Learn from scratch · Guide 2

Claude from scratch

How to open a Claude account, ask your first question and ask in a way that gets good answers. On your phone or your computer, with no experience.

Checked on Oct 28, 2026

Before you start

A phone or a computer.A phone is enough.
An email address and your mobile number.It may ask for your mobile to send you a code by SMS.
Be 18 or older.This is the minimum age Claude asks to create and use an account.
Be in a country where Claude is available.See the official list of countries.
A free plan.You can start without paying. It has a usage limit that resets after some time.

Go to claude.ai or install the app

In your browser, type claude.ai in the address bar. You do not need to install anything.

If you prefer an app, Claude has versions for iPhone and Android, and for Mac and Windows computers. The official download page is claude.com/download.

Download only from the App Store, Google Play or that page. There are fake apps with similar names.

Create your account

Press the button to sign in or create an account. You can use your email or your Google account, depending on what the screen offers.

If it asks for a phone number, it will send you a code by SMS. Type it in and you are done. Use your usual mobile, one you will keep: internet numbers and landlines usually do not work.

Your first conversation

I will do it with you using something that happens to all of us: a letter from the electricity company that you do not understand. In the box at the bottom of the screen, type something like this and send it:

I got a letter from the electricity company. It says I have a “regularization” and that I must pay 43 euros. I do not understand bills. Explain it in simple words, tell me if I have to do anything and what I should ask them.

What to expect

It answers in a few seconds, in normal text. Usually it explains in simple words what a regularization is, tells you whether it looks like something you must pay or dispute, and suggests questions for the company. Every answer is different, so yours will not match anyone else’s.

Look at what your message does: you tell it the situation, you say what you want and you ask for simple words. With those three things it gets it right far more often than with “what is a regularization?”.

Keep in mind that it only knows what you write. It has not seen your contract, so it cannot tell you if the charge is correct. You confirm that by calling the company, now with your questions ready.

If something is not clear, write below: “explain the second part better”. It is a conversation, you can keep going.

Your turn

Pick one, change it with your own details and send it. If you do not like the answer, tell it what to change.

I want to do this week’s food shopping for 2 people with a budget of 60 euros. Make me a shopping list and a menu from Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, with simple dishes.

My brother-in-law sent me a message that upset me. I want to reply politely, without starting an argument. I will paste his message and you suggest a short, kind reply.

Explain it to me as if I were 10 years old: why does the electricity bill go up in winter?

When the answer is useful, you have got what you came for. Save the requests that work for you: they will help next time.

How to ask so it gets it right

Give context. Say who you are and what is going on: “I am 70 and I do not understand bills”.
Say what you want. “A kind note” is not the same as “a summary” or “a list”.
Say how you want the answer: short, in numbered steps, in a table, in a friendly tone.
Ask it to question you first. Try “before you answer, ask me any questions you need”.

Where it gets things wrong

It can be wrong and sound very sure. Check important things in another source: a date, a figure, a deadline.
Health, money and legal matters: use it to understand and to prepare questions, but decide with a doctor, an adviser or a lawyer.
It may not know the latest news unless it searches the internet. If this week’s news matters to you, check the date of what it tells you.

So nobody fools you

Use only claude.ai and the official apps from the stores. An ad that takes you to another site, or an app with a similar name, is not Claude.
Never paste passwords, codes you receive by SMS or bank or card details. Claude never needs them.
If a message or link says it is from Claude and rushes you to pay or log in, do not click. Go to claude.ai yourself.

The next step

When you feel comfortable with the chat, there is a way to use Claude so it does tasks on your computer. It is more technical and paid. I explain it in Guide 1: Claude Code in your terminal.

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