Claude Chat, Code, and Cowork – Three Modes, One AI By the end of this lesson, students should be able to: Chat is where most users live – and for good reason. The Chat tab in the Claude desktop app is the conversational interface most people think of when they picture Claude. If you have used Claude in a browser at claude.ai, the Chat tab is that same experience delivered as a native desktop application. The underlying capabilities are identical; what changes is how you access them. Chat mode is designed for natural, open-ended conversation with Claude. You type a message, Claude responds, you follow up, and a productive exchange unfolds. This covers an enormous range of tasks: writing, analysis, research, brainstorming, summarizing, planning, explaining, and more. Core features of Chat mode. Conversations: Each time you start a new session, you begin a conversation. Conversations are saved in your Recents sidebar and remain accessible for as long as you keep them. They are stored in your Claude account and accessible from both the desktop app and the browser at claude.ai. Projects: A Project is a persistent workspace where conversations share a common context. When you create a Project, you can upload reference files, write standing instructions specific to that project, and have all conversations within it build on the same foundation. Projects are ideal for ongoing work – a client account, a recurring report, a long-term research effort – where you want Claude to always have the relevant background without you re-explaining it. Custom Instructions: A setting in your account profile where you describe yourself, your role, and your preferences for how Claude should respond by default. Every Chat conversation inherits these instructions. They are the difference between Claude that always has to re-learn who you are and Claude that already knows. Artifacts: When Claude produces a substantial, discrete piece of content – a document, a code block, a table, a plan – it often places this output into an Artifact panel beside the conversation. Artifacts are easier to read, copy, download, and reuse than content buried in a chat thread. They are one of Chat mode's most practical features and one that many new users overlook. File uploads: You can upload documents, spreadsheets, images, and other files directly into a Chat conversation for Claude to read and work with. This is useful for summarizing a long document, answering questions about a report, reviewing a draft, or analyzing a data file. Memory: Chat mode includes a memory feature that allows Claude to remember facts about you across conversations – your preferences, background details, things you have mentioned before. Check your account settings to configure what Claude remembers and what it does not. When Chat mode is the right tool. Chat is the right mode for: If your task is "help me think through this" or "write me something" or "explain this to me" – Chat mode is where you want to be. A nonprofit fundraising director uses Claude Chat mode as her daily writing and thinking partner. In the morning she opens the Chat tab and works in a Project she created called "Grant Writing 2026" – it contains her organization's mission statement, program descriptions, and target funders as uploaded files. Every conversation she starts in that Project has that context automatically. She uses Chat to draft grant narrative sections, get feedback on her writing, research potential funders, and think through budget justifications. None of this requires file access on her computer or connected apps – it is all conversation and documents she uploads herself. Chat mode handles everything she needs, and she has never needed to open the other two tabs. Artifacts are more powerful than they first appear. When Claude produces an Artifact, you can ask it to revise the Artifact specifically without rewriting the whole conversation – just say "update the Artifact to include…" and Claude edits it in place. You can also open an Artifact in a full-screen view, copy it to your clipboard with one click, or download it as a file. For users who produce a lot of documents in Chat, treating Artifacts as living drafts rather than static outputs changes how productive the tool feels. Chat conversations are stored in your Claude account on Anthropic's servers. Do not paste passwords, full financial account numbers, or highly sensitive personal identification into Chat conversations. Custom Instructions and Project files are also stored at the account level – keep them professional and do not include confidential client information you would not want to exist in a cloud-stored document. For organizational use, review Anthropic's current data handling policies and your organization's AI usage guidelines before using Chat for sensitive work. Open the Claude desktop app and click the Chat tab. Spend ten minutes exploring: (1) Start a new conversation and note how it appears in your Recents. (2) Open Settings and find the Custom Instructions section – read what is currently there or add a sentence about your professional role. (3) Start a conversation and ask Claude to produce a short structured document – notice whether it appears as an Artifact. (4) Click the + icon and create a new Project with a name relevant to something you are currently working on. Note what options are available when you set up the Project. You should be able to describe what Chat mode is and how it relates to claude.ai, explain the difference between a conversation and a Project, locate Custom Instructions in your settings, and identify at least four core Chat mode features by name. 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Lesson 1: What Is Claude Chat? – The Conversational Interface
Lesson Objectives
Lesson Content
Practical Example
Lesser-Known Tip
Safety Notes
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Completion Check