Setting Up Tableau Public

You’ll need Tableau Public installed and ready before your first Tableau practice session. This guide walks you through account creation and installation — budget about 15 minutes.

Step 1: Create a Tableau Public Account

  1. Go to public.tableau.com
  2. Click Sign Up (top right)
  3. Fill in your name, email, and password
  4. Verify your email address

You’ll use this account to save and publish your work throughout the course.

Step 2: Install Tableau Public Desktop

Tableau Public is a free desktop application. Choose your platform below.

Option A: Direct Download

  1. Go to public.tableau.com/en-us/s/download
  2. Enter your email and click Download the App
  3. Run the installer:
    • macOS: open the .dmg file, drag Tableau Public to Applications
    • Windows: run the .exe installer, follow the prompts

Option B: Command Line (if you already have a package manager)

macOS (requires Homebrew):

brew install --cask tableau-public

Windows (winget is built into Windows 10/11):

winget install Tableau.Public

Step 3: First Launch

  1. Open Tableau Public
  2. Sign in with the account you created in Step 1
  3. You should see the start screen with options to connect to data (Excel, Text file, etc.) and sample workbooks

If everything loads and you can see the start screen — you’re ready.

Troubleshooting

  • “Tableau Public requires a 64-bit operating system” — make sure you’re running a 64-bit version of Windows (most modern machines are)
  • macOS security warning — if macOS blocks the app, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click “Open Anyway”
  • Can’t sign in — check that you verified your email address; check your spam folder for the verification link
  • Slow first launch — Tableau takes a bit longer to load the first time; give it a minute

If you run into issues not listed here, bring them to the practice session and we’ll sort it out.