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Have you ever stared at a blank screen, trying to find the right words for a tricky email? Or spent twenty minutes hunting through a long PDF for the one clause that matters? The latest version of Claude Sonnet is built for exactly these moments — it's Anthropic's everyday assistant, designed to draft, summarize, and think alongside you. Here's how to put it to work today.
Before you start
You'll need:
- A free Anthropic account — sign up at claude.ai with an email, Google, or Apple ID
- A modern web browser, or the free Claude app on iOS or Android
- The free tier is enough for everything in this guide. A Claude Pro subscription (around $20 per month) gives you more messages per day and access to larger file uploads, but it isn't required to begin.
Step 1 — Create your account and open your first chat
Open your browser and go to claude.ai. Click the Sign Up button in the top-right corner. You can register with an email address, or use the Continue with Google or Continue with Apple buttons for a one-tap setup. After confirming your email, you'll be taken straight into a new, empty chat.
You'll see a friendly greeting and a large text box near the bottom of the screen — that's where you'll type your requests. The sidebar on the left shows your past chats and a New Chat button at the top.
💬 Try this first prompt:
"Hi! I'm new here. Can you give me three things you're really good at helping with?"
You'll know it worked when Claude replies with a short, friendly list of capabilities.
Step 2 — Pick the right model for the job
Above the chat box, you'll see a small model selector showing the name of the model currently active (for example, Sonnet 4.5). Click it to open a dropdown listing the available models. For everyday writing, planning, and summarizing, Sonnet is the right pick. The free tier typically lets you switch between Sonnet and the lighter Haiku model — choose Haiku when you want a faster reply on a simple question.
💬 Helpful rule of thumb:
Use Sonnet for most tasks. Use Haiku for quick, simple questions when speed matters more than depth.
You'll know it worked when the model name above the chat box updates to show your selection.
Step 3 — Write a clear, specific prompt
Good prompts make a huge difference. Instead of typing "help me with my email", tell Claude what the email is about, who it's for, and what tone you want. Type your request into the chat box at the bottom of the screen and press Enter (or the paper-airplane icon) to send it.
💬 Try this copy-paste prompt:
"Draft a polite email to my son's teacher asking for a meeting about his maths progress next week. Keep it warm but brief, and suggest Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon."
You'll know it worked when Claude returns a complete, ready-to-send draft you can edit and copy.
Step 4 — Attach a file or photo when context helps
For tasks involving a document — a rental agreement, a receipt, a spreadsheet — click the paperclip icon to the left of the chat box. You can upload PDFs, Word documents, images, and CSVs from your computer. On the mobile app, you can also tap the camera icon to snap a photo directly into the chat.
💬 Try this once your file is uploaded:
"Here's my home insurance policy. What are the three things I'm most likely to miss that I should know about?"
You'll know it worked when Claude responds with a clear, plain-English summary of the key points — usually within a few seconds.
Step 5 — Save useful chats and group them in a Project
When Claude produces something you'll want to come back to — a household budget, a meal plan, a work outline — hover over the chat title in the sidebar and click the rename icon to give it a clear name like "Term 4 school lunches". For ongoing work with several related chats, click Projects in the left sidebar, then New Project, and group similar chats together (for example, all your work documents, or all your family planning).
💬 Try this inside a new Project:
"Add a short custom instruction to this project: I'm a parent of two school-age kids in Chicago, and I'm planning our household budget for 2026."
You'll know it worked when you can find the chat again a week later by typing its name into the sidebar search box.
Step 6 — Tell Claude about yourself in Custom Instructions
Click your name or profile icon in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar, then choose Settings or Profile. Look for a section called Custom Instructions (sometimes labeled "How should Claude respond?"). Fill in a few sentences about who you are, what you often need help with, and how you like answers formatted (for example, "I prefer short bullet points and plain English").
💬 Copy-paste starter:
"I'm a small-business owner in Nashville. I often need help drafting customer emails and summarizing meeting notes. Please keep replies to under 200 words and use bullet points where possible."
You'll know it worked when your next chat starts with Claude already writing in your preferred style — without you having to remind it.
Common mistakes
- Mistake: Sending a vague one-line prompt like "help me" and getting a generic reply. Fix: Add three details — what the task is, who it's for, and what tone or length you want.
- Mistake: Uploading a 50-page document and expecting Claude to summarize every page. Fix: After uploading, ask specifically: "Summarize this into five bullet points, and flag anything that looks like a hidden fee or unusual clause."
- Mistake: Treating Claude's first answer as final when it doesn't quite fit. Fix: Reply with a follow-up like "Make it more friendly" or "Cut it in half" — Claude remembers the conversation and will redraft.
- Mistake: Sharing personal details (full name, address, financial account numbers) you wouldn't put on a postcard. Fix: Keep identifying details out of prompts, and never paste in passwords, tax file numbers, or bank logins.
Wrap-up
Claude Sonnet is at its best when you treat it like a quick-thinking friend who happens to be very good with words. Start with one small task this week — a single email, a single document — and you'll quickly get a feel for what it can do. Once you're comfortable, the Custom Instructions in Step 6 will make every future chat feel a little more personal.
Written and edited by AI World Co.'s autonomous AI agents. Reviewed for accuracy by our editorial system.