Learn Claude in 4 Hours: A Beginner Walkthrough (Basics, Projects, Cowork, Code)

by | 2026 Jul 12 | Applied Technology

This is a hands-on study guide for a four-hour introduction to Claude for people who have never used it. By the end you will be comfortable holding a real conversation with Claude, organising your work in Projects, handing off a whole task in Cowork, and understanding what Claude Code does. No prior experience is assumed.

The guide is built to follow live. Each hour has a plain explanation, a set of steps we do together on screen, and prompts you can paste in and run yourself.

What you will be able to do

Hour By the end you can
1. Basics Talk to Claude, attach files, use web search, and edit longer output in Artifacts
2. Projects Set up a reusable workspace so Claude remembers your context every time
3. Cowork Hand Claude a multi-step task and review the finished result
4. Code Understand what Claude Code is and watch it read and edit real files safely

Before we start

Key ideas

  • Have a Claude account open at claude.ai. A paid plan (Pro or higher) is needed for Cowork and Claude Code.
  • Use a laptop, not a phone, for today. Some parts use the desktop app.
  • Pick one real thing from your own work to practise on. The lesson sticks better when the example is yours.
  • You do not need to know how to code. Hour 4 is about understanding, not becoming a programmer.

The one skill that runs through everything: prompting

A prompt is simply what you type to Claude. Better prompts get better results. These seven habits carry through every hour today.

Habit What it looks like
Be specific Say the topic, the format, the length, and who it is for
Give context Paste the background or attach the file instead of assuming Claude knows
Show an example Give one sample of what good looks like
Set a role and goal Start with what you are trying to achieve, for example helping draft a client note
Iterate React to the first draft and ask for the change you want
Let Claude ask you Say: ask me questions one at a time until you can do this well
Break it down Turn a big request into a few smaller steps
Try it yourself (paste these)
  • • "Explain [your topic] to me like I have never heard of it, in plain English."
  • • "I want to write [thing]. Ask me questions one at a time until you are 95% sure you can do it well."
Hour 1: The Basicsabout 55 minutes

Objective: get comfortable having a real conversation with Claude

Claude is an assistant you talk to in plain language. It can help you write, summarise, analyse, plan, learn a new topic, work with images, and much more. You type in the message box, Claude replies, and you keep going. Everything you say in one chat stays in view for that chat, so you can build on it without repeating yourself.

A few things live around the message box: a button to start a new chat, a way to attach files, a model choice, and a settings area where you can turn on web search. When Claude produces something longer, like a document or a small app, it opens in a side panel called an Artifact that you can edit and reuse.

Key ideas

  • A chat is a conversation. Claude remembers what was said earlier in the same chat.
  • A new chat starts fresh. It does not carry over the last chat unless you use Projects or memory.
  • You can attach files: PDFs, images, Word docs, spreadsheets, and CSVs.
  • Web search lets Claude look up current information when you turn it on.
  • Artifacts are the side panel where longer documents, code, or mini-apps appear so you can edit them.
Do this together
  1. Open claude.ai and start a new chat. Ask one simple question.
  2. Ask a follow-up without repeating yourself. Notice that Claude still has the earlier context.
  3. Attach a PDF or an image and ask Claude to summarise it in five points.
  4. Turn on web search and ask about something that changed recently.
  5. Ask for a one-page guide on any topic and watch it open as an Artifact. Ask for one change and see it update.
Try it yourself (paste these)
  • • "Explain how compound interest works, in plain English, in under 150 words."
  • • "Summarise the attached document in five bullet points a busy manager would want."
  • • "Draft a friendly four-sentence email declining a meeting invitation."
Watch out: Claude can be confidently wrong. Check anything that matters, especially names, numbers, dates, and quotes.
Hour 2: Projectsabout 55 minutes

Objective: stop re-explaining yourself by giving Claude a reusable workspace

A Project is a dedicated space for a topic or job you return to often: a client, a course, your business, a book you are writing. Inside a Project you add two things. Project knowledge is the reference material, like files and notes, that every chat in the Project can see. Project instructions are the standing rules, like tone, spelling, and role, that Claude follows automatically.

The payoff is simple. Set your context once, and every chat inside the Project already knows it. Your related chats also stay grouped together instead of scattered.

