How to start using Claude: 3 setup steps most people skip

For people who just switched from ChatGPT to Claude, or just opened Claude for the first time, and want to get more out of it than the average user.

By the end you will have memory on, Claude connected to your apps, and a free learning path from Anthropic itself.

The menu names below come from Anthropic's help center and Composio's pages, checked on 2026-10-31. Menus move, so if a name differs, look for the closest one.

Step 1: turn on memory

Memory lets Claude remember who you are and what you told it, so you stop repeating yourself.

1. Open Claude and go to Settings.
2. Open Your Claude (in the older layout it is Settings, then Capabilities, or Settings, then Memory).
3. Find the Memory from chats toggle and make sure it is on.

According to Anthropic's help center, memory is on by default on the Free, Pro, Max and Ultra plans on the web, desktop and mobile. On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner controls it for the organization.

Coming from ChatGPT? In the same Memory section there is a Start import button. You run a prompt in ChatGPT that lists what it remembers, paste the result into Claude, and click Add to memory. Imports are experimental, and your old chat history does not transfer. I wrote a full walkthrough in the guide on moving your ChatGPT memory to Claude.

Check it works. Ask: "What do you remember about me?" and correct anything wrong.

Step 2: connect Claude to your apps with Composio

Without connections, Claude only talks. With them, it can search, read and act inside the apps you already use, for example LinkedIn.

1. Create a free Composio account at composio.dev.
2. In Claude, open Customize, then Connectors, and add a custom connector.
3. Use this URL: https://connect.composio.dev/mcp
4. Ask Claude to do something in an app, for example: "Search LinkedIn for jobs that match my profile. Read only, do not apply to anything."
5. Claude shows a sign in link. Open it and authorize the account in your browser.

On a Team or Enterprise plan, the plan owner has to enable the connector first.

Start with read only requests. Anything that posts, sends or spends money should end with: "Show me exactly what you will do and wait for my approval."

Related guides I already wrote: connecting LinkedIn to Claude with Composio, and using Claude on Indeed for your CV and cover letter.

Step 3: take the free Anthropic courses

Anthropic runs its own learning platform, Anthropic Academy, hosted on Skilljar at anthropic.skilljar.com. It is free, needs no credit card, and gives a certificate when you finish a course.

Two things to know:

• It is a separate account from your Claude account. You create a new profile on the Academy site.
• The number of courses keeps growing, so browse the catalog instead of trusting a number you read somewhere.

A simple path: start with the introductory courses on using Claude, then pick one that matches your goal. Developers will find courses on the API, MCP and Claude Code. Everyone else can stay with the fluency and product courses.

Bonus: follow for new Claude updates

Claude changes every month. A new feature that matters to you can show up and you miss it for weeks. Follow @mehdiagent.ai on Instagram to get new Claude updates as they come.

Your 10 minute checklist

• Memory from chats is on
• Memory checked with "What do you remember about me?"
• Composio connector added
• One read only request worked
• Anthropic Academy account created
• First course picked

My honest take

Most people switch tools and keep the same habits. These three steps change what Claude knows about you, what it can reach, and how well you use it. Memory takes two minutes and pays back every day. Connections take fifteen minutes and are where it starts doing work for you. The courses are the slow part, and the part that keeps paying.