AI for Life

Lesson 0

Set Up Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is installed, signed in, and you have completed your first real AI prompt (a LinkedIn bio generated in Chat), then introduced yourself in the AI for Life community feed.

That's the whole setup. Everything in this course builds from right here.

~25 min A free Claude account covers this whole lesson: download, install, sign in, and your first prompt in Chat. An optional Cowork version of the exercise is included for the paid Pro and Max plans. See content/capabilities.yaml (chat, cowork, desktop-download, desktop-installer-filenames).
I'm using:
0%

0 of 5 complete

Reset your progress?

This clears everything you have marked complete and any notes, on this device only. It cannot be undone.

Phase 1: Get Claude Desktop Running

0 of 3
On a phone
This lesson installs the Claude Desktop app, which runs on a Mac or Windows computer. On a phone? Read along here to see what's coming, then follow these steps on a computer.

Already have Claude Desktop on your computer?

Download Claude Desktop

Tool: Chat ~5 min
Open your web browser: Safari or Chrome on a Mac, Edge or Chrome on Windows.
In the address bar at the top, type: claude.com/download — then press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).
The page detects whether you're on a Mac or Windows and shows the right Download button. Click it.
Watch for a circle in your browser toolbar (top right) — it fills as the file downloads. Or look for the Claude installer appearing in your Downloads folder.
When the circle is full — or you can see the Claude installer in Downloads — move to the next block.
Note
You're downloading the Claude installer for your computer — a .dmg on a Mac, or the Windows Setup installer (it matches your PC, x64 or arm64). Normal and expected.

Install Claude Desktop

Tool: Chat ~3 min
Find your downloaded file. Two ways: click the download circle/arrow in your browser toolbar, or open your Downloads folder (Finder on a Mac, File Explorer on Windows).
On a Mac: double-click the downloaded .dmg file and a window opens showing the Claude app icon. On Windows: double-click the downloaded Claude installer to run setup.
On a Mac: drag the Claude icon onto the Applications folder shown on the right, holding the mouse button down and dropping it in. On Windows: the installer runs on its own, so accept the defaults if it asks.
Wait about 10 seconds for it to finish. On a Mac, close the installer window when it's done. On Windows, the setup finishes on its own.
Open Claude: on a Mac, go to Finder → Applications, find Claude, and double-click it. On Windows, open the Start menu, type "Claude," and click it.
If a security prompt appears
  • A Mac asks "Are you sure you want to open this?" Click Open.
  • Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" screen. Click "More info" then "Run anyway."
Note
Either one is normal for apps downloaded from the internet, not from an app store.

Sign In to Claude

Tool: Chat ~5 min
Claude Desktop will open and ask you to sign in.
Type the same email address you used to join this SKOOL community, then choose "Continue with email." Prefer Google? Choose "Continue with Google" instead.
There's no separate sign-up button: the same step signs you in, or creates your free Claude account if you don't have one yet. Signing up is free.
Once signed in, you'll see the Claude Desktop home screen: a clean window with a text input at the bottom.
If Claude opens straight to a conversation, you're already signed in. Move to Phase 2.
Note
Good news: a free Claude account covers everything in this lesson — download, install, sign in, and your first prompt in Chat. Phase 2 also shows an optional Cowork version of the same exercise, which is included with the paid Pro and Max plans.

Phase 2: Run Your First Workflow

0 of 2

Run Your First Prompt in Chat

Tool: Chat ~10 min
Claude Desktop opens to Chat — the message box at the bottom of the main window. Chat works on a free account, so everyone can do this step.
Click once inside the message box so your cursor is blinking there.
Copy the prompt below and paste it into the message box:
Prompt — copy and paste into AI 
I want to write a short professional bio. Here's what I do: [DESCRIBE YOUR WORK IN 1-2 SENTENCES]. Write me a 3-sentence bio I can use on LinkedIn.

Replace the bracketed placeholder with what you actually do before you send it.

Before sending: replace [DESCRIBE YOUR WORK IN 1-2 SENTENCES] with what you actually do. Be specific — not "I work in business" but "I run a small landscaping company in Austin."
Press Enter or click the send arrow. Read Claude's full response — that's your first real AI output.
Note
Chat is Claude's conversation tool: you ask, it answers — writing, thinking, summarizing, planning. It's included on every plan, including Free. See content/capabilities.yaml (chat).
Note

Optional next step (Pro or Max): try it in Cowork

Have a paid Pro or Max plan? Run the exact same prompt in Cowork instead of Chat. Open Cowork from the Claude Desktop message box, paste the same bio prompt, and watch it work as an agent rather than a chat. Cowork is Claude's agent mode — it can act on your computer, read and write files, and run multi-step workflows, and it's the core of what the later lessons teach. Cowork is on the paid plans only (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise). See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork, cowork-interface-home).

You're All Set

Tool: Chat ~5 min
Check it worked

Claude Desktop is installed and running on your computer.

Check it worked

You've signed in and completed your first real AI prompt in Chat.

Go to the AI for Life community feed and introduce yourself: your name, what you do, and one thing you want AI to handle for you.
Lesson 1 is ready when you are.
Note
That's the whole setup. Everything in this course builds from right here.