Everything Claude can do
A practical tour of every major feature—30 real screenshots, clear decisions and prompts you can copy.
What is Claude?
Claude is Anthropic’s AI assistant and work environment. It can analyze files, write and edit documents, research the web, connect to business tools, remember preferences, run repeatable workflows as Skills, create interactive Artifacts and help build software with Claude Code.
The practical difference is that Claude is not only a chatbot: Projects hold context, Connectors bring in data and Skills define a reusable way of working.
Start in one minute
- Open Claude and describe the outcome—not only the topic.
- Attach the relevant file or enable the right Connector.
- Ask for a first draft, review it, then save a repeated workflow as a Skill or Project.
Eight concepts worth knowing
The home screen
Use the left rail for chats, Projects, Artifacts, scheduled tasks and customization. The composer is where files, Skills, Connectors, Devices, Research and Memory come together.
The composer: + and /
The + menu exposes files, Skills, Connectors, Plugins, Devices, Research and Memory. Type / for a fast keyboard-first list of output formats and Skills.
Models and effort
Default recommendation: use Sonnet with Medium effort for everyday analysis and writing. Move to Opus and High/Extra effort when the cost of a weak answer is higher than the extra usage. Use Haiku for speed and simple transformations.
Manual or Auto permissions
Manual asks before tool actions and is best for new, sensitive or irreversible work. Auto lets Claude proceed inside the permissions you grant; use it for familiar, reversible workflows.
Skills: teach Claude your method
Free tooA Skill is a reusable instruction package. It can contain a SKILL.md file, examples and references. Create one when you repeat the same standards, sequence or output structure.
- Open Customize → Skills.
- Choose Add → Create with Claude.
- Describe when the Skill should run and what “good” looks like.
- Add templates, examples and edge cases.
- Test it in a fresh chat and refine it.
--- name: meeting-summary-email description: Turn meeting notes into a concise follow-up email --- 1. Identify decisions, owners and dates. 2. Separate commitments from open questions. 3. Draft a friendly email under 180 words. 4. Never invent missing names, dates or commitments.
Connectors: bring your tools into Claude
Free tooConnectors let Claude search or act in supported services such as Google Drive, Gmail and Calendar. Turn on only what the task needs, check the requested permissions and review any external action before it happens.
Plugins: a ready-made workflow bundle
PaidA Plugin packages related Skills and Connectors for a job such as financial analysis. Use a Skill for one repeatable method, a Connector for access to a service, a Plugin for a bundled role and a Project for persistent subject context.
Projects: one workspace per subject
Up to 5 on FreeCreate a Project when several conversations need the same documents, vocabulary and instructions. Good examples: one client, one product launch, one course or one research topic. Keep the Project brief short and replace outdated files.
Artifacts: documents, slides, designs and apps
Free tooArtifacts put the output beside the conversation so you can inspect and revise it. Ask for the medium explicitly—document, slides, visual design, dashboard or interactive tool—and name the audience and decision it should support.
Research: a sourced report
PaidResearch is useful when the question needs several searches, comparisons and source checks. Specify scope, geography, time period, preferred sources and the decision you need to make.
Ask Claude to separate verified facts, source-based inference and unresolved uncertainty. Open important citations yourself before acting on the report.
Research [topic] for a decision about [decision]. Cover [country/market] and information published or updated since [date]. Prioritize primary sources. For every key claim, provide a direct source link and publication date. Separate verified facts, reasonable inference and unresolved uncertainty. End with a decision table, risks and the three next actions.
Memory and Incognito
Free tooMemory helps Claude reuse preferences and relevant context. Review what is stored, keep sensitive subjects out of memory and use Incognito for a conversation that should not enter history or memory.
Scheduled tasks
PaidUse scheduled tasks for recurring work such as a daily briefing, inbox triage, meeting preparation or a weekly review. Define the trigger, exact data sources, output format and what requires your approval.
Dispatch and Devices
Dispatch previously let a phone send work to a computer, but it is not available to new users. Today, start cloud work from mobile or choose a registered computer under + → Devices when the task needs local files.
