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A practical, step-by-step guide

Claude Fundamentals

You don’t need to learn every feature. Start with one real task. We’ll set up Claude, give it useful context, improve the first draft, and save a workflow you can run again.

10 practical steps21 slidesAbout 70 minutesNo code requiredA free account is enough

What you’ll leave with

One workflow you’ll actually use next week.

You’ll have the finished work, an example of what good looks like, and instructions Claude can follow again.

Your progress saves in this browser.

A practical, step-by-step guide

Claude Fundamentals

You don’t need to learn every feature. Start with one real task. We’ll set up Claude, give it useful context, improve the first draft, and save a workflow you can run again.

10 practical steps21 slidesAbout 70 minutesNo code requiredA free account is enough

What you’ll leave with

One workflow you’ll actually use next week.

You’ll have the finished work, an example of what good looks like, and instructions Claude can follow again.

Your progress saves in this browser.

Here’s the plan

We’ll build this one useful step at a time.

Step 1 of 10 · 5 min

Install Claude Desktop for Mac or Windows, then sign in.

First, get Claude on your computer

Claude Desktop keeps your chats, files, connectors, and longer workflows together. Set it up once, and we can do the rest of the guide in one place.

Here’s what to do

1Go to claude.ai/download and choose Mac or Windows.
2Run the installer and open Claude Desktop.
3Sign in with the Claude account you already use on the web. If this is your first time, create one.
4Take a quick look at the plan and tools available to you. This guide works with a free account, but some models and connectors may need a paid or workspace plan.

Claude Desktop showing the option to open Claude's desktop workspace. — Keep Claude Desktop open for the rest of the guide. Your settings, chats, and connected tools will stay together.

Step 2 of 10 · 7 min

Find the four controls you will use most, then choose the right model for the job.

Get comfortable with the four controls you’ll use most

The controls tell Claude where the work belongs. The model picker changes the balance of speed and reasoning. Sonnet is the right starting point for most work. Use another model when the task gives you a reason to.

Here’s what to do

1Click the large message box. This is where you ask Claude for help.
2Find New Chat, usually shown as a plus. Start a new one when you change topics.
3Look at the left sidebar. That is where your earlier conversations live, and you can open any one to keep going.
4Find the plus inside the message box. We will use it later to attach a file or choose a connected tool.

Claude home screen showing the left sidebar, message box, plus button, and model picker. — The labels may move over time. New Chat, history, attachments, and the model picker are still the four controls to know.

Step 2 of 10 · 7 min

Find the four controls you will use most, then choose the right model for the job.

When you’re not sure, start with Sonnet

Here’s what to do

5Find the current model name near the message box and open the model picker. What you see will depend on your plan and workspace settings.
6Choose Sonnet for this guide. For most everyday work, it gives you the best mix of speed and capability.

Keep in mind: Models change. Trust the options in your picker, and start with Sonnet when you are not sure.

Which model should I use?

Model	Best for	What to know
Sonnet 5	Everyday writing, analysis, questions, coding, and tool use	Start here. It is the best balance of speed and intelligence for most work.
Opus 5	Complex research, multi-step reasoning, and demanding professional work	Use it when Sonnet is not getting you far enough. It thinks longer and uses more of your allowance.
Haiku 4.5	Quick lookups, summaries, formatting, and simple high-volume tasks	Use it when speed matters and the work is straightforward. It is not my first pick for a nuanced problem.
Fable 5	Long-running agents, deep reasoning, and your highest-value complex work	Use it for the hardest work. It is slower, uses your allowance fastest, and is only available on paid plans.

Step 3 of 10 · 6 min

Review model improvement and memory, then decide what stays out of any AI tool.

Set the privacy boundaries before the real work starts

The settings matter, but your best safeguard is still a clear rule about sensitive information. Decide that rule before you bring real work into Claude.

Here’s what to do

1Open Settings from your name or initials, then open Privacy.
2Review Help improve our AI models and make an intentional choice. Turn it off if you do not want ordinary chats used for model improvement.
3Find Memory. It may be under Settings or Settings → Capabilities. Review what Claude remembers and decide whether you want it on.
4Use an incognito chat when you do not want a conversation saved to your ordinary history or memory.

Claude Privacy settings showing the model improvement control and links to memory preferences. — Claude is rolling out a newer Memory screen, so the labels on your account may look a little different.

Step 4 of 10 · 8 min

Tell Claude who you are, who you serve, and how you want it to respond.

Give Claude the context you’re tired of repeating

Think of Custom Instructions as Claude's onboarding note. Write the context once, and each new chat can start with your role, audience, standards, and preferred way of working.

Here’s what to do

1Choose where the context belongs. Use Profile preferences for guidance you want across Claude. Use Project instructions when it only applies to one kind of work.
2Open the right instructions area. In a Project, create or open the Project and find its instructions. For broader guidance, open Settings and look for Profile preferences or Instructions for Claude.
3Copy the example below, then replace the role, audience, tone, and standing rule with your own.

