This Claude user guide explains the most common operations all at once: how to sign up and log in, how to create projects to organize materials, and how to upload files for analysis. Follow the steps once and you’ll basically be able to treat Claude as a stable daily work hub. If you ever can’t find a feature, it also provides a quick way to locate it.
Sign-up and login: how to choose between email and Google/Apple linking
After opening Claude’s official website, follow the prompts to sign up with email, or use Google/Apple for one-click login; the benefit of the latter is having one less password to remember. If you don’t receive the verification-code email, first check Spam/Promotions, then check whether your mailbox has blocking rules enabled. If you want things to be easier later, you can link your preferred login method in Settings to avoid frequent verification.
Quick start for the chat interface: the input box, attachments, and common ways to write prompts
Claude’s core is the chat input box: putting your goal, background, and constraints in a single message usually yields more stable results. If you need it to output in a fixed format, add “Please answer using a table/list/bullet points” at the end—it saves time compared with repeatedly correcting it. Some accounts will see an optional model or mode entry at the top of the chat; choose based on task complexity. If you don’t see it, it’s usually due to permissions or a staged rollout and doesn’t affect basic use.
How to use Projects: put materials into the same workspace
In Claude’s sidebar, go to Projects, then create a new project and give it a clear name, such as “Literature Review,” “Customer Service Scripts,” or “Product Requirements.” Projects are suitable for long-term materials and fixed requirements: you can place frequently used background notes, standards, and examples into a project so Claude outputs to the same set of standards every time. If your interface doesn’t have a Projects entry, first check whether you’ve switched to the correct account or refresh the page; if it still isn’t there, the feature likely isn’t available for your account yet.
Uploading files and images: practical workflows for summarizing, comparing, and extracting
Use the attachment button in the chat box to upload PDFs, Word documents, images, etc., then clearly tell Claude: “Summarize first, then extract key points / list questions by chapter / compare differences between the two files.” If the file is large or has many pages, it’s recommended to ask Claude to produce a table-of-contents-level summary first, then specify chapters to go deeper—this reduces the chance of going off track. When the material involves privacy, delete personal information or sensitive fields before uploading to Claude for analysis to be safer.
Account and data settings: language, history, and logging out
Go to Settings to adjust the interface language and manage account information and conversation-related options. If you want to switch accounts, log out of the current one and reauthorize. If you run into “I’m clearly logged in but features are missing,” first check whether you’re logged into a different Google/Apple account, or whether your browser switched to a different profile. Once you straighten out your login method, projects, and file workflows with this Claude user guide, daily writing, material organization, and requirement breakdown will all become smoother.
