n8n for Beginners: Your First Automations
Updated
For anyone new to n8n and to automation. You will learn what n8n is, how workflows, triggers, nodes and items fit together, and the difference between a test run and a published workflow, then build small real workflows: a form that logs itself, reminders every Monday, reminders written with expressions, form answers in a Google Sheet, a template, rules with If and Switch, and a first AI step that summarizes emails.
Work through them in order: each step builds on the one before it, and every module runs in a practice copy of n8n right in your browser. It is free, and no experience is needed.
Beginner 9 modules about 83 minutes Free Start the path free
The path: 9 steps
- Step 1: n8n: What Is n8n? Build Your First Workflow✓ Done Beginner
What n8n is and how it thinks, then your first workflow: a client inquiry form that catches every request and writes a one-line summary. No code, no accounts to connect.
Free · about 8 minutes · Next up: n8n: Items, JSON and Expressions, Explained by Doing
- Step 2: n8n: Items, JSON and Expressions, Explained by Doing✓ Done Beginner
See how n8n holds data: pin five fake invoices, read them as items, Table and JSON, then write one reminder per invoice and a late fee with drag-and-drop expressions.
Free · about 9 minutes · Next up: n8n: Execute Step, Execute Workflow and Publish
- Step 3: n8n: Execute Step, Execute Workflow and Publish✓ Done Beginner
Learn the buttons in today's n8n editor: run one node with Execute step, pin test data, run everything with Execute workflow, then Publish and copy the Production URL.
Free · about 6 minutes · Next up: n8n: Run a Workflow on a Schedule (Every Monday at 8am)
- Step 4: n8n: Run a Workflow on a Schedule (Every Monday at 8am)✓ Done Beginner
Use the n8n Schedule Trigger to run a workflow by itself: every Monday at 8am, a timesheet reminder. Set the interval, test it now, and check the time zone.
Free · about 6 minutes · Next up: n8n: Send Form Answers Straight to Google Sheets
- Step 5: n8n: Send Form Answers Straight to Google Sheets✓ Done Beginner
Build a consultation request form in n8n (required fields, email, dropdown), test it, and add every answer as a new row in Google Sheets. No webhook, no form tool to pay for.
Free · about 10 minutes · Next up: Find and Use n8n Templates
- Step 6: Find and Use n8n Templates✓ Done Beginner
Skip the blank canvas. Find a ready-made workflow in the n8n template gallery, import it into your workspace, connect Google Sheets and Gmail, test it with a real form entry and publish it.
Free · about 9 minutes · Watch the video · Next up: n8n: Talk to Your Google Sheets with ChatGPT, from Zero (Free Credits or API Key, Google, Sheet, Chat)
- Step 7: n8n: Talk to Your Google Sheets with ChatGPT, from Zero (Free Credits or API Key, Google, Sheet, Chat)✓ Done Beginner
Start from nothing: copy n8n template 7639, use n8n's free credits (or your own OpenAI API key), connect Google, make your own sheet, then ask it questions in plain English.
Free · about 16 minutes · Next up: IF and Switch in n8n: Route Work by Rules
- Step 8: IF and Switch in n8n: Route Work by Rules✓ Done Beginner
Send each request where it belongs. Use an If node to split big jobs from small ones, then a Switch with named outputs and a fallback to route by service.
Free · about 10 minutes · Watch the video · Read the guide · Next up: n8n: Summarize Customer Emails with OpenAI
- Step 9: n8n: Summarize Customer Emails with OpenAI✓ Done Beginner
Your first AI step in n8n: send each customer email to OpenAI with one prompt and get a one-line summary plus the next step. No agent needed, about a cent of API use.
Free · about 9 minutes · Last step
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How every module works
Each step is shown on the left, with a cursor pointing to exactly where to click. You do the same thing on the right, in a practice copy of the real tool. Get it right and it moves on. Nothing touches your real accounts until you're ready to build it for real.
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