Lesson 1 of 5 · 10 minutes · Module 1: Get started
Meet Claude and ask your first question
Claude is an AI assistant made by Anthropic. You type to it in plain English, and it types back. In this lesson you’ll see what it is, check you can use it, log in, and ask your first questions.
You need
- A computer, phone or tablet
- An email address, or a Google account
- About ten minutes
A narrated walkthrough of this lesson is coming. The steps below cover everything in it.
Step 1 of 5
See what Claude is
Claude is a large language model built by Anthropic. Its makers say it’s trained to be a helpful, honest and harmless assistant with a conversational tone. You talk to it with prompts, which is just what you type. Anthropic’s advice is to speak to Claude the way you would to a coworker or friend.
Screenshot captured 9 October 2026. - A prompt is what you type to Claude
- Talk to it like a coworker or friend
CheckpointYou can say what a prompt is.
Step 2 of 5
Check you can use it
You’ve got to be at least 18, and in a place Claude supports. You can use it in a web browser at claude.ai, in the desktop app for Mac or Windows, or in the mobile apps for iOS and Android. If you’ve used a free ChatGPT account, think of it as the same idea from a different company.
CheckpointYou know you can use Claude where you are, and on which devices.
Step 3 of 5
Log in
Go to claude.ai. You’ll see two ways to log in: Continue with Google, or Continue with email. With email, Claude sends you a message with the subject “Secure link to log in to Claude.ai”, and the link logs you in. If you open it on a different device, you’ll be given a code to type in on the first one. There’s no password to set. If the email doesn’t arrive, check your spam folder, then try again after a few minutes.
Screenshot captured 9 October 2026. - Option 1: Continue with Google
- Option 2: Continue with email, then use the link
CheckpointYou’re logged in to Claude, and you can see the box to type in.
Step 4 of 5
Ask your first question
Anthropic’s own example of a simple question is how to hang a picture frame. Type it in and send it. We got a numbered method with a list of tools, and at the end Claude offered to be more specific if we gave it the frame’s size, weight and wall type. Your reply will be worded differently.
The prompt · works in ClaudeHow do I hang a picture frame in my room?The reply we got on 2026-10-09, unedited. Read our reply.
Screenshot to come
We haven’t captured this step yet. We’d rather show nothing than an old or made-up screen.
CheckpointYou have a reply to a plain question.
Step 5 of 5
Try five kinds of job
Claude’s help page lists what people use it for: writing, learning something new, summarising, brainstorming, translating, coding and looking at images. Ask it for one idea in five of them. We asked for one line each and got a ready-to-send prompt for every job, such as an email declining a meeting and a Spanish translation of a casual message. Just pick the one you’d use first.
The prompt · works in ClaudeI'm new to Claude. Suggest one practical thing I could ask you to help with this week for each of these: writing, learning, summarising, brainstorming and translating. One line each.The five ideas we got on 2026-10-09, unedited. Read our reply.
Screenshot captured 9 October 2026. - Write
- Learn something new
- Summarise
- Brainstorm
- Translate
CheckpointYou’ve picked one job you’d like Claude to do first.
Common problems
When you have finished
Want to keep your place? Get a sign-in link by email and we’ll save your progress. You can keep reading either way. Sign in to save your progress.
Steps 1, 3 and 5 show Anthropic’s public help pages (captured by tools/capture/claude-for-beginners.mjs on 2026-10-09). The chat screens are behind a login, so steps 4 and 5 have no chat screenshot yet; the prompts and replies are in outputs/.