Installing
Follow these steps to install IBM Bob. The setup takes about five minutes.
System requirements
Operating Systems
macOS, Linux, or Windows
Memory
Minimum 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
Storage
At least 500 MB available disk space
Network
Active internet connection
Download IBM Bob
- Download, then open the
.pkgfile for macOS. - Complete the steps in the installation wizard.
- Download the
.exeinstaller for Windows. - Run the downloaded
.exeinstaller. - Follow the installation wizard prompts.
- Choose your installation directory (default is recommended).
- Click Finish to complete the installation.
Sign in with your IBMid
An IBMid is required to authenticate. If you do not have one, see Create an IBMid.
Open Bob from your applications menu or desktop shortcut. On first launch, Bob will prompt you to sign in:
- Follow the authentication flow with your browser to login with your IBMid.
- Return to Bob after authentication is complete.
If you experience network issues with outbound traffic, you might need to configure your firewall settings. For more information, see Configuring firewall rules for Bob.
Next steps
Explore the following topics to get started using Bob:
Best practices
Learn effective strategies for working with Bob
Chat interface
Explore Bob's chat interface and features
Modes
Learn about specialized modes and when to use them
Custom modes
Create specialized workflows
Custom instructions
Add project-specific preferences
MCP servers
Configure extended capabilities
Security guidelines
Understand best practices for secure usage
Getting help
If you need assistance: