General guide to the console

Use the Google Cloud Platform Console to run your application on Google's infrastructure. You can provision, configure, and manage Google Cloud Platform products and Developer APIs.

Get started

These steps help you set up a project and free trial in the Google Cloud Platform Console so you can try out products and services with your application.

1. Click Select a project > Create a project at the top of the page.

   • Projects segment your Google Cloud resources. You can use different projects for different applications, API sets, credentials, and billing details. Learn more

2. Sign up for a free trial so you can start trying out products and services. Click the Free Trial sign-up button on the top right of the console, or use this link.

   • Your trial period includes $300 to spend over 60 days. This way you can get more out of Google's infrastructure while you try out the console (free trials include some product limitations).

   • You can upgrade to a paid account anytime. Once you start your free trial, you'll see an Upgrade link at the top of the console. Paid accounts offer full use of Google Cloud Platform.

3. Find products and services for your application.

   • Open the left side menu to view a list of products and services. Quick product reference

   • Try walkthroughs on your dashboard like Use Google APIs, Take a VM quickstart, or Deploy a Hello World app.

Need more help? Check out cloud.google.com/docs, billing/technical support, and developer communities.

Find what you need in the console

​Billing

• Open the left side menu and select     Billing. Here you can change payment settings and manage billing accounts.

​Home

• Find home: Open the left side menu and select   Home to view the Dashboard and Activity pages. (New users: If you don't have a project yet, Home just shows setup resources to help you get started.)

• Dashboard vs. Activity: See the Dashboard for project-specific details on product usage, billing, and other resources. See the Activity page to view activity for different projects, activity categories, and date ranges. 

Permissions

• Open the left side menu and select     IAM & Admin. Control project access for email addresses, service accounts, and VM accounts. Learn more

Projects

• To create projects or change settings, open the left side menu and select IAM & Admin, then select All projects. Choose Create a project or select a project and then choose Delete project. Learn more

Search

• Search console resources: Use the search bar at the top of the console. The keyboard shortcut to search is a forward slash (/).

Shell

• Start Google Cloud Shell: Click    on the top right for command-line access to computing resources hosted on the Google Cloud Platform. No Google Cloud SDK required. Learn more​

Support

• Click on the upper right and select Support. Your support options depend on your support level. Click Choose support level in the console for details.
   
• See Getting Support for Google Cloud Platform for help managing support.

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts

To open a list of all keyboard shortcuts in Google Cloud Platform Console:

• For Chrome OS or Windows, press ? or Ctrl + Shift + /
• For Mac, press ? or Cmd + Shift + /

Note that some shortcuts might not work for all languages or keyboard formats.

Available shortcuts will differ depending on which console page you are on.

For more information, see Keyboard shortcuts.

Get support

Support

• Click on the upper right and select Support. Your support options depend on your support level. Click Choose support level in the console for details. 
• See Getting Support for Google Cloud Platform for help managing support.