Your first Claude chat: model picker, attach a file, a four-part prompt, pin and rename

Pick a model and effort

Model picker

Under the message box, on the right. It shows the model and effort, like Opus 5.5 Medium.

The models

Fable for the toughest jobs, Opus for complex and everyday work, Sonnet for simpler tasks, Haiku fastest. The Free plan shows fewer.

Effort

How hard Claude thinks. Higher takes longer and uses more of your limit. Medium is recommended.

Attach the file

1. Click + at the bottom left of the message box.
2. Click Upload or add files and pick the file.
3. Claude reads PDFs, Word files, spreadsheets, text files and images.

Write a four-part prompt

Role: You're the office manager at [BUSINESS].
Context: [WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT'S ATTACHED, WHAT YOU CAN OFFER].
Task: Write my reply, plus a short checklist for me.
Format: Under 150 words, warm and plain, with a subject line.

Leave out anything private the reply doesn't need.

Read, follow up, keep it

• Click the line above the reply to see how Claude thought it through.
• Read what it flagged, like a refund request, instead of letting it promise anything.
• Ask for changes in the same chat: "Shorter, two mornings to pick from, a 10% credit." Claude keeps what worked.
• Click the three dots on the chat to Pin it, then Rename it to something you'll find later.