Good to know: Claude is changing quickly, and Anthropic is part-way through merging chat and Cowork into one experience, so your screen may differ from this guide. Check the published date, and contact Softwired for training that's up to date.
The short answer
Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant. Anthropic is moving it to "one Claude", where ordinary conversation and Cowork, its agent for bigger jobs, share the same chat and Claude decides when a task needs more work.
Around that sit 6 features worth knowing:
- Projects: workspaces with shared files and instructions.
- Artifacts: documents, decks, designs and small tools Claude builds for you.
- Skills and plugins: reusable know-how.
- Connectors: links to your apps.
- Research: cited reports.
- Memory: what Claude keeps between chats.
The features at a glance
| Feature | What it does (checked 31 October 2026) | Learn it |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | Questions, writing, analysis, file reading | First |
| Instructions | Standing preferences, set in Settings > Your Claude | First |
| Memory | Topics Claude remembers, which you can review and edit. On by default on Free, Pro and Max; controlled by your organisation on Team and Enterprise | First |
| Incognito chats | Private chats kept out of your normal history and memory | First |
| Projects | Shared files, project instructions and chats. On all plans (Free is limited to 5 projects). Sharing on Team and Enterprise | Second |
| Artifacts | Documents, decks, designs, dashboards and interactive tools, plus finished files like Word, Excel and PowerPoint | Second |
| Research | Use + > Research. Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise | Second |
| Connectors | Customize > Connectors. A directory plus custom connectors via remote MCP | Second |
| Cowork | Bigger, multi-step work that runs in the cloud and can reach your computer through the Claude Desktop app | Third |
| Skills and plugins | Skills teach Claude repeatable ways of doing a task. Plugins bundle skills and connectors | Third |
| Scheduled tasks | Recurring work that runs even when your computer is off | Later |
| Claude Design, Slides and Docs | Beta tools for designs, decks and documents | Later |
The Learn it column is our suggested order. Start with the features marked First, then add the rest as your work calls for them.
One Claude: chat and Cowork together
Accounts with the new experience have no Chat or Cowork switch. Ask for anything from a quick answer to a multi-step project, and Claude takes on more when the task needs it. Anthropic is rolling it out to Pro, Max and Ultra plans, and to Team (beta) and Enterprise where an owner has turned on "Chat and Cowork unified". If your message box still shows "Chat" and "Cowork", you don't have it yet.
Cowork is available on desktop on all paid plans. Tasks run in an isolated cloud environment and reach your files only through the Claude Desktop app, and only for folders you've connected. You choose how much approval Claude needs, from approving each action by hand to automatic approval with safety checks. Claude always asks before it permanently deletes files. Our guide to AI agents covers how to supervise one safely.
How you'd actually use it
"Go through the invoices in my 'October' folder, build a spreadsheet of supplier, amount and due date, and flag anything overdue."
Projects
Projects hold files, instructions and chats for an ongoing piece of work. On paid plans, a project can hold more material than Claude could read in one go, because Claude searches the files for what each question needs. Our guide to projects explains why they lift answer quality.
How you'd actually use it
Set up a "Policies and procedures" project with your HR policies, so staff can ask "How much notice do I need for annual leave?" and get an answer from your own documents.
Artifacts
Claude builds Artifacts in their own panel: documents, slide decks, designs, charts and interactive tools you can test and share. On Free, Pro and Max you can publish a public link. On Team and Enterprise, sharing stays within your organisation. Our guide to artefacts, canvases and pages compares them with other tools.
How you'd actually use it
"Build a simple onboarding checklist tool where new starters tick off tasks and see their progress."
Skills, plugins and connectors
Skills package instructions, examples and files so Claude does a task your way whenever it comes up. Plugins bundle skills with connectors. Connectors link Claude to services such as Google Drive, Gmail and Slack, and custom connectors can link to any system with an MCP server. On Team and Enterprise, owners add connectors and each person then connects with their own access. Our guides to skills and plugins and connectors and MCP go further.
Research
Research has Claude search the web and your connected tools, then write a cited report. Before you start, turn off connector tools that can write or send, because Research can call them without asking each time. Our guide to deep research shows how to check the report.
Plans in brief
Claude plans include Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise. Features differ by plan, and Anthropic rolls many of them out in stages. Prices change often, so check Anthropic's pricing page for current figures.
Watch-outs
- Start Cowork with low-risk tasks and a dedicated folder rather than your whole drive.
- Use manual approval for anything sensitive.
- Check scheduled task results after each run.
- Check sharing settings before you publish an Artifact link.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cowork a separate app?
Cowork is part of Claude, and for many accounts it's now part of every conversation.
Can Claude make Word, Excel and PowerPoint files?
Yes. Claude creates finished Word, Excel and PowerPoint files as well as Artifacts.
Does Claude remember previous chats?
Yes, with memory switched on. You can review and edit what it remembers, or use an incognito chat to keep a conversation private.
Related guides
- AI tool features explained: a plain-English guide for 2026
- What is an AI agent? Cowork, Work and Task explained
- AI connectors, apps and MCP explained
Put it to work with AI On Ramp
Claude gives the most when your team sets up Projects, Skills and connectors around the work it already does.
AI On Ramp gets your team using AI with confidence, on their own work and across teams, while you keep its cost and risk under control. We set up the tools, then our consultants sit beside your most advanced AI users and build real in-house workflows with them. Your nominated AI Lead gets the governance tools and our ongoing support to keep the business current as the tools change. We bring deep technical expertise and decades of business change management, and we work face to face from Brisbane and along Australia's east coast. See how AI On Ramp works.
Want to talk through how this applies to your team? Book a call with Softwired.
