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# First Steps

MetoYou is a chat app for servers, text conversations, direct messages, and live voice. You do not need to understand the technical parts to use it.

## Main Words

| Word | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Server | A shared space for a community, team, or group. |
| Text channel | A named chat room inside a server. Messages stay in that channel. |
| Voice channel | A named live room inside a server. Join it when you want to talk, share camera, or share screen. |
| Direct message | A private conversation outside a server channel. |
| Plugin | An add-on that can add buttons, panels, tools, integrations, or server-specific features. |

## Sign In

1. Open MetoYou.
2. Sign in with your username and password.
3. If you use more than one signaling server, choose the server endpoint that owns your account.

A signaling server handles accounts, server discovery, membership, and connection setup. In normal use you can think of it as the place MetoYou checks when you log in and join servers.

## Find a Server

1. Open the server search page.
2. Search by server name or browse the available list.
3. Select a server.
4. Join directly if it is public, enter the password if it is protected, or use an invite link if someone sent you one.

After joining, the server appears in the vertical server rail on the left. Click a server icon there to switch servers.

## Read and Send Messages

1. Click a server in the left rail.
2. Pick a text channel under **Text Channels**.
3. Type in the composer at the bottom of the chat.
4. Press Enter or use the send button.

Text channels keep different topics separate. For example, a server might have `general`, `announcements`, and `support` as separate text channels.

## Start Talking

1. Open a server.
2. Pick a voice channel under **Voice Channels**.
3. Click the voice channel to join.
4. Use the voice controls to mute, deafen, start camera, share screen, or leave.

Voice is live. Text messages are written chat. They can happen at the same time, but they are different channel types.

## Use Direct Messages

Direct messages are one-to-one conversations. They are separate from server text channels, so they do not depend on which server you are viewing.

## Open Settings

Settings contain account, voice, plugin, server, desktop, update, local API, theme, and data controls. Desktop users can also manage local data import/export and local documentation/API hosting.

## Install Plugins

Plugins are installed from the Plugin Store or Plugin Manager. Some plugins are global client plugins. Other plugins are server-scoped and only apply to a specific server.

See [Plugins for Users](./plugins.md) for the full non-technical plugin guide.