# Quick Start

> Get Braking Lab Capture running and capturing your first telemetry from iRacing or LMU in under 5 minutes.

This guide walks you through installing Capture and getting your first telemetry data synced to the web app.

## Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

- **Windows 10 or later** (64-bit)
- **iRacing** and/or **Le Mans Ultimate** installed
- **A Braking Lab account** — [create one](https://app.brakinglab.com) if you haven't already

## Installation

1. [Download the Capture installer](https://braking-lab-releases.brakinglab.workers.dev/capture/download/latest) (`.exe`)
2. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard
3. Launch **Braking Lab Capture** from the Start menu

## First Launch: Onboarding

When you open Capture for the first time, the onboarding wizard guides you through setup:

### Step 1: Welcome

You'll see a brief overview of what Capture does and how it works.

### Step 2: Sign In

Sign in with your Braking Lab account using the device code flow:

1. Capture shows a **verification code**
2. A browser window opens to the sign-in page
3. Enter the code and authorize Capture
4. The app confirms you're signed in

### Step 3: Simulator Detection

Capture checks your simulator installations:

- **iRacing**: Verifies that the telemetry folder exists and checks if **Automatic Telemetry** is enabled (see [iRacing Setup](/en/docs/capture/iracing-setup))
- **Le Mans Ultimate**: Detects the LMU telemetry directory automatically — no manual setup needed (see [LMU Setup](/en/docs/capture/lmu-setup))

### Step 4: Existing Files

If you have existing telemetry files (`.ibt` for iRacing, `.duckdb` for LMU), Capture offers import options:

- **Number of files found** and estimated lap count
- **Import period** — Choose to import files from the last 7, 30, or 90 days
- **Skip for now** — You can always import later from the File Manager

### Step 5: Automation Preferences

Configure how Capture handles new files:

- **Auto-process** — Automatically parse new telemetry files as they appear
- **Auto-sync** — Automatically upload processed data to the cloud

Both are recommended for a hands-free experience.

## Your First Session

Once setup is complete:

1. **Start iRacing or LMU** and enter a practice session
2. **Drive some laps** — Capture monitors for new telemetry in the background
3. **End the session** — The simulator writes the telemetry file (`.ibt` for iRacing, `.duckdb` for LMU)
4. **Capture detects it** — The file appears in the status display
5. **Processing begins** — Braking zones and lap data are extracted
6. **Sync completes** — Data uploads to your Braking Lab account
7. **Open the web app** — Your laps appear in [My Laps](/en/docs/features/my-laps)

The whole process happens automatically if you enabled auto-process and auto-sync during onboarding.

## Verifying It Works

After your first session, confirm everything is connected:

- **In Capture**: Check the session status shows your track, car, and lap count
- **In Capture**: The file status should progress from New → Processing → Ready → Synced
- **In the web app**: Go to [My Laps](/en/docs/features/my-laps) and look for your imported session

## Next Steps

- [iRacing Setup](/en/docs/capture/iracing-setup) — Detailed iRacing configuration guide
- [LMU Setup](/en/docs/capture/lmu-setup) — Le Mans Ultimate telemetry configuration
- [Capturing Telemetry](/en/docs/capture/capturing-telemetry) — Understand capture states and real-time monitoring
- [File Management](/en/docs/capture/file-management) — Learn to manage your telemetry files