Keep Manual permission mode for unfamiliar tasks and never authorize a broad folder when a narrower one is enough.
Claude Code
PaidClaude Code can inspect a repository, change files, run tests and explain the result. You do not need to be a developer to describe the outcome, but you should still review the plan, preview changes, test the result and keep a recoverable version.
Claude in the browser and on desktop
Paid featuresThe desktop app can work with local folders and computer tools. Claude in Chrome can help on approved websites. Limit allowed sites and permissions, keep financial or administrative actions under manual review and disable access when it is no longer needed.
Settings worth checking
- Capabilities: enable code execution and file creation when a Skill needs them.
- Tool access: decide whether Claude may search Connectors automatically.
- Usage: monitor the current session and weekly limits.
- General: set appearance, text size, browser and voice language.
- Privacy: review training and data controls for your plan.
Free vs paid plans
Prices and allowances change. These are the public US prices checked on October 14, 2026; taxes and regional billing can differ.
Free
For trying Claude, occasional questions and light writing.
Pro Popular
$17/month with annual billing. A practical default for daily individual work.
Max 5×
More capacity for people who regularly hit Pro limits.
Max 20×
For intensive, all-day Claude use.
| Need | Best starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional chat and writing | Free | Test the workflow before paying. |
| Daily professional use | Pro | Broader model and feature access. |
| Heavy individual use | Max | Higher usage capacity. |
| Shared team governance | Team | Central administration and collaboration. |
| Security and enterprise controls | Enterprise | Organization-level controls and usage billing. |
Eleven prompts to copy
Before doing the work, turn my request into a one-page brief. State the goal, audience, deliverable, constraints, missing information, success criteria and risks. Ask no more than five questions that would materially change the result.
Analyze the attached document for [decision]. Give me: a 7-bullet executive summary, key facts with page references, contradictions, missing evidence, risks, and the five questions I should ask next. Do not infer a fact without labeling it as inference.
Create concise Project instructions for [project]. Include purpose, audience, approved sources, terminology, tone, recurring deliverables, quality checklist, privacy limits and what Claude must never assume. Keep it under 500 words.
Interview me to turn my workflow for [task] into a Claude Skill. Capture the trigger, required inputs, step-by-step method, decision rules, output template, examples, edge cases and failure conditions. Then draft SKILL.md and a test checklist.
Turn these meeting notes into a concise follow-up email. Separate decisions, action items with owner and deadline, open questions and the next meeting. Never invent an owner or date; mark missing details clearly.
Compare [option A], [option B] and [option C] for [use case] in [country]. Use criteria weighted by business importance: cost, time to value, risk, integration, support and exit cost. Cite current primary sources and recommend one option with conditions.
Create a 10-slide presentation for [audience] to achieve [decision]. One message per slide. Use a clear narrative: problem, evidence, insight, options, recommendation, plan, risks and next step. Suggest one useful visual per slide; avoid decorative charts.
Prepare my weekly review from the connected sources. Summarize outcomes, unfinished commitments, decisions waiting on me, upcoming deadlines, risks and the three highest-leverage priorities for next week. Link every item to its source.
Complete [browser task]. You may navigate and prepare forms, but stop before any purchase, message, submission, deletion, account change or acceptance of terms. Show me a final summary and ask for approval at that point.
Inspect this project and propose the smallest safe change for [outcome]. First explain the relevant files and risks. Then implement it, run the most relevant checks, report exactly what changed and list anything you could not verify. Preserve unrelated work.
Challenge your previous answer. Identify its strongest unsupported assumption, the best counterargument, missing stakeholders, failure scenarios and evidence that would reverse the recommendation. Then provide a revised conclusion with a confidence level.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when I reach my Claude usage limit?
Claude Skill or Project: what is the difference?
Why can’t I see Dispatch in Claude?
Do I need to code to create a Claude Skill?
Is Claude good in languages other than English?
Does Claude use my conversations for training?
What is the difference between Claude on the web and the desktop app?
Want Claude to work inside your business?
I help teams choose high-value AI workflows, set safe operating rules and turn pilots into repeatable work.
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