1.1
Your First Hour with Claude · Lesson 1 of 6
Meet Claude
What Claude is, who makes it, and the three ways to use it — Chat, Cowork and Code.
Mode switcher5 min
The big idea
Claude is an AI assistant from Anthropic. The desktop app gives it three “modes” — Chat, Cowork and Code — that range from simply answering questions to actually doing work on your computer. You don’t need all three on day one; you just need to know they exist, so the rest of the hour makes sense.
Key insight: The further right you go — Chat → Cowork → Code — the more Claude can do, and the more trust and setup it needs.
What you'll see on screen
The clean Claude wordmark, then the mode switcher at the top of the app showing the three tabs side by side.
The three modes (and the models)
Tap each to expand. You’ll only use one mode today — Chat — but it helps to know the whole shape.
Key points to remember
Claude is made by Anthropic.
Chat answers questions; Cowork does work on your computer; Code builds software.
You only need Chat to get started today.
More capability always comes with more trust and setup.