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Set up Square Terminal

Who is this article for?
  • Account owners and team members can set up Square Terminal. Only account owners can create and set up an account.
  • About Square Terminal

    Square Terminal is a portable hand-held POS device with a built-in receipt printer and a powerful battery designed to last all day with no wires. Use Square Terminal to process card payments, manage orders, and print receipts anywhere.

    You can mount and secure your Square Terminal to your counter or wherever you plan to process payments at your business. The 1/4” mount receptacle on the bottom of your Square Terminal is designed to fit with many widely available camera-style mounting accessories.

    Before you begin

    To fully set up your Square Terminal, you need Wi-FI or Ethernet internet access. If you’re connecting with an Ethernet cable, you need the Hub for Square Terminal. Take a look at Square Terminal technical specifications to learn about what’s in the box, dimensions, connectivity, and more.

    You are not able to connect your Square Terminal to a captive portal network. A captive portal is a network that requires you to agree to terms or conditions to access the internet connection (these networks are common at coffee shops, airports, and other public internet access points).

    To sign in to your Square account on your Square Terminal, you need your Square account login credentials. Learn how to create your Square account in the Square setup guide. After you sign in, you can adjust your date, time, and language settings.

    To print receipts from the built-in printer, you need load compatible receipt paper. If you need more receipt paper, visit the Square Shop.

    Square’s hardware is subject to testing and certification for compliance with country-specific regulations, such as for FCC compliance in the United States, or Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance in the EU. Therefore, Square’s hardware is only approved for use in the country for which it is intended. For example, hardware sold or intended for sale in the United States is not approved for use outside of the United States.

    Step 1: Power up and connect to your network

    Grab your Square Terminal, turn it on and connect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

    Turn on Square Terminal

    1. Remove the protective wrap.
    2. Lift your Square Terminal out of the box and remove the plastic wrap.
    3. Press and hold the power button on the left side for three seconds to power on.

    Connect to the internet

    When you turn on Square Terminal for the first time, you will be asked to connect to a network. You can connect your Square Terminal to your network through either Wi-fi or Ethernet.

    Connect through Wi-Fi:

    1. Select your preferred network from the list of available networks.
    2. Enter the password if necessary.

    Connect through Ethernet:

    1. Plug the accessory hub into the port on the side of your Square Terminal.
    2. Plug the power adaptor cable into the power adaptor.
    3. Plug the other end of the power adaptor cable into a power outlet.
    4. Plug your Ethernet cable in the accessory hub.
    5. Your Square Terminal will automatically connect to your network once the Ethernet is plugged into the accessory hub and the hub is connected to power.

    T2-Ethernet-US-EN

    Step 2: Adjust your settings and update software

    Set your language, date, and time preferences and update your Square Terminal software.

    Adjust your Square Terminal settings

    To adjust the language or date and time settings:

    1. Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > General.
    2. Tap Language and select your language of choice.
    3. For date and time, toggle Set Automatically ON and select your time zone.
    4. You can also set the date and time manually by toggling Set Automatically OFF and selecting the date, time, and time zone.

    To adjust the brightness and display settings:

    1. Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Display.
    2. Use the slider to control the brightness level.
    3. Select from the sleep timer options.

    To adjust the volume settings:

    1. Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Sounds.
    2. Toggle Enable device sounds ON/OFF.
    3. Use the slider to control the volume level.
    4. Toggle Enable card network sounds ON/OFF.

    Update Square Terminal software

    You’ll be prompted to choose a software update option: Update Now or Update Later. The initial software update takes around 20 minutes to complete, but may take up to one hour in the future.

    • Tap Update Now to start the software update immediately. You will not be able to accept card payments during a software update, but you can record cash payments and navigate within the app.
    • Tap Update Later to defer the software update. The software update will start automatically overnight as long as Square Terminal is turned on and plugged in.

    Step 3: Charge your Square Terminal

    Square Terminal comes already charged and ready to use, but you can plug it into a power outlet when the battery is running low.

    1. Plug the power adaptor into the port on the side of the Square Terminal.

    2. Plug the power adaptor cable into the power adaptor.

    3. Plug the other end of the power adaptor cable into a power outlet.

    Charging Square Terminal

    Step 4: Sign in to your Square account

    You can now sign in to your Square account on Square Terminal. Once you sign in, you can also access the Setup Guide on your Square Terminal to help you finish setting up your Square account.

    Create a new Square account

    1. Scan the QR code to create an account with a separate device.
    2. Select Continue to sign in to create an account on Square Terminal.
    3. Select Email a link to receive a sign up link to your email address.

    Sign in with an existing Square account

    If you already have an existing Square account, sign-in to your account using either your email address or by creating a new device code in your Square Dashboard. Learn how to Set up device codes.

    Access the Setup Guide

    After you sign in, you can access the Square Point of Sale Setup Guide on your Square Terminal. The setup guide will walk you through setting up a bank account for transfers, creating items, ordering additional hardware, and more.

    • Tap ≡ More > Support > Setup Guide.

    Step 5: Load receipt paper

    To print receipts, load receipt paper into your Square Terminal.

    1. Open the printer door, located above the screen on the top of your Terminal.

    2. Unroll your new printer paper slightly, set it on the printer door with the unwound paper on top, and the loose end facing out of the Terminal, away from your screen.

    3. Make sure your paper follows the curve of the roll and it is not bent. Close your printer door and tear the excess paper towards the screen.

    4. Test your receipt printer by tapping ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Printer > Print test.

    5. If your receipts don’t print, you may need to reorient the printer paper.

    When tearing receipts for your customers, it’s best to tear the paper toward the bottom of Square Terminal. Pulling the paper away from the screen may cause the printer door to open.

    Step 6: Mount your Square Terminal (optional)

    To secure your Square Terminal, you can buy a mount on Square Shop or use Square Terminal with other commercially available camera mounts.

    Step 7: Select accessories for your Square Terminal (optional)

    You can view printers, cash drawers, barcode scanners, scales, and more accessories that are compatible with your Square Terminal.

    1. Go to Square’s compatibility page for hardware accessories.

    2. Click an accessory option.

    3. Click the Select Square hardware drop-down menu and select Square Terminal.

    4. View a list of accessories compatible with your Square Terminal.

    5. Under Compatible with, click # products to view more information.

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