How to use Claude AI?
Go to claude.ai, sign up free (18+ required), and type. The free tier includes chat on web, iOS, Android, and desktop, plus web search, memory, file uploads, code execution, and connectors. Pro at $17/month annual unlocks Claude Code, model selection, and unlimited projects (as of 2026-07).
Why — the first-principles explanation
Signing up takes a minute. Using Claude well takes one insight: Claude has no memory of you and no access to anything you didn't give it. Each conversation starts from a model whose knowledge runs reliably through January 2026 — plus whatever you paste, upload, or connect. Almost every disappointing answer traces back to missing context, not a weak model.
This is why the 1 million token context window on Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and Sonnet 5 is the most underused feature in the product. A million tokens is roughly 555,000 words — a stack of novels. Most people type one sentence into a window that could hold their entire codebase, every email in the thread, and the full contract. Don't describe your document. Paste your document. Context is the cheapest quality upgrade available, and on the top three models it costs nothing extra.
The second lever is model choice, which is itself a Pro feature. As of 2026-07: Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5 per million tokens) is fastest for simple questions, Sonnet 5 ($3/$15) is the sensible default, Opus 4.8 ($5/$25) is Anthropic's documented pick for complex agentic coding, and Fable 5 ($10/$50) is for the genuinely hard problems. Reaching for the biggest model on every task wastes money and time.
Third: know what the tools change. Web search pushes Claude past its January 2026 cutoff. File upload lets it read your PDF instead of guessing at it. Code execution means it can actually run the code and see the error rather than predicting what the error would be. Connectors pull in Google Workspace or Slack. Each one closes a specific gap between what Claude knows and what your task needs — and each is available on the free tier.
An example that makes it click
Imagine hiring a brilliant consultant who's been in a coma since January 2026 and has never met you. On day one you say "fix my budget." She has no idea what your budget looks like, what you earn, or what "fixed" means to you. She'll produce something generic — and you'll conclude she's overrated.
Now imagine you hand her the spreadsheet, last year's statements, and say "we need to cut $800 a month without touching childcare." Same consultant. Completely different result. That's the whole skill. Claude's window holds about 555,000 words. You're allowed to fill it. Most people whisper one sentence into a room built for a library.
How to do it
- Go to claude.ai and sign up with an email, Google account, or phone number. Anthropic's terms require you to be at least 18.
- Start typing in the message box. The free tier costs $0 and includes web search, memory, file creation, code execution, and connectors.
- Give Claude the actual material — paste the text, upload the PDF, attach the spreadsheet. Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and Sonnet 5 hold up to 1M tokens (~555,000 words).
- State your goal and your constraints in the same message: what you want, who it's for, how long it should be, and what to avoid.
- Turn on web search for anything after January 2026 — that's the reliable knowledge cutoff for the current models.
- Iterate instead of restarting. Say what's wrong with the draft ('too formal, cut it in half') rather than opening a new chat.
- Upgrade to Pro ($17/month annual, $20/month monthly as of 2026-07) if you need Claude Code, model selection, unlimited projects, or Research.
- On Pro, pick your model by task: Haiku 4.5 for speed, Sonnet 5 as default, Opus 4.8 for complex coding, Fable 5 for the hardest problems.
- Export your data from Settings before deleting anything — deleted conversations cannot be recovered.
Key facts
- The Claude free plan is $0 and includes web/iOS/Android/desktop chat, web search, memory, file creation, code execution, desktop extensions, connectors, and Slack/Google Workspace integration (as of 2026-07).
- Claude Pro is $17/month billed annually or $20/month monthly, and unlocks Claude Code, multiple model selection, unlimited projects, and Research (as of 2026-07).
- Claude Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and Sonnet 5 each accept up to 1M tokens of context (~555,000 words) with 128k max output tokens.
- The reliable knowledge cutoff for Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and Sonnet 5 is January 2026 — use web search for anything newer.
- All current Claude models accept text and image input and produce text output; Anthropic's consumer terms require users to be at least 18, or the local minimum consent age if higher.
- Deleted conversations are removed immediately and purged from back-end storage within 30 days, with no recovery option — export first.
Anthropic's assistant, known for long-document reasoning and careful, safe answers.
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
How do you use Claude? Go to claude dot ai, sign up free, start typing. That's it. But here's the thing that separates people who love Claude from people who think it's overrated. Claude doesn't know you, and it doesn't know anything you didn't tell it. Its knowledge runs reliably through January 2026, and that's all it has — unless you give it more. So here's the single biggest upgrade: paste the actual thing. Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and Sonnet 5 all hold a million tokens of context. That's about five hundred fifty-five thousand words. Your whole codebase. The entire contract. Every email in the thread. Most people type one sentence into a window built to hold a library. Don't describe your document — paste your document. Second: turn on web search for anything recent. That's how you get past the January 2026 cutoff. Free tier includes it, along with file uploads and code execution — which means Claude can actually run your code and see the real error instead of guessing. Third: iterate. Don't start a new chat when the draft is wrong. Say too formal, cut it in half. And if you need Claude Code, model selection, or unlimited projects, that's Pro — seventeen dollars a month billed annually. One warning: deleted chats are gone forever. Export from Settings first.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Do I need to pay to use Claude?
No. The free plan is $0 and includes chat, web search, memory, file uploads, code execution, and connectors. Pro at $17/month annual adds Claude Code, model choice, and unlimited projects.
Can Claude read my PDF or spreadsheet?
Yes. File upload is available on the free tier, and the current top models hold up to 1M tokens — roughly 555,000 words — so large documents fit comfortably.
Does Claude know about recent events?
Its reliable knowledge cutoff is January 2026. Turn on web search for anything after that, which is included even on the free plan.
What's the biggest mistake new users make?
Under-supplying context. Describing a document instead of pasting it wastes a million-token window and produces generic answers.
Can I use Claude on my phone?
Yes. The free tier covers web, iOS, Android, and desktop apps.