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Create an instance by using the Google Cloud console
Learn how to create a Vertex AI Workbench instance
and open JupyterLab by using the Google Cloud console.
This page also describes how to stop, start, reset, or delete
an instance.
Before you begin
Sign in to your Google Cloud account. If you're new to
Google Cloud,
create an account to evaluate how our products perform in
real-world scenarios. New customers also get $300 in free credits to
run, test, and deploy workloads.
In the Google Cloud console, on the project selector page,
select or create a Google Cloud project.
When you finish the tasks that are described in this document, you can avoid
continued billing by deleting the resources that you created. For more information, see
Clean up.
Open JupyterLab
After you create your instance, Vertex AI Workbench automatically starts
the instance. When the instance is ready to use, Vertex AI Workbench
activates an Open JupyterLab link.
Next to your instance's name,
click Open JupyterLab.
Your Vertex AI Workbench instance opens JupyterLab.
Open a new notebook file
In JupyterLab,
select File > New > Notebook.
In the Select kernel dialog, select Python 3,
and then click Select.
Your new notebook file opens.
Stop your instance
In the Google Cloud console, go to the Instances page.
Resetting an instance forcibly wipes the memory contents of your instance and
resets the instance to its initial state. To learn more about how resetting an
instance works, see
Resetting an instance.
In the Google Cloud console, go to the Instances page.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-02 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Quickstart: Create a Vertex AI Workbench instance by using the Google Cloud console\n\nCreate an instance by using the Google Cloud console\n====================================================\n\nLearn how to create a Vertex AI Workbench instance\nand open JupyterLab by using the Google Cloud console.\nThis page also describes how to stop, start, reset, or delete\nan instance.\n\nBefore you begin\n----------------\n\n- Sign in to your Google Cloud account. If you're new to Google Cloud, [create an account](https://console.cloud.google.com/freetrial) to evaluate how our products perform in real-world scenarios. New customers also get $300 in free credits to run, test, and deploy workloads.\n- In the Google Cloud console, on the project selector page,\n select or create a Google Cloud project.\n\n | **Note**: If you don't plan to keep the resources that you create in this procedure, create a project instead of selecting an existing project. After you finish these steps, you can delete the project, removing all resources associated with the project.\n\n [Go to project selector](https://console.cloud.google.com/projectselector2/home/dashboard)\n-\n [Verify that billing is enabled for your Google Cloud project](/billing/docs/how-to/verify-billing-enabled#confirm_billing_is_enabled_on_a_project).\n\n-\n\n\n Enable the Notebooks API.\n\n\n [Enable the API](https://console.cloud.google.com/flows/enableapi?apiid=notebooks.googleapis.com&redirect=https://console.cloud.google.com)\n\n- In the Google Cloud console, on the project selector page,\n select or create a Google Cloud project.\n\n | **Note**: If you don't plan to keep the resources that you create in this procedure, create a project instead of selecting an existing project. After you finish these steps, you can delete the project, removing all resources associated with the project.\n\n [Go to project selector](https://console.cloud.google.com/projectselector2/home/dashboard)\n-\n [Verify that billing is enabled for your Google Cloud project](/billing/docs/how-to/verify-billing-enabled#confirm_billing_is_enabled_on_a_project).\n\n-\n\n\n Enable the Notebooks API.\n\n\n [Enable the API](https://console.cloud.google.com/flows/enableapi?apiid=notebooks.googleapis.com&redirect=https://console.cloud.google.com)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n| **Note:** The [Notebooks API](/vertex-ai/docs/workbench/reference/rest) lets you manage Vertex AI Workbench resources. For managing Vertex AI resources, see the [Vertex AI API](/vertex-ai/docs/reference/rest).\n\nCreate an instance\n------------------\n\n1. In the Google Cloud console,\n go to the **Instances** page.\n\n [Go to Instances](https://console.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/workbench/instances)\n2. Click add_box **Create new**.\n\n3. For **Name** , enter `my-instance`.\n\n4. Click **Create**.\n\nWhen you finish the tasks that are described in this document, you can avoid\ncontinued billing by deleting the resources that you created. For more information, see\n[Clean up](#clean-up).\n\nOpen JupyterLab\n---------------\n\nAfter you create your instance, Vertex AI Workbench automatically starts\nthe instance. When the instance is ready to use, Vertex AI Workbench\nactivates an **Open JupyterLab** link.\n\nNext to your instance's name,\nclick **Open JupyterLab**.\n\nYour Vertex AI Workbench instance opens JupyterLab.\n\nOpen a new notebook file\n------------------------\n\n1. In JupyterLab,\n select **File \\\u003e New \\\u003e Notebook**.\n\n2. In the **Select kernel** dialog, select **Python 3** ,\n and then click **Select**.\n\n Your new notebook file opens.\n\nStop your instance\n------------------\n\n1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the **Instances** page.\n\n [Go to Instances](https://console.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/workbench/instances)\n2. Select the instance that you want to stop.\n\n3. Click square **Stop**.\n\nStart your instance\n-------------------\n\n1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the **Instances** page.\n\n [Go to Instances](https://console.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/workbench/instances)\n2. Select the instance that you want to start.\n\n3. Click arrow_right **Start**.\n\nReset your instance\n-------------------\n\nResetting an instance forcibly wipes the memory contents of your instance and\nresets the instance to its initial state. To learn more about how resetting an\ninstance works, see\n[Resetting an instance](/compute/docs/instances/suspend-stop-reset-instances-overview#resetting-instance).\n\n1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the **Instances** page.\n\n [Go to Instances](https://console.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/workbench/instances)\n2. Select the instance that you want to reset.\n\n3. Click\n\n **Reset** , and then click **Reset** to confirm.\n\nClean up\n--------\n\n\nTo avoid incurring charges to your Google Cloud account for\nthe resources used on this page, follow these steps.\n\nIf you created a new project to learn about Vertex AI Workbench instances\nand you no longer need the project, then\n[delete the project](/resource-manager/docs/creating-managing-projects#shutting_down_projects).\n\nIf you used an existing Google Cloud project, then delete the resources\nyou created to avoid incurring charges to your account:\n\n1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the **Instances** page.\n\n [Go to Instances](https://console.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/workbench/instances)\n2. Select the row containing the instance that you want to delete.\n\n3. Click delete **Delete** .\n (Depending on the size of your window,\n the **Delete** button might be in\n the more_vert options menu.)\n\n4. To confirm, click **Confirm**.\n\nWhat's next\n-----------\n\n1. Read the [Introduction to\n Vertex AI Workbench instances](/vertex-ai/docs/workbench/instances/introduction).\n2. To use a notebook to help you get started using Vertex AI and other Google Cloud services, see [Vertex AI\n notebook tutorials](/vertex-ai/docs/tutorials/jupyter-notebooks)."]]
Reset, and then click Reset to confirm.