--- title: "Claude for beginners" url: https://aiguideson.com/courses/claude-for-beginners/ summary: "Get started with Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, on a free account. You’ll log in and ask your first questions, pick the right settings for the job, hand Claude a document to summarise, keep your instructions in one place and ask for a small tool that does one job." level: "Beginner" lessons: 5 minutes: 49 published: 2026-10-09 updated: 2026-10-09 author: "Jack Stovell" publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" language: "en-GB" --- # Claude for beginners Get started with Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, on a free account. You’ll log in and ask your first questions, pick the right settings for the job, hand Claude a document to summarise, keep your instructions in one place and ask for a small tool that does one job. Beginner · 5 lessons, about 49 minutes in total · Free. ## What you build A small web page that splits the cost of a shared compost order between plot holders, written by Claude from one prompt and checked by you with real numbers. Our worked example belongs to the Maple Street Allotment Society, a made-up allotment society. Maple Street Allotment Society does not exist. We wrote the newsletter and the prompts, and every reply quoted in this course is exactly what Claude sent back. Not for: Developers building with the Claude API or Claude Code. This course is about the chat on claude.ai and the apps. ## Who it’s for - Anyone who wants to learn Claude specifically, rather than AI in general - People who have done “AI for beginners” and want to use more of what Claude can do - Clubs, societies and small businesses with newsletters, notices and regular emails to write ## What you need - A computer, phone or tablet with a web browser - An email address, or a Google account, to log in with - A document of your own for lesson 3 (a newsletter, a letter or a report, in a format Claude can read) - No technical knowledge ## Tools and what they cost - **Claude (Free plan)**: Every lesson in the course. Cost: Free. Claude’s plans page lists the Free plan as “Free for everyone”. The Free plan has usage limits: Claude’s help pages say a session limit resets every five hours and that the number of messages you can send varies with demand. Lesson 4 uses projects: Claude’s help page says free accounts can create up to five, although the plans page lists Projects under Pro. If you can’t see projects on your account, lesson 4 shows the other way. (checked 2026-10-09; source: https://claude.com/pricing) ## The lessons ### Module 1: Get started 1. [Meet Claude and ask your first question](https://aiguideson.com/courses/claude-for-beginners/meet-claude-and-ask-your-first-question/) (10 minutes): What Claude is, who can use it and how to log in, then your first question and five kinds of job to try. 2. [Pick a model and know your limits](https://aiguideson.com/courses/claude-for-beginners/pick-a-model-and-know-your-limits/) (9 minutes): Find the model menu, choose an effort level, see what the Free plan includes and what makes your usage run out sooner. Module badge: Claude starter. Mark lessons 1 and 2 of “Claude for beginners” complete. ### Module 2: Put Claude to work 3. [Give Claude a file to work on](https://aiguideson.com/courses/claude-for-beginners/give-claude-a-file-to-work-on/) (10 minutes): Add a document to a chat, ask for a summary and a list of dates, then check what it says is in the file. 4. [Keep your instructions in one place](https://aiguideson.com/courses/claude-for-beginners/keep-your-instructions-in-one-place/) (10 minutes): Write instructions once, so every notice or email comes out the way you want, and see where Claude keeps them. 5. [Make a small tool with an artifact](https://aiguideson.com/courses/claude-for-beginners/make-a-small-tool-with-an-artifact/) (10 minutes): Ask Claude for a small web page that does one job, try it with real numbers and know what to do when it goes wrong. Module badge: Claude at work. Mark lessons 3, 4 and 5 of “Claude for beginners” complete. ## At the end Finish all 5 lessons and you’ll get a certificate of completion, with its own verification link and an “Add certificate to LinkedIn profile” button. Claude user: Mark all 5 lessons of “Claude for beginners” complete. Issued with a certificate of completion and as an Open Badges 3.0 credential. Completion is self-reported: we do not check your work. ## Sources - [Claude: Plans and pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: Get started with Claude](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8114491-get-started-with-claude) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: What are some things I can use Claude for?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/7996845-what-are-some-things-i-can-use-claude-for) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: Log in to your Claude account](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13189465-log-in-to-your-claude-account) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: Change the model, effort, and thinking settings](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8664678-change-the-model-effort-and-thinking-settings) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: How do usage and length limits work?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11647753-how-do-usage-and-length-limits-work) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: Upload files to Claude](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8241126-upload-files-to-claude) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: What are projects?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9517075-what-are-projects) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: Understanding Claude’s personalization features](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10185728-understanding-claude-s-personalization-features) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: What are artifacts and how do I use them?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17153992-what-are-artifacts-and-how-do-i-use-them) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Claude Help Center: I would like to input sensitive data into my chats with Claude. Who can view my conversations?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8325621-i-would-like-to-input-sensitive-data-into-my-chats-with-claude-who-can-view-my-conversations) (checked 2026-10-09) ## Questions people ask ### Is Claude free? Claude has a Free plan, listed on its plans page as “Free for everyone”. It’s got usage limits, so a long session can run out. The paid plans give more usage. ### Who can use Claude? You’ll need to be at least 18, and in a location Claude supports. You can use it in a web browser, in the desktop app for Mac or Windows, or in the mobile apps. ### Do I need to know how to write prompts first? No, you don’t. You write to Claude in plain English, like you’d talk to a coworker or a friend. If you want to get better at it afterwards, “Prompting for beginners” covers it. ### Can I trust what Claude tells me? Check it. In lesson 3 our summary was right, but its date table put March ahead of January, and in lesson 4 it added a rule we never gave it. So read every line that matters. ### Should I put private details into Claude? Be careful. Anthropic recommends being thoughtful about sharing highly sensitive details such as financial information, health records, passwords and confidential documents.