Claude's Instructions field with the Adaptive Reasoning Protocol pasted in. — Use broad instructions for guidance you always want. Keep workflow-specific context inside its Project.

Step 4 of 10 · Your turn

Add the context once. Let Claude carry it forward

Custom Instructions example

About me: I run a small bakery and write our weekly newsletter.
Who it is for: Local customers.
How to respond: Keep it warm and casual. Use short paragraphs and plain language.
One thing to always include: Suggest a seasonal item we can feature.

Adaptive Reasoning Protocol

Use the Adaptive Reasoning Protocol:

Assess the request type, then apply the appropriate method:

If solving, analyzing, or debugging → Atom of Thought: Decompose into atomic reasoning units. For each atom:

State the logical component
Validate independence
Verify correctness
Then synthesize atoms into final answer.

If explaining, learning, or teaching → Feynman Loop: Explain as if teaching a curious beginner. For each cycle:

Use a concrete analogy
Flag confusion points
Ask questions that reveal gaps
Then compress into a teachable snapshot.

If both are needed → Chain them: First solve via Atom of Thought, then explain the solution via Feynman Loop.

4Add the Adaptive Reasoning Protocol when you want Claude to switch between problem-solving and plain-language teaching on its own.
5Save it. Start a fresh chat that uses the instructions, then ask Claude to summarize what it knows about how to help you.

Step 5 of 10 · 7 min

Let Claude use live information from one tool you approve.

Connect one source you already trust

A connector lets Claude work with a tool like Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, or Microsoft 365. You choose the access. Claude gets useful context without making you copy and paste everything.

Here’s what to do

1Open Settings in Claude Desktop and find Connectors. Your plan or organization will decide which ones you can see.
2Pick one low-risk tool you already use, such as Google Calendar.
3Select Connect and finish that tool's sign-in and permission steps. Read the requested access before you approve it.
4Start a new chat and ask something only that connector can answer, such as: "What is on my calendar tomorrow?"

Keep in mind: Start with read-only lookup work. Check the answer before you rely on it, and disconnect the tool anytime from its connector settings.

Claude Connectors settings listing available tools and their individual connection status. — You approve each connector separately. Connecting Calendar does not give Claude access to Gmail or Drive.

Step 6 of 10 · Your turn

Start with the problem. Don’t make Claude guess

Here’s what to do

1Select New Chat so the task starts with a clean conversation.
2Copy the prompt below. Swap in something you actually do, or keep the weekly-update example for practice.
3Answer Claude's questions with real context and constraints.
4Ask Claude to show you the finished reusable prompt. Then run it in the same chat with a low-risk example or real information.

Keep in mind: Compare these: "Write my weekly update" makes Claude guess. "How might we turn my meeting notes into a weekly update?" gives Claude an input and permission to ask better questions.

How Might We prompt

How might we turn my meeting notes into a clear weekly update?

Before you write, ask me up to three questions about the audience, format, and what matters most.

Then give me a reusable prompt I can run each week.

Step 7 of 10 · 5 min

The first response is a starting point, not the finish line

You do not need a perfect prompt, and you do not need to start over. Claude remembers the conversation. Clear feedback is usually the fastest way to get to something useful.

Start with the draft

Keep what worked

Name the change

Revise it

Save the best one

1Name one thing the first draft got right.
2Name one thing that needs to change. Be specific about the tone, length, structure, or missing information.
3Ask for one revised version in the same chat.

Step 7 of 10 · Your turn

Make the next version better in the same chat

Here’s what to do

4When it is good, tell Claude to use this version as the example next time.

Keep in mind: Save more than the result. A strong example shows Claude what good looks like the next time you run the work.

Feedback prompt

This is close. Keep the warm opening.

Make the middle more personal, remove the generic praise, and shorten the whole note by about 20%.

Give me one revised version only.

Step 8 of 10 · 5 min

Attach a file and ask one clear question about what is actually inside it.

Give Claude the source, not just the assignment

Claude gets much more useful when it can see the same source material you use. Start with extraction and organization. You should still own the high-stakes decisions.

Here’s what to do

1Choose a low-risk file, such as meeting notes, a public report, or a sample document.
2Click the plus in the message box and choose Add files or photos.

Claude attachment menu with Add files or photos selected from the plus button. — Send the source and the request together. Claude needs both to do useful work.

Step 8 of 10 · Your turn

Ask one clear question about the file

Here’s what to do

3Attach the file and send the review prompt below with it.

File-review prompt

Read the attached meeting notes and pull out:

1. Decisions that were made
2. Action items, owners, and deadlines
3. Blockers
4. Unanswered questions

If the notes do not say, write "Not stated." Do not fill in the gaps.

