# Getting started with Meilisearch Cloud
Source: https://www.meilisearch.com/docs/learn/getting_started/cloud_quick_start

Learn how to create your first Meilisearch Cloud project.

This tutorial walks you through setting up [Meilisearch Cloud](https://meilisearch.com/cloud), creating a project and an index, adding documents to it, and performing your first search with the default web interface.

You need a Meilisearch Cloud account to follow along. If you don't have one, register for a 14-day free trial account at [https://cloud.meilisearch.com/register](https://cloud.meilisearch.com/register?utm_campaign=oss\&utm_source=docs\&utm_medium=cloud-quick-start).

<iframe title="Getting started with Meilisearch Cloud" />

## Creating a project

To use Meilisearch Cloud, you must first create a project. Projects act as containers for indexes, tasks, billing, and other information related to Meilisearch Cloud.

Click the "New project" button on the top menu. If you have a free trial account and this is your first project, the button will read "Start free trial" instead:

<Frame>
  <img alt="The Meilisearch Cloud menu, featuring the 'New Project' button" />
</Frame>

Name your project `meilisearch-quick-start` and select the region closest to you, then click on "Create project":

<Frame>
  <img alt="A modal window with two mandatory fields: 'Project name' and 'Select a region'" />
</Frame>

If you are not using a free trial account, you must also choose a billing plan based on the size of your dataset and number of searches per month:

<Frame>
  <img alt="A variation of the previous modal window with an extra mandatory field: 'Select a plan'. There are a few billing plan options" />
</Frame>

Creating your project might take a few minutes. Check the project list to follow its status. Once the project is ready, click on its name to go to the project overview page:

<Frame>
  <img alt="Meilisearch Cloud's main list of projects. It features only one project, 'meilisearch-quick-start', and shows information such as API keys, URL, and number of monthly searches" />
</Frame>

## Creating an index and adding documents

After creating your project, you must index the data you want to search. Meilisearch stores and processes data you add to it in indexes. A single project may contain multiple indexes.

First, click on the indexes tab in the project page menu:

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  <img alt="The project overview page, featuring a secondary menu with several links. A red arrow points at a menu item: 'Indexes'" />
</Frame>

This leads you to the index listing. Click on "New index":

<Frame>
  <img alt="An empty list of indexes in this project with a button on the upper right corner" />
</Frame>

Write `movies` in the name field and click on "Create Index":

<Frame>
  <img alt="A modal window with one mandatory field: 'Index name'" />
</Frame>

The final step in creating an index is to add data to it. Choose "File upload":

<Frame>
  <img alt="Another modal window with three options. A red arrow points at the chosen option, 'File upload'" />
</Frame>

Meilisearch Cloud will ask you for your dataset. To follow along, use this <a href="/assets/datasets/movies.json">list of movies</a>. Download the file to your computer, drag and drop it into the indicated area, then click on "Import documents":

<Frame>
  <img alt="Another modal window with a large drag-and-drop area. It indicates a file named 'movies.json' will be uploaded" />
</Frame>

Meilisearch Cloud will index your documents. This may take a moment. Click on "See index list" and wait. Once it is done, click on "Settings" to visit the index overview:

<Frame>
  <img alt="A list of all indexes in this project. It shows a single index, `movies`, and indicates it contains over 30,000 documents" />
</Frame>

## Searching

With all data uploaded and processed, the last step is to run a few test searches to confirm Meilisearch is running as expected.

Click on the project name on the breadcrumb menu to return to the project overview:

<Frame>
  <img alt="The index list page. A red arrow points at the breadcrumb menu" />
</Frame>

Meilisearch Cloud comes with a search preview interface. Click on "Search preview" to access it:

<Frame>
  <img alt="The project overview page. A red arrow points at a menu item named 'Search preview'" />
</Frame>

Finally, try searching for a few movies, like "Solaris":

<Frame>
  <img alt="The search preview interface, with 'solaris' written in the search bar" />
</Frame>

If you can see the results coming in as you type, congratulations: you now know all the basic steps to using Meilisearch Cloud.

## What's next

This tutorial taught you how to use Meilisearch Cloud's interface to create a project, add an index to it, and use the search preview interface.

In most real-life settings, you will be creating your own search interface and retrieving results through Meilisearch's API. To learn how to add documents and search using the command-line or an SDK in your preferred language, check out the [Meilisearch quick start](/learn/self_hosted/getting_started_with_self_hosted_meilisearch).