Lesson 12

Other ways to work with Claude

Estimated time: 10 minutes

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Understand when to use additional Claude products including Claude Code, @Claude, Claude Design, Claude for Microsoft 365, and Claude in Chrome

As we mentioned at the start of this course, Claude is an intelligence. Claude.ai is just one way of working with it.

Claude is also available in several specialized tools designed to meet you where you already work. This lesson introduces additional ways to work with Claude, each tailored to specific workflows and use cases.

Claude Code

Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that works where you work — in your terminal, IDE, browser, or even in Slack. It understands your codebase, executes commands, and handles entire development workflows through natural language.

When to use Claude Code:

• You want to build features by describing what you need in plain English, and have Claude write the code, run tests, and create commits
• You need to debug issues by pasting error messages and having Claude analyze your codebase to identify and fix problems
• You're navigating an unfamiliar codebase and want to ask questions about how different parts work together
• You want to automate tedious tasks like fixing lint errors, resolving merge conflicts, or writing release notes
• You prefer working in your terminal alongside your existing IDE and development tools rather than switching to a separate interface

@Claude

@Claude brings Claude directly into Slack, allowing you to get help in channels and threads or bring Slack context into your Claude conversations — just tag @Claude in any thread.

When to use @Claude:

• You want to draft responses to messages, summarize lengthy threads, or break down complex discussions without leaving Slack
• You need to prepare for meetings by having Claude pull together relevant conversations and shared documents from your workspace
• You're onboarding to a new team and want help understanding ongoing projects by reviewing channel history
• You want to hand off coding tasks directly from a bug report or feature discussion—just tag @Claude and it can spin up a Claude Code session using the surrounding context
• You need to quickly get answers about industry trends, technical concepts, or company information during a conversation

Claude Design

Claude Design is a dedicated space for turning ideas into working interfaces. Describe what you want in plain language — or start from a sketch or screenshot — and Claude builds an interactive prototype you can refine through conversation and hand off to your team.

When to use Claude Design:

• You want to go from a written brief, sketch, or reference screenshot to a working UI prototype without writing code
• You're exploring design directions and want to generate and compare several variations quickly
• You need to iterate on layout, copy, or interactions by describing the change you want rather than editing markup
• You want a prototype that uses your team's design system, so what you hand off matches what engineering will build

Claude for Excel

Claude for Excel brings Claude directly into Microsoft Excel through a sidebar, allowing you to analyze, understand, and modify spreadsheets through conversation.

When to use Claude for Excel:

• You're working with a complex multi-tab workbook and want to understand how specific formulas or calculation flows work across sheets
• You need to update assumptions or inputs across your model while preserving formula dependencies and relationships
• You're debugging spreadsheet errors like #REF!, #VALUE!, or circular references and want Claude to trace them to their source and suggest fixes
• You want to create new spreadsheets or populate existing templates with data while maintaining proper formula structure
• You need to quickly build pivot tables or charts to visualize your data

Claude for PowerPoint

Claude for PowerPoint brings Claude into Microsoft PowerPoint as a sidebar, so you can draft, edit, and restructure presentations through conversation while keeping your existing template and brand styling intact.

When to use Claude for PowerPoint:

• You want to turn an outline, document, or set of notes into a first-draft slide deck without building each slide by hand
• You need to rewrite or tighten slide copy — shortening bullets, adding speaker notes, or adjusting tone for a specific audience
• You're restructuring an existing deck and want help reordering sections, splitting dense slides, or merging overlapping ones
• You want consistent formatting applied across the deck — titles, bullet styles, and layouts — without manually fixing each slide
• You'd like quick visual suggestions for a slide, such as which layout or chart type best fits the point you're making

Claude for Word

Claude for Word brings Claude into Microsoft Word as a sidebar, so you can draft, revise, and restructure the document you have open — working with tracked changes and comments, and pulling context from connected sources to ground what you write.

When to use Claude for Word:

• You want to turn an outline or rough notes into a structured first draft in your team's template
• You need to revise a section — tighten the writing, adjust the tone for a specific reader, or rework the structure — without leaving the document
• You're responding to reviewer comments and tracked changes and want help working through them in place
• You want the draft grounded in source material you've connected, so claims in the document trace back to where they came from

Claude for Outlook

Claude for Outlook brings Claude into your inbox as a sidebar, so you can triage mail, draft replies with context from related threads and your calendar, and turn a long email chain into a clear summary or a set of next steps.

Availability: Claude for Outlook is currently in beta and is installed separately from the other Microsoft 365 add-ins. See Claude for Outlook for setup.

Claude in Chrome

Claude in Chrome is a browser extension that adds Claude as a sidebar in Google Chrome. It can observe what you're working on and take actions directly within your browser.

When to use Claude in Chrome:

• You want to summarize articles, research papers, or web pages while browsing
• You need help drafting email responses or managing your inbox
• You're filling out repetitive forms and want to automate the process
• You want to test website features or navigate multi-step workflows without manually clicking through each step
• You need a browsing assistant that maintains context as you move between tabs and tasks. This makes it great for pulling context from niche internal tools, CRMs, or dashboards.

Important note: Claude in Chrome is currently in public beta. Anthropic recommends using it for low-risk tasks on trusted websites. The extension asks for permission before taking high-risk actions like purchasing or sharing personal data, and certain categories of websites (financial services, adult content) are blocked by default.

Summary

Each of these tools extends Claude's capabilities into the specific environments where you work:

What's next

Wrap up with a short recap of this course and a quiz to earn your certificate of completion that you can share on LinkedIn, and with your team.

Feedback

As you progress through the course, we'd love to hear from you about how you are using concepts from the course in your work and any feedback you may have. Share your feedback here.

Acknowledgments and license

Copyright 2025 Anthropic. All rights reserved.