Most people use 1 out of 6 Claude tools, and that’s why their output feels mid. Set up all 6 today and Claude goes from a chatbot to a system.
You open Claude, type one prompt, get a generic answer, and decide AI is overrated. That happens when you only set up the chatbot and skip the 5 tools that give it your files, your data and your context.
Here are all 6, in order, with the exact clicks. Do them today.
All 6 Tools
01
Hand off whole tasks (formerly Cowork)
Cowork was Claude’s background worker. It reads your files and produces finished deliverables while you do other things. Anthropic is now merging it into regular chat, starting with Pro, Max and Ultra. In the new layout there’s no Cowork button. You just describe the task and Claude works on it.
Download the Claude desktop app from claude.ai/download. Claude can only reach folders on your computer through the desktop app, and only while it’s open.
On the older layout, click Cowork in the bottom left of the message box. On the new layout, start any chat.
Connect one work folder and put a file in it called about-me.md. Use the prompt below to write it.
Start big tasks with: "Read my files first. Then ask me questions before doing anything."
You're going to help me write about-me.md, a short file Claude will read before it does any work for me. Your goal is a file that makes your first draft sound like me and fit how I work.
Interview me first. Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer. Cover these, in this order:
1. My role, my business or employer, and who I serve.
2. What a normal week of work looks like and the 3 tasks I'd most like help with.
3. How I like to communicate (length, tone, words I use, words I hate).
4. What good work looks like to me, with one example I'm proud of. I can paste it.
5. My pet peeves with AI output.
6. Tools I use every day and anything Claude should never touch or send without asking.
If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. Don't ask more than 10 questions total.
Then write about-me.md in Markdown with these sections: Who I Am, What I Do, How I Work, How To Write For Me, Never Do This, Current Priorities. Use my own words where you can. Keep it under 400 words. Don't invent facts I didn't give you. If something is missing, write [ASK ME] in that spot.
After the file, list 3 things I should add later to make it even more useful.
That file is the difference between generic output and output that sounds like you. Want it in every chat, too? Paste the short version into Settings, then Your Claude, then Instructions.
02
Model and connectors
Pick the right brain, then plug Claude into your real tools so it stops guessing.
Click the model name next to the send button. Sonnet 5.5 handles most work. Switch to Opus 5.5 for long, hard jobs. For hard problems, open Effort in the same menu, turn it up and make sure Thinking is on. On some models the toggle is labeled Extended. That replaced the old Extended Thinking switch.
Go to Customize (renamed Plugins on newer accounts), then Connectors. Connect what you use daily, like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack and Notion.
Test it: "What’s on my calendar tomorrow?" or "Summarize my last 5 emails." If it answers with your real data, you’re connected.
Claude works inside your spreadsheets. It answers questions about your workbook with clickable cell references, writes and fixes formulas, finds the cause of errors like #REF!, and builds models across tabs.
Open the Claude for Microsoft 365 listing on Microsoft Marketplace and click Get it now.
Open Excel and start the add-in from Home, then Add-ins on Windows, or Tools, then Add-ins on Mac. Sign in with your Claude account.
Try: "Summarize each tab and tell me what looks off."
It’s on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, and works on Excel for the web, Windows and Mac, but not iPad. Only use it on spreadsheets you trust, because files from strangers can hide instructions. (Claude for Excel docs)
04
Plugins
Plugins are ready-made kits for a specific job, like marketing, sales, legal, finance or data. Each one bundles skills, and often connectors, built for that role.
Open Customize in the left sidebar (called Plugins on newer accounts).
Open the Plugins tab, then Discover.
Pick one for your job and click Add.
In your next chat, type / or click + to see the skills it added.
Artifacts turn Claude from a text generator into a builder. Ask for a calculator, a dashboard or a small web page and you get the working thing.
Nothing to install. Ask Claude to build something instead of writing about it: "Create an interactive calculator for [thing]" or "Build me a budget tracker."
It opens next to your chat. Click Share to send a link (older artifacts made in a chat show Publish).
Claude can also make real Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. (Sharing artifacts)
06
Projects
A Project is a workspace where Claude always has your context loaded. Every chat inside it already knows your files and rules.
Click Projects in the sidebar, then + New Project.
Add the files Claude should always know, like your brand guidelines and templates.
Click Set project instructions and add rules like "Always write in my brand voice" or "Never use jargon."
This is the biggest unlock most people miss. Make one per area of your work, like Client Work, Marketing and Operations.
The Order Matters
Tasks give Claude your files. Connectors give it your real data. Excel puts it in your spreadsheets. Plugins add job skills. Artifacts let it build. Projects tie it together with context that sticks. All 6 together is a completely different tool than the chatbot.