These Tech Guides and instructions are provided in good faith as a general educational guide. Technology changes over time, and settings, software versions, download pages, menu names, and features may vary by system and Tableau edition.
I cannot guarantee that these steps will work in every environment, and I am not responsible for data loss, configuration problems, system errors, or other problems that may result from following this guide.
Download Tableau only from the official tableau.com site.
Anything you save to Tableau Public, including its data, can be seen by anyone on the internet.
Do not upload private, confidential, or student data to Tableau Public.
Read the license terms for each edition. The free editions are for learning and personal use, not commercial work.
When in doubt, consult the official Tableau documentation.
Overview
Tableau is a data visualization and analytics tool. You connect it to data, such as a spreadsheet, a CSV file, or a database, and build charts, maps, and interactive dashboards by dragging fields onto a canvas instead of writing code. Tableau began as a research project at Stanford University, and the company has been part of Salesforce since 2019.
This guide gives a brief introduction to Tableau and its editions, then walks you through setting up the two free options most students start with: Tableau Public in your web browser, and Tableau Desktop Public Edition on your computer.
Main idea: Create a free Tableau Public account first. That one account lets you build visualizations in your browser and sign in to the free desktop app.
What You Can Do with Tableau
Connect to data from Excel workbooks, CSV and text files, Google Drive, and many other sources, depending on the edition.
Build visualizations such as bar, line, and scatter charts, maps, and heatmaps by dragging fields onto Rows, Columns, and the Marks card.
Combine views into dashboards with filters, highlighting, and links between charts.
Tell stories by arranging dashboards and charts into a step-by-step Story.
Share your work by publishing to Tableau Public or, with a paid license, to Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server.
A few terms you will see often:
Term
Meaning
Workbook
A Tableau file that holds your worksheets, dashboards, and stories (.twb, or .twbx when the data is packaged with it).
Worksheet
A single chart or view.
Dashboard
Several worksheets arranged on one page, usually linked by filters and actions.
Data source
The connection to your data, including any tables you relate or join.
Viz
Tableau's short name for any visualization: a worksheet, dashboard, or story.
Tableau Editions
Tableau comes in several editions. Two cost nothing and need only a free account: Tableau Public on the web and Tableau Desktop Public Edition. Tableau also offers a newer Desktop Free Edition for private data, and paid editions for organizations.
Edition
Runs in
Cost
Best for
Saving and sharing
Tableau Public (web)
Web browser
Free
Quick start with no installation; public data
Saves to your public profile, visible to everyone
Desktop Public Edition
Windows or Mac app
Free
Learning Tableau with public data (up to 15 million rows)
Save locally or publish to Tableau Public
Desktop Free Edition
Windows or Mac app
Free
Private data and more data sources, including databases
Save locally only; no publishing or sharing
Desktop Professional, Tableau Cloud, Tableau Server
App, cloud, or company server
Paid license
Organizations sharing private dashboards
Share packaged workbooks; publish to Tableau Cloud or Server
Desktop Public Edition connects to a limited set of file-based sources: Excel, text and CSV files, JSON, PDF, spatial and statistical files, Google Drive, and OData. See Tableau's edition comparison for the full details.
Which One Should I Use?
For most class work with public data: install Desktop Public Edition, and use Tableau Public on the web to share your finished work.
On a computer where you can't install software: use Tableau Public on the web.
For data that must stay private: use Desktop Free Edition, or your school's licensed version if one is available.
Setup Instructions
Work through the tabs in order. Everyone should complete the account tab first. Download pages and sign-in screens change often, so yours may look slightly different from what is described here.
Setting Up the Free Versions of Tableau
Click the tabs above in order. You need about 20–30 minutes, an internet connection, and an email address.
The guide covers these major tasks:
Create a free Tableau Public account.
Build a test viz in your browser.
Download Tableau Desktop Public Edition.
Install it on Windows or Mac.
Sign in and build a test viz on the desktop.
Optionally, set up Desktop Free Edition.
Part 1: Create a Tableau Public Account
Your Tableau Public account is your public profile, the place where any viz you save to the web is stored. You use the same account to sign in to Desktop Public Edition.
Open your profile (click your avatar or name at the top right). You can add a photo and a short bio, but neither is required.
