Start using Glean

This guide walks you through a first task that shows Glean's broader value, how to connect your apps, and how to bring Glean into the workflows you already use.

New Glean administrator? See How to set up Glean for your organization and users.

Prerequisites

• A work account your organization has set up for Glean
• Access to app.glean.com

First steps

1

Start with a real task, not just a search

Go to Glean and sign in with your work account.

Glean opens in Chat. Start with something you need to accomplish, not only a keyword or a document to find. For example:

• "Catch me up on what changed this week for [project or team], then list what I need to do next."
• "Summarize [document] and turn the top three decisions into a team update."
• "I'm onboarding to [project or team]. Give me the context, documents, and people I should know first."
• "Compare the approaches to [problem] in our internal docs and recommend one."

Every answer includes citations, so you can verify the source. If the answer isn't quite right, keep the task going in the same chat:

1. Add context or constraints, or tag a document or person with @.
2. Ask a follow-up to clarify, compare, or find what's missing.
3. Ask Glean to turn the result into an email, brief, plan, or other useful output.

This is where Glean helps you get work done and becomes more than a place to look up information. It helps you move from company context to your next piece of work.

2

Connect the apps that contain your work

Glean can use connected apps to give you more complete answers and, where supported, run tools such as drafting a reply, updating a record, or pulling live data.

Go to Settings and authenticate the connectors your admin has made available. Your permissions always carry over. Glean only shows you what you already have access to in the source app.

Connected apps also feed your Home page. For example, the Mentions card shows where you're tagged or assigned across them, so you don't have to check each app separately. See Mentions to learn more.

tip

Connect the apps you use most. A few minutes of setup can unlock company context, citations, and tools across the systems where your work happens.

3

Let Glean choose the right level of help

Your organization may have configured Glean with Auto and Adaptive modes. They choose a model and reasoning depth for you. If available, keep them selected while you're getting started.

If you need to choose, use the option that matches the job:

• Fast: Simple questions where you need an answer quickly.
• Thinking: Complex, company-specific questions or tasks that need deeper reasoning, citations, or connected-app tools.
• Deep research: A detailed, multi-source report that combines your company's knowledge and the web.

You can select a model or reasoning mode from the filter icon in the chat input. The models and modes available to you depend on your organization's configuration. See model choice and reasoning modes.

4

Keep Glean close to the work

You'll get more value from Glean when it's available at the moment you need company context.

• Browser extension: Open Glean as a sidebar on any page with ⌘ + J (Mac) or Alt + J (Windows), search from your address bar, and optionally open Glean as your homepage.
• Glean for Desktop: Get a floating chat that stays on top of your other apps, plus the option to attach a screenshot for visual context.
• In your apps: Where your admin has enabled it, use Glean directly in tools like Slack. See embedded integrations.

Glean does not have to replace every tool. Start in Glean when company context, connected sources, or citations matter. For specialized work such as coding or deployment, another tool may be a better fit. Where your organization supports it, MCP (Model Context Protocol) can bring Glean's company context into the AI tools you already use. See MCP overview.

5

Build on the tasks you repeat

Once you know which tasks Glean helps with, make them easier to repeat:

• Agents: Use purpose-built assistants for multi-step tasks and workflows.
• Skills: Save reusable instructions and templates for work such as account planning or contract review.
• Memory and personalization: Let Glean remember useful context so answers become more relevant over time.
• Deep Research: Create a long-form, multi-source report when a short answer is not enough.
• Library: Return to documents, slides, and images you've created or saved without searching through old chats.

Start with one workflow that comes up often. You can discover more capabilities as a task calls for them instead of learning everything at once.

Chat or Search?

Start in Chat for almost any question. Type a full sentence for a conversational answer, or a few keywords to jump straight to a document.

Switch to the dedicated Search page when you want advanced filters, a full results list to scan, or a large set of results to browse. See how to search in Glean.

Example questions

Being specific gets you a better answer. Name the project, people, sources, timeframe, and format you want. These examples are a starting point:

• Get oriented: "I'm onboarding onto [project or team]. Write a high-level briefing with the historical context I should know, the documents I should read first, and the people I should talk to."
• Understand and decide: "Compare the approaches to [problem] in our internal docs. Summarize the tradeoffs and recommend one, with citations."
• Create an output: "Help me write a product requirements document for [project and its goals]. Include sections called Context, Objective, and Open Questions."
• Find the right person: "I need to contact the subject matter expert on [topic] to ask about [question]. Who is the best person to talk to, and what context should I include?"
• Make it accessible: "What is [technical term]? Explain it in simple terms for a non-technical reader, then give me an example from our company."

After Glean responds, ask for the next step. For example:

• "Turn this into an update for my team."
• "What am I missing?"
• "Which source should I verify first?"

tip

To point Glean at a specific document or person, type @ and tag it directly instead of pasting an address.

For more ways to get better answers, see best practices.

Tips and tricks

• Start with the work you want to finish. Ask Glean to summarize, compare, draft, plan, or explain.
• Keep the chat going. Add constraints, ask follow-ups, or request edits instead of starting over. See Chat.
• Tag your sources. Use @ to reference a specific document or person so Glean uses exactly what you mean.
• Verify important answers. Open the citations and check the original source before relying on the result.
• Turn on web search when you need context beyond your company's knowledge. See how Glean accesses information.
• Give feedback. Thumbs up and thumbs down on answers help improve results for you and everyone at your company.

Share feedback

Your feedback helps improve Glean for everyone at your company:

• In Chat: Use the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons on each response. When you give a thumbs down, leave a comment about what went wrong so the quality team can investigate.
• In Search: Select the feedback button in the top-right corner of the results page to share your thoughts on result quality.

Frequently asked questions

No, your search history is private.

No, your private information stays private. Glean mirrors the permissions in your connected apps. For example, only members of a private Slack channel can see messages shared in that channel.

Glean operates under a strict agreement with your organization so that your data isn't used for training or testing. Glean also uses models with a zero-day retention policy.

Yes. Glean's answers reference the source materials in your content, so you can always confirm it's using the latest information. For more information, see citations.

Your admin controls which connectors are available, and the list is always evolving. Check Settings to see which apps you can connect.

Connecting an app lets Glean use its tools on your behalf and include its content in answers, based on your existing permissions. It's the fastest way to get more complete answers and unlock tools across your apps.

Glean generates each response from the documents and resources that the person can access, what they interact with most, and more. Answers can vary because each person's context is different.

Agents are purpose-built assistants you select for specific tasks and workflows. Chat is an open-ended conversational interface for asking questions and creating content. Explore available Agents from the Agents library.

It depends on the app. For most apps such as Jira, Confluence, and Slack, Glean indexes new content within 15 minutes. For apps like Zendesk and Salesforce, API restrictions mean changes appear within an hour. If you notice longer delays, reach out to your Glean admin.

Install the browser extension, then go to Settings and enable Use Glean as new tab page under Preferences. For more details, see customize your home page.

On the Glean home page, go to Settings and turn off Use Glean as new tab page under Preferences. If you previously used another home page extension, reinstall it to restore your previous experience.