for common inquiries:
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