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This guide takes you from zero to your first sale: account, organization, menu, main register, start of day, first checkout. Plan for under an hour.
Before you start, you need:
  • an iPad for the main register (a second one if you want a secondary device);
  • in-store Wi-Fi, the same network for every iPad;
  • a computer with a browser for the backoffice.
See recommended hardware for details.
1

Create your account

Open the backoffice in your browser, then go to the Create an account page.Fill in Full Name, Email, Password, and Confirm Password, then tap Create account. The password must be at least 8 characters.
2

Create your organization and location

On first sign-in, the backoffice shows the Welcome to NowOS wizard, in three steps:
  1. Organization — enter your business name in Organization name, then Continue.
  2. Team — describe your first location: Location name, Mode (Restaurant or Retail), Currency, Display locale, and optionally the country, address, and timezone. Tap Continue.
  3. Receipt identity — what prints on every receipt: Legal business name, Address, Tax ID label and Tax ID value (SIRET, ICE…), plus VAT number and Footer text as options. Tap Finish setup. You can edit this later under Settings → Receipts.
The Mode (restaurant or retail), the currency, and the display format cannot be changed after the location is created. Restaurant mode adds table service and kitchen tickets; retail mode follows a cart-then-pay flow at the counter. See the two modes.
3

Create a minimal menu

You need at least one item placed on a POS tile, then published, to sell. In the backoffice:
  1. Open Menu → Items (in retail mode: Products) and tap New item (New product in retail mode). Give it a name and a price.
  2. Open the Menu Builder (in retail mode: POS Layout). Add your item as a tile on the home screen from the library on the right.
  3. In restaurant mode, leave the catalog as a draft for now so you can configure its preparation destinations before publishing it.
To go further: the catalog and the POS layout.
4

Set up preparation stations (restaurant mode)

Before the first send, open Settings → Preparation stations:
  1. Create every real destination — for example Kitchen, Bar, or Pass. A station can be created empty, even before the catalogue is finished.
  2. Choose its mode: Verbal handoff when staff call orders out, Printer for a dedicated ticket, or No preparation for ready-to-serve items.
  3. Assign every item from the station or from its item page under Menu → Items.
  4. Check that Unassigned shows 0. While an item has no active station, the register blocks sending it.
See location settings and receipts and printing.
5

Publish the catalog

Tap Publish all changes in the backoffice’s global header. The dialog confirms that the catalog, its layout, its taxes, and the other saved settings will be published together. After confirming, open the main register and tap Refresh to download the new configuration — changes only appear on the register after both steps.
6

Set your PIN

On the register, you sign in with a PIN, not a password. Each team member has their own.In the backoffice, open Staff → Team members and set a PIN for yourself. The code is shown only once: write it down. Owner and manager PINs are 6 digits; staff PINs are 4 digits.If you forget it, the PIN can only be reset from the backoffice. See staff.
7

Pair the main register

The main register is the iPad in charge at your location: other devices connect to it, and it syncs your sales with the backoffice. That is why it must stay on, plugged in, and on the store Wi-Fi during service.
  1. In the backoffice, open Settings → Devices and tap Generate claim token. A QR code appears, valid for 5 minutes.
  2. On the iPad, open the NowOS app. On the How should this iPad run? screen, choose Primary POS.
  3. Tap Open camera and scan the QR from the backoffice (or paste the token under Or paste the token), then Continue.
  4. Give the iPad a name (for example “Front counter”), then tap Claim as Primary.
The iPad then shows up under Settings → Devices in the backoffice, with its status in near real time. For details: pairing a device and the main register.
8

Pair secondary devices (optional)

You can stop here and sell with a single iPad. To add a secondary device:
  1. On the main register, sign in as a manager or owner, then open More → Add a device and tap Show pairing QR. The QR shown expires after a few minutes.
  2. On the new iPad, open the NowOS app and choose Secondary POS.
  3. Tap Scan QR code, scan the QR shown on the main register, name the device, and confirm.
The secondary device picks up the published menu and stays in sync with the main register, even without internet. See pairing a device.
9

Sign in and open the day

On the register, the home screen shows the roster. Tap your name, then type your PIN.Before the first sale, the register asks you to open the business day: the Open the day window shows the default opening float under STARTING FLOAT. Count the cash in the drawer, adjust the amount on the keypad if needed, then tap Open day.For details: signing in and start of day.
10

Take and pay your first order

Tap your item in the grid: it is added to the order in the right-hand panel.
  • In restaurant mode: tap Send to fire the lines to the kitchen, then Pay when the customer settles up. You can also attach the order to a table — see tables.
  • In retail mode: no kitchen step — go straight to checkout.
On the payment screen, choose Cash or Card, then confirm. Card payments are recorded in NowOS; the amount is charged on your usual card terminal.Your first sale is done. The receipt can be printed or reprinted — see receipts.

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