Claude Code is like a Swiss Army knife for getting things done on your computer. Here's everything it can do, explained in plain English.

Reading and Understanding Your Files

Claude Code can read almost anything on your computer — documents, spreadsheets, images, PDFs, even screenshots. Just tell it what to look at.

> Read the budget spreadsheet on my desktop
> Look at this screenshot and tell me what's wrong
> Summarize the first 5 pages of this PDF
> What's in the notes folder?

What this means for you

Instead of opening files one by one, you can ask Claude Code to read and summarize them for you. Great for going through a pile of documents, catching up on project files, or understanding something someone else created.

Editing and Creating Files

Claude Code can change existing files or create brand new ones. It's like having someone who can type perfectly and never makes formatting mistakes.

Making changes to existing files

> Change the company name from "Acme Corp" to "Acme Industries" in all my files
> Update the prices in my menu to be 10% higher
> Fix the typos in my about page

Creating new files from scratch

> Create a professional invoice template
> Write a privacy policy for my small business website
> Make a meal planning spreadsheet for the week

What this means for you

Need to update something across 20 files? Claude Code can do it in seconds. Need a new template or document? Just describe what you want and it creates it.

Searching Through Your Files

Claude Code can search your files in two ways — by name (like finding a file called "budget.xlsx") or by what's inside them (like finding every file that mentions "quarterly review").

> Find all files with "invoice" in the name
> Search for any mention of "Project Alpha" across all my documents
> Which files were changed this week?
> Find all the images in my project

What this means for you

It's like having a search engine for your own computer that actually understands what you're looking for — way better than Windows Search or Spotlight.

Running Tasks and Commands

Claude Code can run programs and commands on your computer. This is how it does things like starting a website preview, running calculations, or installing tools.

> Start a local preview of my website
> Run the tests to make sure everything works
> Install the tools needed for this project
> Save my work and push it to the cloud

By default, Claude Code will ask your permissionbefore running any command. You'll see what it wants to do and can approve or reject it.

Looking Things Up Online

Claude Code can search the web and fetch information from websites — perfect for research, fact-checking, or pulling in reference material.

> Search for the best practices for email marketing in 2026
> Pull the pricing info from competitor-website.com
> Find the latest tax filing deadlines
> Look up how to set up a Stripe payment form

What this means for you

Instead of switching between your project and a browser to look things up, Claude Code does the research for you and applies what it finds directly to your work.

Pointing Claude Code at Specific Files

When you want Claude Code to focus on a specific file, put an @in front of the filename. It's like saying "hey, look at this one."

> Look at @budget.xlsx and tell me the total expenses
> Compare @old-version.html with @new-version.html
> Based on @meeting-notes.txt, create a list of action items

What this means for you

The @shortcut makes sure Claude Code is looking at exactly the right file — no confusion about which "budget" or "report" you mean.

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Special Commands (Quick Actions)

While you mostly talk to Claude Code in plain English, there are some special commands that start with /. Think of them as shortcuts — like keyboard shortcuts, but you type a word instead.

Managing Your Session

Command	What it does
/resume	Pick up a previous conversation where you left off
/rewind	Undo — roll your code and the conversation back to an earlier point
/compact	Free up memory when the conversation gets long
/clear	Start completely fresh
/cost	See how much this session has used (usage tracking)

Adjusting How Claude Code Thinks

Command	What it does
/model	Switch between faster or smarter AI models
/effort	Choose how hard Claude Code thinks (quick answer vs. deep analysis)
/plan	Switch to planning mode (read-only, no changes)
/fast	Toggle faster responses (same quality, quicker output)

Getting Help

Command	What it does
/help	Shows all commands and how to use them
/memory	See what Claude Code remembers about your preferences
/config	View or change your settings
/init	Set up project instructions (Claude Code scans your project and creates them)

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Choosing How Smart vs. How Fast

Claude Code gives you a choice between different AI "brains." It's a tradeoff between thinking power and speed:

Model	Think of it as...	Best for
Opus	The senior expert who thinks deeply	Complex problems, important decisions, creative work
Sonnet	The reliable all-rounder (default)	Most everyday tasks — great balance of speed and quality
Haiku	The quick assistant for simple tasks	Quick questions, simple edits, straightforward work

Switch models anytime with /model. Most people stick with Sonnet (the default) and only switch to Opus for their trickiest problems.

Thinking Depth

You can also tell Claude Code how hard to think about each response with /effort:

• Low — quick answer, no overthinking (good for simple questions)
• Medium — balanced thinking (the default)
• High — thorough analysis (good for important work)
• Max — maximum brainpower (for the hardest problems)

What this means for you

For quick tasks like "rename this file" use low effort. For important tasks like "redesign my entire website layout" use high effort. It's like choosing between a quick text message and a carefully written letter.