Claude is not
just a chat window
There are eight distinct tools and capabilities built into Claude. Most people only use one or two. This section walks through each one so you can decide which are worth your time.
The chat window you opened on day one is genuinely the core of Claude. But it is also the tip of the iceberg. Projects give Claude a persistent memory. Artifacts let it build interactive things in a side panel. Connectors let it read your real data. Skills teach it your specific workflows. Cowork lets it run multi-step jobs on your desktop. And the extensions ecosystem connects it to almost everything else.
You do not need all of these. Most people need two or three. The point of this section is to help you figure out which two or three.
Pick a tool
Core capabilities
The things Claude can do in a plain chat that most people do not realise: vision, file creation, web search, voice, extended thinking, code execution.
Best for: everyone, start hereProjects
Upload reference docs once, set a system prompt, and every chat inside the Project already knows the context. The single biggest unlock for repeated work.
Best for: anyone doing the same kind of task more than twiceArtifacts
A side-panel canvas where Claude builds interactive things: web apps, charts, documents, diagrams. You iterate, version, and publish without leaving the chat.
Best for: prototyping, visualisation, interactive outputsConnectors
Link Claude to Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Microsoft 365, Zapier, and more. Claude reads your real data instead of whatever you paste.
Best for: knowledge workers with data scattered across toolsSkills
Teach Claude your specific workflows. Pre-built skills create PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and PDF files. Custom skills encode your team's conventions.
Best for: teams with repeatable workflows and standardsCowork
Hand Claude a multi-step job and walk away. It plans, executes on your desktop, and produces real files: reports, presentations, organised folders.
Best for: complex tasks that take more than a chat can handleClaude for Chrome
A browser extension that lets Claude see your webpage, click buttons, fill forms, and automate web tasks. Currently in beta for Max plan subscribers.
Best for: web automation, form filling, developer testingExtensions
The broader ecosystem: MCP servers, IDE integrations (VS Code, JetBrains), desktop extensions, plugins, and third-party connectors like Zapier.
Best for: developers and power users who want Claude in their existing toolsWhich tool for which job?
If you know the task but not the tool, use this table.
| I want to... | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Draft a report from a template | Projects | Upload the template once, every chat inherits it |
| Reformat a CSV or spreadsheet | Core capabilities (file upload) | Attach the file, describe the target format |
| Build a quick calculator or dashboard | Artifacts | Interactive output in the side panel, no code needed |
| Summarise a Slack channel or Drive folder | Connectors | Claude reads the source directly, no pasting |
| Generate a PowerPoint from meeting notes | Skills (pre-built) | The PowerPoint skill produces a real .pptx file |
| Organise 200 files into folders | Cowork | Multi-step task with local file access |
| Fill out a web form from a spreadsheet | Claude for Chrome | Browser automation with page interaction |
| Use Claude inside VS Code while coding | Extensions (IDE) | Native integration, no context switching |
| Look something up on the web right now | Core capabilities (web search) | Enable web search, Claude fetches current info |
| Research a topic across 5+ sources | Core capabilities (Research mode) | Deep synthesis with citations, extended thinking |
| Analyse an image, chart, or screenshot | Core capabilities (vision) | Attach the image, Claude reads it |
| Synthesise a folder of research papers | Cowork | Point at the folder, get a structured output |
Start with Core capabilities if you are not sure. It covers the things everyone can use today without setting anything up.