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This guide walks you through everything you need to go from zero to a running SAM Studio project. By the end, you’ll have signed in, created a project in one of SAM Studio’s three coding environments, connected a block (physical or virtual), and executed your first piece of code.
SAM Studio works best in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge on a desktop or laptop. Bluetooth pairing with physical blocks requires Chrome on a device with Bluetooth support. Other modern browsers support virtual blocks and most platform features.
1

Sign in to SAM Studio

Open your browser and navigate to studio.samlabs.com.On the sign-in screen you have three options:
  • Sign in with Google — click the Google button and authenticate with your school Google account.
  • Sign in with Microsoft — click the Microsoft button and authenticate with your school Microsoft account.
  • Email and password — enter the email address and password you registered with SAM Labs.
If your school uses single sign-on (SSO), your IT administrator may provide a direct link that takes you straight to your dashboard after authenticating with your school identity provider.Once you’re signed in, you land on your Dashboard, where your recent projects and assigned lessons appear.
2

Create a new project

From the Dashboard, click New Project in the top-right corner.A dialog asks you to choose a coding environment:
EnvironmentBest forHow you code
SAM SpaceGrades K–5Drag-and-drop visual canvas
SAM BlocklyGrades 4–8Snap-together code blocks
SAM ScriptAdvanced / older studentsJavaScript or Python text editor
Select the environment that fits your lesson, give your project a name, and click Create. The editor opens immediately in your browser.
3

Pair your blocks (or use virtual blocks)

SAM Studio works with physical SAM Labs Bluetooth blocks and on-screen virtual blocks — you don’t need hardware to start coding.
If you’re exploring SAM Studio for the first time or don’t have hardware nearby, skip pairing and add a virtual block instead. In the editor, open the Blocks panel, find any block (for example, LED), and click Add Virtual Block. The virtual block behaves exactly like a physical one on screen.
To pair a physical block:
  1. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your device.
  2. Power on your SAM Labs block — the indicator light will flash.
  3. In the SAM Studio editor, open the Blocks panel and click Pair New Block.
  4. Enter the Pairing ID printed on the back of your block, or select your block from the browser’s Bluetooth device picker.
  5. A green indicator confirms the block is connected and ready to use.
Paired blocks appear in your Blocks panel and can be dragged into your project canvas or referenced in code.
4

Write and run your first code

With a block connected, you’re ready to bring it to life with code.In SAM Script (JavaScript example):Open the code editor panel. You’ll see a blank editor with a default template. Replace it with the following snippet to turn on an LED block and set it to red:
// Turn on an LED block
const led = await SAM.connect('led');
await led.setColor(255, 0, 0);  // Red
Click the Run button (▶) in the toolbar. If your LED block is paired and connected, it lights up red immediately. If you’re using a virtual LED block, you’ll see the color change on screen.In SAM Space or SAM Blockly:Drag an LED block onto the canvas, then drag a Set Color block and connect it. Press Play to execute the flow — no typing required.
5

Save your project

Your work is protected as soon as you create the project:
  • SAM Space and SAM Blockly projects save automatically to the cloud every time you make a change. You can close the browser tab and pick up exactly where you left off.
  • SAM Script projects also save to the cloud, but you can trigger a manual save at any time by clicking the Save icon (💾) in the top toolbar or pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) / Cmd + S (Mac).
To return to a project later, go to your Dashboard and click the project card. All your blocks, code, and connections are restored.

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What’s Next?

You’ve signed in, created a project, connected a block, and run your first code. Here are good places to go from here:

Coding Environments

Dive deeper into SAM Space, SAM Blockly, and SAM Script to unlock each environment’s full feature set.

Key Concepts

Understand projects, pairing, virtual blocks, and the teacher–student model before building something bigger.

SAM Labs Blocks

See the full catalog of physical blocks — LEDs, motors, buttons, sensors, and more.

Lessons Library

Browse 850+ ready-made STEAM lessons you can assign to your class right now.