Beginner guide for anyone coming from ChatGPT who has never touched Claude before. No terminal, no tech talk. Ten steps, each with a plain explanation and a tip.

Open claude.com in your browser and click the Download button near the top. Grab the version for your computer, Mac or Windows, and run the installer. It takes about a minute and you do not need to configure anything. A tip from my own setup, start with the Desktop app even if you already use Claude in the browser, because the real power of Claude runs through the Desktop app later and you want that base installed from day one. Create a free account. Open the app and sign in with email or with your Google account. No credit card, no trial countdown, no expiration.