A starting point for anyone who wants to learn how to use Claude. This guide lays out what to look at first and in what order, then links to detailed guides for each step. Even if you don't code, you can follow along.
What is Claude?
Claude is a conversational AI assistant built by Anthropic. It can answer questions, write and edit text, summarize material, write code, and more. You can use it as a chat app on web, mobile, and desktop, and developers can integrate it via the API. This page maps out the fastest path for first-time users.
Step 1 — Sign up and start your first chat
The first thing to do is create an account and try a first conversation. Sign-up, the difference between free and paid plans, and model selection (which model fits which situation) are covered in a dedicated beginner guide. This is where learning how to use Claude begins.
Step 2 — Learn to write good prompts
The key to getting the most out of Claude is what you ask and how you ask it. The same question, phrased clearly with context and a specified format, yields much better results. Principles like being clear, adding context, using examples, and structuring with tags are covered in the prompting guide, grounded in official documentation.
Step 3 — Use the main features
Once you're comfortable chatting, you can go further. Knowing about the panel that displays outputs, the workspace that holds context, and memory across sessions lets you move beyond simple Q&A. What each feature is and when to use it is covered in the main features guide.
Step 4 — For developers: Claude Code and the API
If you work with code, Claude Code (delegating tasks from the terminal) and the API (integrating Claude into your own service) are the next steps. Installation and your first API call are walked through in their respective guides. If you're not a developer, feel free to skip this step.
The fastest way to learn Claude
Rather than memorizing everything at once, the fastest path is to actually use it in order: sign up, first chat, refine prompts, then explore features. The guides and news on this site are updated regularly, so when you get stuck, look up the relevant guide or ask in the community.