Note: Your profile is public. Use a name and photo you are comfortable sharing, and remember that anyone can see and, by default, download the vizzes you save to Tableau Public.
Check yourself: You can sign in at public.tableau.com and see your own (empty) profile page.
Part 2: Build a Viz in Tableau Public on the Web
Tableau Public includes web authoring: you can connect to data and build a viz entirely in your browser, with nothing to install. It works with Excel files, text files (.csv, .tsv), spatial files, Google Drive, and OData.
Click Create at the top of the page and choose Web Authoring, or go to your profile and click Create a Viz.
In the Connect to Data window, choose Upload from Computer and select a small Excel or CSV file. Any simple spreadsheet works. You can also use the data file from the Tableau dashboard guide.
Tableau opens a worksheet. Your fields appear in the Data pane on the left.
Drag a text field (a dimension) to Rows and a number field (a measure) to Columns. Tableau draws a bar chart.
At the bottom of the page, double-click the Sheet 1 tab and give the worksheet a name.
Save Your Viz
Choose File → Save As (or click Publish), enter a title, and save. The viz is saved to your profile.
Open your profile to see it. Click the viz to open it, and click Edit to keep working on it later.
Optional privacy settings: on the viz page, open its Settings (gear icon) to hide the viz from your profile or turn off Allow Access (downloads). A hidden viz is still public to anyone who has the link.
Check yourself: Your test viz appears on your profile, and you can reopen it for editing.
Web Authoring Limits
Everything you save goes to Tableau Public. There is no private save in the web version.
The browser editor has fewer features than the desktop app, so complex dashboards are easier to build in Desktop Public Edition.
Part 3: Install Tableau Desktop Public Edition
Desktop Public Edition is the full Tableau desktop app for public data. It runs on 64-bit Windows and macOS. Check Tableau's technical specifications for the current minimum versions.
Enter your email address if asked, and click Download the App.
Tableau detects your operating system. Mac users: if you are asked to choose, pick the installer that matches your processor (Apple silicon or Intel). To check, open Apple menu → About This Mac.
The installer saves to your Downloads folder.
Install on Windows
Double-click the downloaded .exe file.
If Windows asks whether to allow the app to make changes, click Yes.
Accept the license agreement and click Install.
When the installation finishes, Tableau opens. You can also start it later from the Start menu.
Install on Mac
Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to open it.
Double-click the .pkg installer inside and follow the prompts: Continue, Agree, then Install. Enter your Mac password if asked.
When the installer finishes, open Tableau Public from your Applications folder or with Spotlight.
Sign In and Build a Test Viz
When Tableau opens, sign in with your Tableau Public account from Part 1 if you are prompted. Signing in lets you publish to Tableau Public, and recent versions use it to enable saving on your computer.
On the start page, look at the Connect pane on the left. It lists the file types this edition supports.
Click Microsoft Excel (or Text file for a CSV) and open a small data file. You can also open the built-in Sample - Superstore data source if it appears under Saved Data Sources.
Click the Sheet 1 tab at the bottom of the window.
Drag a dimension to Rows and a measure to Columns to draw a bar chart.
Save the workbook with File → Save to your computer, or File → Save to Tableau Public to publish it to your profile.
Check yourself: Tableau opens, you can connect to an Excel or CSV file, build a bar chart, and save the workbook.
Note: Save to Tableau Public uploads your viz and its data to your public profile. Only publish data you are comfortable making public.
Optional: Tableau Desktop Free Edition
Tableau introduced Desktop Free Edition in 2026. It is useful when your data can't be public: it connects to many more sources, including databases, has no row limit, and saves only to your computer. It cannot publish to Tableau Public, share packaged workbooks, or embed vizzes. Support is limited to Tableau's free online resources.
Download and run the installer, following the same steps as for Desktop Public Edition (Windows .exe or Mac .dmg).
When Tableau opens and asks how to activate, choose the option to use Tableau for free.
Sign in with your Tableau account, or create one if prompted.
Build a test viz the same way as in Part 3, and save it to your computer with File → Save.
Free Edition Notes
Its license does not allow sharing workbooks or packaged data with other people. Use Desktop Public Edition for anything you need to publish or hand in through Tableau Public.
Browse Viz of the Day and other featured vizzes on Tableau Public for ideas. You can download many of them and open them in Tableau Desktop to see how they were built.