Step 9 of 10 · 7 min

Use the chat to make the work. Put the work in an Artifact

Chat is where you give direction. The Artifact is the thing you will use: a document, checklist, table, or simple tool that stays visible while you improve it.

Chat

Where you give direction

Ask questions, give feedback, and keep improving the work.

Artifact

What you’ll actually use

The finished document, checklist, table, or tool.

Claude Artifacts library with a New artifact button and saved creations. — The Artifact keeps the deliverable separate from the conversation you used to make it.

Step 9 of 10 · Your turn

Turn the answer into something you can actually use

Here’s what to do

1In the chat with your file, ask Claude to turn the findings into a polished one-page Artifact.
2If no Artifact appears, open Settings → Capabilities and confirm Code execution and file creation is on.
3Ask for one change you can see, such as moving decisions to the top or shortening the introduction.
4When it is ready, use Copy or Download.

Artifact prompt

Turn these findings into a polished one-page Artifact.

Put decisions first, followed by action items, blockers, and unanswered questions.

Make it easy to scan. Do not add anything that is not in the source.

Step 10 of 10 · 13 min

A useful answer is good. A reusable workflow is better

One good answer saves a few minutes. A reusable workflow gives that time back every week. Projects keep the instructions, source material, examples, and conversations together so you do not restart from zero.

Instructions

How Claude should do the work

Source material

What the answer needs to use

A good example

What great work looks like

Fresh input

What changes on the next run

Step 10 of 10 · Your turn

Your calendar is full of workflow ideas

Here’s what to do

1Open your calendar for this week. If Google Calendar is connected, start a new chat and give Claude permission to use it for this exercise.
2No calendar connection? Take a screenshot of your week. Crop or hide anything sensitive you cannot share, then upload it with Add files or photos.
3Send the brainstorming prompt below. Ask Claude for three to five jobs backed by evidence from your week, not generic ideas.
4Pick one recurring, low-risk job with repeatable inputs and an output you can review. That is your Agent Skill candidate: the instructions, inputs, tools, examples, and quality checks needed to do the job again.

Calendar-to-Agent-Skills brainstorm

Look at my calendar for this week. What recurring jobs to be done could we turn into Agent Skills?

Give me three to five ideas. For each one, point to the calendar evidence, name the repeatable input and output, and explain why it is a good candidate.

Step 10 of 10 · 13 min

Put a recurring task, its source material, and your definition of good inside a Claude Project.

Give the recurring work a home

Here’s what to do

5Open Projects in the sidebar and create one named for the job. If you want to use the practice example as-is, call it Weekly Update. Projects are available on free accounts, with a limit on how many you can create.
6Add one example you like and paste the Project instructions below. Replace the Weekly Update details with your job, or keep them for practice.

Claude Projects gallery with a New project button and existing project cards. — Keep each Project focused on one kind of work. The context stays cleaner, and the results get better.

Step 10 of 10 · Your turn

Tell the Project how good work gets done

Project instructions

Purpose: Turn meeting notes into a clear weekly team update.
Audience: My team. They need the important stuff quickly.
Output: Keep it under 300 words. Use decisions, progress, blockers, and next steps as the sections.
Quality bar: Make it direct, specific, and easy to scan. Use my saved example as the style reference.
Safety: Never invent an owner, deadline, or decision. If the source does not say, write "Not stated."

Your first reusable workflow

Turn these meeting notes into a short weekly update for my team.

Before you write, ask me up to three questions about the audience, format, and what matters most.

Create the update as an Artifact. Keep it under 300 words and use these sections:
- Decisions
- Progress
- Blockers
- Next steps

7Add one fresh input and run the reusable workflow prompt. Replace the meeting-notes and team-update details with your job, or keep them for practice.

Claude Fundamentals

One workflow you’ll actually use next week.

Claude Fundamentals

One workflow you’ll actually use next week.

We’ll build this one useful step at a time.

Get Claude on your computer

Learn the screen and pick a model

Set your privacy boundaries first

Stop repeating yourself with Custom Instructions

Connect one source you already trust

Start with How Might We

Coach the next version in the same chat

Give Claude one of your own files

Turn the answer into an Artifact

Save the work as a reusable workflow

First, get Claude on your computer

Get comfortable with the four controls you’ll use most

When you’re not sure, start with Sonnet

Set the privacy boundaries before the real work starts

Give Claude the context you’re tired of repeating

Add the context once. Let Claude carry it forward

Connect one source you already trust

Start with the problem. Don’t make Claude guess

The first response is a starting point, not the finish line

Make the next version better in the same chat

Give Claude the source, not just the assignment

Ask one clear question about the file

Use the chat to make the work. Put the work in an Artifact

Where you give direction

What you’ll actually use

Turn the answer into something you can actually use

A useful answer is good. A reusable workflow is better

Instructions

Source material

A good example

Fresh input

Your calendar is full of workflow ideas

Give the recurring work a home

Tell the Project how good work gets done