How to set up and use Claude (and Projects)
Claude is a conversational AI assistant from Anthropic. Like other chat assistants, you ask it things in plain language and it writes back. People often reach for Claude when the work involves longer documents, careful writing, or following detailed instructions, because it handles a lot of text in one go and tends to stay on task.
This guide covers account setup, the basics of the chat window, and Projects, a feature that lets you keep instructions and reference material in one place so you do not repeat yourself. We use Claude daily at Marin AI and set it up for client teams, but the steps below are everything you need to start on your own.
Step by step
- 1
Go to the official site or app store
Open claude.ai in a browser, or install the official Claude app from the Apple App Store, Google Play, or the desktop download on Anthropic's site. Confirm the publisher is Anthropic before installing.
- 2
Create your account
Sign up with an email address or a Google login. Use a work email if this is for your business so the account belongs to the company.
- 3
Verify and sign in
Confirm your email or phone if asked, then sign in. The web, mobile, and desktop apps all share the same account, so your conversations follow you across devices.
- 4
Choose free or paid
Begin on the free tier to learn the ropes. A paid personal plan is typically around twenty dollars per month for higher limits and access to the most capable models, with team plans priced per user.
- 5
Send your first message
Type a request in the box and press enter. A good first test is to paste in a long email or document and ask Claude to summarize the key points and any action items.
- 6
Refine with follow-ups
Stay in the same conversation and steer the result with plain instructions, such as keep only the top three points or rewrite this in a warmer tone.
- 7
Create a Project for ongoing work
Open Projects and create one for a recurring area of work, such as a client or a product. Projects keep related chats together so you are not starting from scratch each time.
- 8
Add instructions and reference files to the Project
Inside a Project you can add custom instructions and upload reference documents, like your brand voice or a price list. Every chat in that Project then uses them automatically.
- 9
Review your privacy settings
Open Settings to review data controls and manage your subscription. Check how your conversations are handled before adding sensitive material to a Project.
What Projects are good for
Projects solve a common frustration: re-explaining the same background every time you start a chat. You set the context once and reuse it.
Good candidates for a Project are any task you do repeatedly with the same ground rules.
- A specific client, with their preferences and history in the instructions.
- Your company's writing, with a voice guide and examples attached.
- A product or service, with specs and a price list uploaded.
- Hiring, with your job-post template and screening questions saved.
Getting the most out of it
Claude responds well to clear, structured requests. Tell it the audience, the goal, and the format you want, and give it the source material to work from rather than expecting it to guess.
Because Claude handles long inputs comfortably, it is a strong choice when you need to work across an entire document or several files at once. Paste or upload the full text instead of summarizing it yourself first.
Is it safe for business data?
Anthropic's default position is not to train its models on your conversations on standard plans, which makes Claude a comfortable choice for many business tasks. Even so, review the data settings yourself and avoid pasting passwords or regulated data into any personal account.
Team and enterprise plans add admin controls and stronger guarantees for sensitive work. If your team will rely on Claude daily, that is the version worth setting up, and it is one of the first things we configure for clients.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude free?
Yes, there is a free tier suitable for learning and light use. A paid personal plan is typically around twenty dollars per month for higher limits and the most capable models, with team plans priced per user.
What are Claude Projects?
Projects are workspaces that hold custom instructions and reference files for a recurring area of work. Every chat inside a Project uses that context automatically, so you do not have to re-explain the background each time.
Is my data safe in Claude?
On standard plans Anthropic does not train its models on your conversations by default, which makes Claude well suited to business work. Still review your data settings and avoid entering passwords or regulated data into a personal account.
Should I use the website or the app?
They share one account and behave the same way. The website and desktop app suit longer work on a computer, while the mobile app is convenient for quick questions. Pick whichever fits the task.
Want Claude set up properly across your business — or the whole workflow automated and your team trained? That's what we do.
Last reviewed June 12, 2026