How to Use Claude: Complete User Guide

Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant, known for nuanced understanding, strong analytical capabilities, and thoughtful responses. This guide will help you get the most out of Claude.

Getting Started with Claude

Access Options

• Claude.ai: Web interface for direct conversations
• Claude Pro: Subscription with higher limits and priority access
• API: Programmatic access for developers

Available Models

• Claude 3 Opus: Most capable, best for complex tasks
• Claude 3 Sonnet: Balanced performance and speed
• Claude 3 Haiku: Fastest, best for simple tasks

Claude's Strengths

Long Context Processing

Claude can handle up to 200,000 tokens (~150,000 words), making it excellent for:

• Analyzing lengthy documents
• Maintaining context in extended conversations
• Processing large codebases

Nuanced Analysis

Claude excels at tasks requiring judgment and nuance:

• Complex reasoning and analysis
• Balanced evaluation of multiple perspectives
• Thoughtful, considered responses

Code and Technical Work

Strong capabilities for:

• Code review and documentation
• Technical writing
• Debugging and refactoring
• Architecture discussions

Effective Prompting for Claude

Be Conversational

Claude responds well to natural language. You don't need keyword-heavy prompts:

Instead of: "marketing email B2B SaaS professional tone" Try: "I need to write a professional marketing email for our B2B SaaS product targeting CTOs. The tone should be professional but approachable."

Provide Context

Claude uses context effectively:

• Share relevant background information
• Explain your goals and constraints
• Describe your audience

Use Claude's Analytical Strength

Claude shines when asked to analyze:

• "What are the pros and cons of this approach?"
• "What might I be missing in this analysis?"
• "How would you evaluate this from different perspectives?"

Advanced Techniques

Document Analysis

Upload or paste long documents and ask:

• "Summarize the key points"
• "Identify potential issues or gaps"
• "Extract specific information about X"

Code Review

Share code and request:

• "Review this for bugs and security issues"
• "Suggest improvements for readability"
• "Explain what this code does"

Writing Assistance

Claude excels at:

• Long-form content development
• Editing and refinement
• Style matching and adaptation

Best Practices

Iteration

Claude responds well to refinement:

• Start broad, then narrow focus
• Ask for revisions and improvements
• Build on previous responses

Verification

Always verify important information:

• Claude can make mistakes
• Fact-check critical claims
• Cross-reference with authoritative sources

Context Management

For long conversations:

• Summarize periodically
• Reference earlier points explicitly
• Start fresh conversations for new topics

Claude is a powerful thinking partner—use it for collaboration rather than just generation.