You’re Using Claude the Old Way

You don’t need to learn coding to use Claude Code. If you already know how to explain a task to ChatGPT or Claude, you have enough to get started.

The recent desktop updates make it feel much more familiar. There’s a chat box, a visible task list, and panels for your files and progress. Ask it to research a topic, prepare a presentation, or work with a folder of documents. Claude can handle the technical steps while you give direction and check the result.

Meanwhile, Chat and Cowork are coming together in the main Claude experience. You can ask a quick question or hand over a larger assignment from the same conversation.

Download or update Claude Desktop, sign in, and open the Code tab. Choose the folder you want Claude to work with, then describe the job.

Here’s what each individual plan gives you:

See the current official pricing.

Two access details to know before following along:

If your app looks different or a feature is missing, the rollout may not have reached your account yet.

These four features help you follow Claude’s work, organize your conversations, and manage several tasks more comfortably.

Open the Session Rail from the top right of the conversation. It puts the details of the current job in one panel:

Sections let you group related chats under one heading in the sidebar, making them easier to find later.

Open the three-dot menu beside a chat → Move to section → New section, then name the group. You can drag other related chats into it whenever you need to.

Side Chats let you ask a separate question using the current conversation’s context while the main task continues.

Type /btw, or press Ctrl + ; on Windows or Cmd + ; on Mac, to open one. Your side conversation stays separate from the main thread, so you can clarify something without changing its direction.

Split View puts several conversations side by side so you can read and work in them without switching back and forth.

Hold Alt on Windows or Option on Mac and click another chat in the sidebar. It opens beside your current conversation. Repeat to add another pane, then close a pane when you want more room.

These three features help you manage work across several chats.

Ask Claude to split a big task into smaller jobs and start a separate chat for each. Click Start all to begin them together.

The chats appear beneath the main conversation. Open any one to check or change its work. Each sends its results back to the main chat.

Choose one chat to keep track of your other desktop Code chats, and pin it for easy access.

Tell Claude to use it as your main control point. You can ask what’s finished, what needs your input, or have it pass instructions to another chat. How this works

For work you’ll return to, open Projects → New project, add a goal, and provide the files Claude needs.

Claude can start separate task chats called threads. They share the project’s instructions, and you can see which are running, finished, or waiting for you.

Work running in the cloud continues after you close your laptop. Tasks using your own computer still need it awake. Each thread counts toward your usage allowance. Projects guide

Describe a short video, and Claude makes it. Claude Motion turns a prompt into an animated explainer with moving text, charts, icons and transitions, ready to download as an MP4. Instead of using a video model, Claude builds every animation with code.

Want to see Motion in action? Read Claude Is Coming for Your Video Editor.

Claude can turn your data into a page of charts and key numbers, then help you ask questions about it.

First, turn on Create and edit files in Settings → Capabilities. Connect a supported app or database and describe what you want to see.

Claude builds the dashboard, and you can ask it to change the charts or add filters. You can also check how the figures were calculated.

To ask questions directly inside the dashboard, tell Claude to add a question box. Enable Artifacts that use Claude if that setting appears, or approve the permission request when prompted.

See the official setup guide.

Wish the Claude app showed you something it doesn’t? You can now ask Claude to add it.

A mod is a small add-on that changes the Claude Code app itself, like a new bar, panel or button. Think of it as a browser extension you don’t have to go looking for. You describe what you want in plain English, and Claude builds it and switches it on.

Open a session in the Code tab and describe the change. No code needed. If the result isn’t quite right, tell Claude what to adjust, just as you would with any other work.

Progress bar and cost: See how far a long task has got and roughly what it’s costing, without stopping to ask.

Usage bar: Keep an eye on how much of your weekly limit is left, so a big job doesn’t run out halfway.

Voice note cleaner: Talk through what you want, filler words and all. The mod turns it into a clear, numbered prompt before Claude starts.

A mod you make starts out in that one session. Ask Claude to save it if you want it every time you open the app. To browse ready-made mods instead, click + → Add plugins in a session that runs on your computer.

Note: A mod runs with the same access you give Claude. It can read your files and see your prompts. Only use mods you made yourself or that come from a source you trust.

Thanks for reading. See you next Monday.