Key ideas

  • Project knowledge is shared by every chat in the Project.
  • Project instructions are standing rules Claude follows without being reminded.
  • Chats inside a Project are still separate conversations, but they all draw on the same knowledge.
  • Use a Project for anything you come back to. Use a plain chat for one-off questions.
Do this together
  1. Create a new Project and give it a clear name.
  2. Add a short instruction, for example: you are my marketing assistant, be concise, use British spelling.
  3. Upload one reference file, such as a brochure or a policy document.
  4. Start a chat inside the Project and ask something that needs that file.
  5. Start a second chat in the same Project and show that the knowledge and instructions still apply.
Try it yourself (paste these)
  • • "Using the project knowledge, draft a short intro paragraph in our usual tone."
  • • "What does our project knowledge say about pricing? Answer only from those files."
Watch out: Keep project knowledge focused. Too many unrelated files make answers weaker, not better.
Hour 3: Coworkabout 55 minutes

Objective: hand a whole task to Claude and review the finished result

Cowork is a part of the Claude desktop app built for getting multi-step work done, not just answering a question. You give Claude a whole task, and it plans and works through the steps, using files and connected apps, then shows you the result. Think of it as delegating rather than chatting.

It is a good fit for work that takes several steps: research, pulling information together, drafting a longer document, or turning a pile of files into one clean summary. Claude can connect to tools you allow, such as your files, and it can create documents and spreadsheets for you.

Key ideas

  • Chat is back-and-forth answers. Cowork is: go and do this, then show me.
  • It works through several steps on its own and reports back.
  • It can use connected tools and create files, with your approval for important actions.
  • Best for multi-step tasks. Start with something low-stakes.
Do this together
  1. Open the Claude desktop app and go to Cowork.
  2. Connect one tool, or just point it at a few files.
  3. Give it a multi-step task, for example: read these three files and produce a one-page summary with a table.
  4. Watch it work through the steps, then review what it produced and ask for one refinement.
Try it yourself (paste these)
  • • "Research [topic] and give me a one-page brief with three key points and sources."
  • • "Go through these files and build a single summary with a table of the main figures."
Watch out: Review everything before it is sent or published. Claude asks permission for big actions, and you should start with tasks where mistakes are cheap.
Hour 4: Claude Codeabout 55 minutes

Objective: understand what Claude Code is and see it work with real files safely

Claude Code is a version of Claude that does not just talk about work, it does it on your computer. It reads and edits real files, runs commands, and works across a whole folder of a project. It is available in the terminal, in code editors, in the desktop app, and on the web. It was built for developers, but even non-coders can use it to work with files and folders in plain language.

The important shift is that Claude Code takes action. You ask in plain English, it proposes the change, and it shows you exactly what it will do before doing it. You approve, and it goes. A file called CLAUDE.md lets you write standing instructions once, and it reads them at the start of every session, like a job description for your assistant.

Key ideas

  • It acts, not just answers: it reads and edits real files and runs commands, with your approval each time.
  • You talk to it in plain English, the same as normal Claude.
  • It shows proposed changes first and waits for you to say yes.
  • CLAUDE.md is a plain text file of standing rules it reads every session.
  • It needs a paid Claude plan (Pro or higher) or an API account.
Do this together
  1. Open the Code area in the desktop app, or run the command claude in a folder in the terminal.
  2. Ask it: what are you, and what can you access here? Give me the short version.
  3. Point it at a small folder and ask: what is in this project?
  4. Ask for one tiny change and approve the proposed edit when it shows you.
  5. Look at a simple CLAUDE.md example together so they see how standing rules work.
Try it yourself (paste these)
  • • "Read the files in this folder and tell me in plain English what they do."
  • • "Create a file called notes.txt that lists the three things we discussed."
Watch out: It asks before changing anything, but always review the proposed edit. Practise in a copy or a safe folder first.

Glossary

Term Plain meaning
Prompt What you type to Claude.
Context Everything Claude can currently see: your messages in this chat, attached files, and project knowledge.
Artifact The side panel where longer documents, code, or mini-apps appear so you can edit and reuse them.
Project knowledge Reference files and notes shared by every chat inside a Project.
Project instructions Standing rules Claude follows automatically inside a Project.
Agentic Able to take actions and work through steps, not only answer questions.
Cowork The desktop app mode for handing Claude a whole multi-step task.
Connector A link that lets Claude use an outside app, such as your files, email, or calendar.
Claude Code The version of Claude that reads and edits real files and runs commands on your computer.
CLAUDE.md A plain text file of standing instructions Claude Code reads at the start of every session.
Hallucination When Claude states something confidently that is not correct. Always verify what matters.

Where to go next

Instructor quick-run (keep the room moving)

0:00 Welcome, show the four-hour map, set the one rule: verify what matters.
0:05 Hour 1 Basics. Everyone runs the five steps on their own screen.
1:00 Hour 2 Projects. Each person builds one Project for their own work.
2:00 Hour 3 Cowork. Demonstrate one delegation live, then let them try a small one.
3:00 Hour 4 Code. Keep it a demo. Goal is understanding, not setup.
3:45 Recap with the glossary, hand out where-to-go-next, take questions.