# Setting up
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Before you use AWS Control Tower for the first time, follow the steps in this section to create an AWS account and protect your AWS Control Tower management account. For information on additional setup tasks specifically for AWS Control Tower, see [Getting started with AWS Control Tower](getting-started-with-control-tower.md).

## Sign up for AWS
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When you sign up for Amazon Web Services (AWS), your AWS account is automatically signed up for all services in AWS, including AWS Control Tower. If you have an AWS account already, skip to the next task. If you don't have an AWS account, use the following procedure to create one.

Note your AWS account number, because you need it for other tasks.

### Sign up for an AWS account
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To get started with AWS, you need an AWS account. For information about creating an AWS account, see [Getting started with an AWS account](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//accounts/latest/reference/getting-started.html) in the *AWS Account Management Reference Guide*.

**Security for your accounts**  
You can find additional guidance about how to set up best practices that protect the security of your AWS Control Tower accounts, in the AWS Organizations documentation.  
[Best practices for the management account](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//organizations/latest/userguide/orgs_best-practices_mgmt-acct.html)
[Best practices for member accounts](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/latest/userguide/best-practices_member-acct.html)

## Next step
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[Getting started with AWS Control Tower](getting-started-with-control-tower.md)