Go to claude.ai in your web browser (or open the Claude app if you're on a phone or tablet) and follow the steps to sign up with your email address. It's free to create an account. Lesson 1 walks through this in more detail if you'd like the full explanation.
Some features used later in the course — especially Projects (Lesson 1) and Cowork projects (Lessons 6-7) — work best with a paid Claude Pro plan. You can start with a free account, but if you're setting things up for the first time, choosing a paid plan up front will save you from running into a wall partway through the course.
Usually not — give it a few seconds. Claude sometimes takes a moment to respond, especially with longer prompts. If a full minute goes by with nothing happening, try refreshing the page and asking again.
Most computers save downloaded files to a folder called Downloads automatically. Look there first. On a phone or tablet, check a "Files" or "Downloads" app. Once you find it, you can move it somewhere easier to remember if you'd like.
This option is usually near the top of your Project, sometimes represented by a paperclip icon, an "Add Content" button, or a "Knowledge" tab or section. It can look slightly different depending on whether you're using Claude on a computer or a phone. If you genuinely can't find it, try asking Claude directly inside your Project: "how do I upload a file to this project's knowledge?"
First, make sure you started a brand-new conversation after uploading — Claude needs a fresh conversation inside the Project to pick up newly uploaded files. If you're still in the same conversation from before the upload, start a new one and try again.
If that doesn't fix it, double check the file actually finished uploading (look for it listed in your Project's files or knowledge area) rather than still showing as "uploading" or an error.
This can happen if you upload an updated version without removing the old one first. Look in your Project's files list, find the older version, and remove it — then confirm only the newest version remains. If you're not sure which one is newest, check the file names or dates, or just ask Claude to tell you which one it's currently using.
The most common cause: you're not inside your Project. Claude only remembers what you've shared when you start a conversation from inside your Project — not from the regular "New Chat" button. Check that you clicked into your Project first, then started a new conversation there.
No — that's the whole point of a Project. Once your files are uploaded into it, any new conversation started inside that Project should already know them, automatically, without you saying anything. If you find yourself having to remind it every time, something's likely not set up correctly — check that your files are still listed in the Project and that you're starting new conversations inside it, not outside.
Not necessarily. If your files (Personal_DNA.md, your Voice file, etc.) are still saved on your computer from when you downloaded them, you can simply upload the same files into the new Project. If you no longer have them, you can ask Claude to regenerate them by walking through the same lesson's prompt again.
A folder is just a place on your computer where files are kept — like a drawer in a filing cabinet, but on your screen instead of on paper. Most computers already have a folder called Documents — that's a perfectly good, safe choice if you're not sure where else to save things. When Cowork asks you to choose a folder, look for Documents in the list and select it (or create a new folder inside it).
Your Cowork project should display the folder's name or location somewhere visible in the project's settings or main screen — usually near the top. If you don't see a folder listed at all, go back through the setup steps in Lesson 6 and make sure you completed the folder-selection step before moving on.
A few things to check:
Once all three are confirmed, start a brand-new conversation and test it again.
Your Lesson 1 Project is a simple memory folder inside Claude — it remembers facts about you. A Cowork project does that too, but also saves its work to a real folder on your own computer, and can be given a specific job description (a role, not just facts). They're separate spaces — files in one don't automatically appear in the other, which is why Lesson 6 has you re-upload your existing files into the new Cowork project.
This setting only needs to be set once, and it should stay that way — but double-check by going to Settings → Privacy and confirming the toggle. If it really has reverted, it may be worth checking whether you're logged into a different account than the one you set it up on.
This is exactly what Lesson 4's "Check a Suspicious Message" prompt is for — describe the message to Claude and it will walk through the warning signs with you. As a golden rule in the meantime: if a message rushes you, asks you to click something, asks for private information, or wants payment in gift cards or wire transfers, treat it as suspicious and don't act on it right away. If unsure, call the organization back using a number you already trust — never a number from the message itself.
Lesson 3's Traffic Light framework covers this in detail — in short, everyday details (your name, interests, routine) are fine to share freely, some things (address, birthday, schedule) are worth sharing with a little more care, and some things (Social Security numbers, bank or card numbers, passwords, codes sent to your phone) should never be shared with Claude or anyone else who asks for them unexpectedly.
This is common and usually not a problem — Claude's screen layout can look slightly different depending on whether you're on a computer, phone, or tablet, and small design updates happen over time. Look for the same basic idea (a button, a menu, a settings area) even if it's positioned or styled a little differently than what's shown.
No. Every file this course builds (Personal_DNA.md, your Voice file, project_instructions.md) can be corrected or added to at any time — you don't need a perfect first try. If something feels wrong, you can always ask Claude directly to fix, update, or rebuild a specific part of a file rather than starting from scratch.
Open your Portal — it keeps track of which lessons you've marked complete and shows your progress at a glance. If you're not sure whether a specific step (like uploading a file) actually worked, the safest thing to do is simply try it again; it won't cause any harm to repeat a step.
Every lesson page has a green "You'll Know It Worked When..." box near the relevant step — that's the quickest way to check. If what you're seeing doesn't match that description, it's worth re-reading the step just above it and trying it again slowly, one part at a time.
That's alright — this happens. Try describing exactly what you're seeing to Claude itself, in plain words, right where you got stuck. It can often help troubleshoot in the moment. If you'd rather have a person look at it, reach out through the contact information in your welcome email.