---
template: overrides/main.html
---
# Creating your site
After you've [installed] Material for MkDocs, you can bootstrap your project
documentation using the `mkdocs` executable. Go to the directory where you want
your project to be located and enter:
```
mkdocs new .
```
Alternatively, if you're running Material for MkDocs from within Docker, use:
=== "Unix, Powershell"
```
docker run --rm -it -v ${PWD}:/docs squidfunk/mkdocs-material new .
```
=== "Windows"
```
docker run --rm -it -v "%cd%":/docs squidfunk/mkdocs-material new .
```
This will create the following structure:
```
.
├─ docs/
│ └─ index.md
└─ mkdocs.yml
```
[installed]: getting-started.md
## Configuration
### Minimal configuration
Simply add the following lines to `mkdocs.yml` to enable the theme. Note that
since there are several [installation methods], minimal configuration might be
slightly different:
=== ":fontawesome-brands-python: pip"
``` yaml
theme:
name: material
```
=== ":fontawesome-brands-docker: docker"
``` yaml
theme:
name: material
```
=== ":fontawesome-brands-git-alt: git"
``` yaml
theme:
name: null
custom_dir: mkdocs-material/material
# 404 page
static_templates:
- 404.html
# Necessary for search to work properly
include_search_page: false
search_index_only: true
# Default values, taken from mkdocs_theme.yml
language: en
font:
text: Roboto
code: Roboto Mono
favicon: assets/favicon.png
icon:
logo: logo
```
When you clone from GitHub, you must list all of the themes' defaults
explicitly, because [`mkdocs_theme.yml`][mkdocs_theme.yml] is not
loaded automatically as described in the [custom theme guide].
[installation methods]: getting-started.md#installation
[mkdocs_theme.yml]: https://github.com/squidfunk/mkdocs-material/blob/master/src/mkdocs_theme.yml
[custom theme guide]: https://www.mkdocs.org/user-guide/custom-themes/#creating-a-custom-theme
??? tip "Recommended: configuration validation and auto-complete"
In order to minimize friction and maximize productivity, Material for MkDocs
provides its own [schema.json] for `mkdocs.yml`. If your editor supports
YAML schema validation, it's definitely recommdended to set it up:
=== "Visual Studio Code"
1. Install [`vscode-yaml`][vscode-yaml] for YAML language support.
2. Add the schema under the `yaml.schemas` key in your user or
workspace [`settings.json`][settings.json]:
``` json
{
"yaml.schemas": {
"https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/schema.json": "mkdocs.yml"
}
}
```
=== "Other"
1. Ensure your editor of choice has support for YAML schema validation.
2. Add the following lines at the top of `mkdocs.yml`:
``` yaml
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/schema.json
```
[schema.json]: schema.json
[vscode-yaml]: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=redhat.vscode-yaml
[settings.json]: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/settings
[LSP-yaml]: https://github.com/sublimelsp/LSP-yaml
### Advanced configuration
Material for MkDocs comes with many configuration options. The setup section
explains in great detail how to configure and customize colors, fonts, icons
and much more:
- [Changing the colors]
- [Changing the fonts]
- [Changing the language]
- [Changing the logo and icons]
- [Setting up navigation]
- [Setting up site search]
- [Setting up site analytics]
- [Setting up social cards]
- [Setting up tags]
- [Setting up versioning]
- [Setting up the header]
- [Setting up the footer]
- [Adding a git repository]
- [Adding a comment system]
Furthermore, see the list of supported [Markdown extensions] that are natively
integrated with Material for MkDocs, delivering a low-effort and unprecedented
technical writing experience.
[Changing the colors]: setup/changing-the-colors.md
[Changing the fonts]: setup/changing-the-fonts.md
[Changing the language]: setup/changing-the-language.md
[Changing the logo and icons]: setup/changing-the-logo-and-icons.md
[Setting up navigation]: setup/setting-up-navigation.md
[Setting up site search]: setup/setting-up-site-search.md
[Setting up site analytics]: setup/setting-up-site-analytics.md
[Setting up social cards]: setup/setting-up-social-cards.md
[Setting up tags]: setup/setting-up-tags.md
[Setting up versioning]: setup/setting-up-versioning.md
[Setting up the header]: setup/setting-up-the-header.md
[Setting up the footer]: setup/setting-up-the-footer.md
[Adding a git repository]: setup/adding-a-git-repository.md
[Adding a comment system]: setup/adding-a-comment-system.md
[Markdown extensions]: setup/extensions/index.md
## Previewing as you write
MkDocs includes a live preview server, so you can preview your changes as you
write your documentation. The server will automatically rebuild the site upon
saving. Start it with:
``` sh
mkdocs serve # (1)!
```
1. If you have a large documentation project, it might take minutes until
MkDocs has rebuilt all pages for you to preview. If you're only interested
in the current page, the [`--dirtyreload`][--dirtyreload] flag will make
rebuilds much faster:
```
mkdocs serve --dirtyreload
```
If you're running Material for MkDocs from within Docker, use:
=== "Unix, Powershell"
```
docker run --rm -it -p 8000:8000 -v ${PWD}:/docs squidfunk/mkdocs-material
```
=== "Windows"
```
docker run --rm -it -p 8000:8000 -v "%cd%":/docs squidfunk/mkdocs-material
```
Point your browser to [localhost:8000][live preview] and you should see:
[![Creating your site]][Creating your site]
[--dirtyreload]: https://www.mkdocs.org/about/release-notes/#support-for-dirty-builds-990
[live preview]: http://localhost:8000
[Creating your site]: assets/screenshots/creating-your-site.png
## Building your site
When you're finished editing, you can build a static site from your Markdown
files with:
```
mkdocs build
```
The contents of this directory make up your project documentation. There's no
need for operating a database or server, as it is completely self-contained.
The site can be hosted on [GitHub Pages], [GitLab Pages], a CDN of your choice
or your private web space.
[GitHub Pages]: publishing-your-site.md#github-pages
[GitLab pages]: publishing-your-site.md#gitlab-pages