Claude for Beginners: Start Here

A plain-English knowledge base for Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant — the terms, the models, how it works, and its best features, built for people just getting started.

This is the AI Dude knowledge base for Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant. It's written for people who are new to Claude and want to actually understand it — not just click around. Use the sidebar to move between topics, or read them in order.

Start with the glossary if the words are unfamiliar, then learn which model to use, how the context window works, and how to prompt well. When you're ready to compare plans, see plans and pricing. For a quick product overview and to try it, see the Claude tool page.

What Is Claude, in One Paragraph

Claude is an AI assistant you chat with in plain language at claude.ai. You type a question or task, and Claude responds — writing, coding, analyzing documents, reading images, and reasoning through problems. It's built by Anthropic, a company focused on making AI both capable and safe, which is why Claude tends to be careful about accuracy and will tell you when it's unsure.

In this section

Getting Started with Claude: A Tour of the InterfaceYour first five minutes with Claude — what everything on the screen does and how to send your first message.Claude Glossary: Key Terms for BeginnersPlain-English definitions of the words you'll see everywhere in Claude — model, token, context window, prompt, project, artifact, and more.Claude Models Explained: Which One to UseClaude comes in three model families — Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus. Here's what each is best at and how to pick, in plain English.The Context Window, Explained SimplyWhat Claude's context window is, how big it is in 2026, and why it matters for working with long documents and chats.Projects: Persistent Context for Ongoing WorkWhat Claude Projects are and when to use them — keep a knowledge base and rules that Claude remembers across every chat.Artifacts: Build Things Alongside the ChatWhat Claude's Artifacts are — a live side panel for code, documents, and diagrams you can preview, edit, and iterate on.Prompting Basics: How to Ask Claude WellThe single biggest lever on answer quality is how you ask. Simple, practical prompting tips for beginners, with before-and-after examples.Claude Plans and Pricing for BeginnersFree vs Pro vs Max vs Team — what each Claude plan costs in 2026 and what you actually get, in plain English.Claude FAQ for BeginnersQuick answers to the questions people ask when they first start using Claude.