Claude is now the most powerful tool in the world.

Easy rule: phone for asking, computer for doing. Squares 4 to 6 below need the computer.

1. 1

   Get the Claude app

   1. Go to claude.ai/download and install the app on your Mac or PC.
   2. Sign up with your email. A paid plan unlocks the big stuff in squares 4 to 6.
   3. Chat with it like you'd text a really clever friend.

   Try saying

   Hi Claude! Tell me 5 things you can help me with, in one line each.

   Copy

   Use the desktop app, not just the website. It can reach your files and drive your browser.
2. 2

   Tell Claude who you are

   1. Click your name (bottom left), then Settings → Profile.
   2. Write a few lines: who you are, what you do, how you like your answers.
   3. Turn on Memory so Claude remembers what you've told it before.

   James's note says something like

   Keep answers short. Put my to-do list first. Always include links. Ask me questions with buttons, not long paragraphs.

   Copy

   Skipping this square. Without it, Claude gives you the same plain answer it gives everyone.
3. 3

   Plug in your apps

   1. Go to Settings → Connectors.
   2. Click Connect on the apps you use: Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, Slack.
   3. Log in on that app's own page and click Allow.

   Try saying

   What's on my calendar next week? Find me a free evening and draft an email inviting Sam to dinner.

   Copy

   Claude looks things up itself instead of asking you. James has his email, calendar, Notion and task list all plugged in.

   Connecting apps you never use. Fewer, better connections.
4. 4

   Give Claude a browser

   1. In Google Chrome, open the Chrome Web Store, search Claude and click Add to Chrome.
   2. Click the puzzle-piece icon and pin Claude, then sign in.
   3. Now Claude can open tabs, search, click and read websites for you while you watch.

   Try saying

   Open the British Airways website and find the cheapest Friday flight from London to Rome in May.

   Copy

   Asking Claude to type your password or card number. It won't, and that's a good rule. You type those yourself.
5. 5

   Book a trip

   1. Tell Claude where, when, who's going and the budget.
   2. Ask for 3 complete options with prices, totals and links.
   3. Pick one. Claude fills in the boring bits; you check everything, type your card and press Pay.

   Try saying

   Plan 4 nights in Barcelona, 12 to 16 April, 2 adults. Flights from Heathrow plus a hotel near the beach, under £900 in total. Show me 3 full options with prices and links.

   Copy

   Whole packages with totals. You just pick A, B or C. This is how James books his trips.

   Paying without checking. Claude can make mistakes. Check names, dates and prices on the real site first.
6. 6

   Sort your files

   1. In the desktop app, open the Code tab and choose a folder, like Documents.
   2. Claude can now read, rename, move and tidy files in that folder. It asks before anything big.
   3. Put a note called CLAUDE.md in the folder with your rules. Claude reads it every time it starts.

   Try saying

   Tidy my Downloads folder: school work into School, photos into Photos. Tell me everything you moved.

   Copy

   One home folder with neat sub-folders. James keeps every work file in one place, so Claude always knows where to look.

   Saving everything to the Desktop. Downloads and Desktop are an inbox, not a home.
7. 7

   Level up

   1. Skills: save a recipe Claude follows every time, like "write emails the way I do".
   2. Scheduled tasks: jobs that run on their own. James has one that checks for company news every morning at 8.
   3. Pinned chats: pin the chats you use most for quick jobs like "remind me to…".

   Try saying

   Every weekday at 8am, tell me what's on my calendar and what emails need a reply.

   Copy