Claude can now create and edit files, moving from advisor to active collaborator

Anthropic is rolling out native file creation and editing in Claude, spanning Excel spreadsheets, Word-style documents, PowerPoint decks, and PDFs, inside Claude.ai and the desktop app. Instead of only returning text responses or in-app artifacts, Claude can now deliver ready-to-use files from a chat prompt, working from your description and any data you upload.

File creation launches today as a preview for Max, Team, and Enterprise customers, with Pro access coming in the weeks ahead.

What it does

Claude can generate full, working files from scratch or transform content across formats. Example workflows include:

• Turning raw data into polished outputs: cleaning, statistical analysis, charts, and a written narrative of key insights.
• Building spreadsheets on demand: financial models with scenarios, project trackers with automated dashboards, and budget templates with variance formulas—across multiple sheets.
• Crossing formats: converting PDF reports into slide decks; reshaping meeting notes into formal documents; extracting invoice data into structured spreadsheets.

In short, users can request customer segmentation analyses, sales forecasts, or budget trackers and receive production-ready files without hand-coding formulas or scripts.

How it works

Under the hood, Claude now has access to a private computer environment where it can write code and run programs to produce analyses and files. That shifts the system from a purely conversational advisor to an execution partner: users supply context and objectives; Claude handles the technical steps behind the scenes. Anthropic frames this as part of a broader push to make sophisticated, multi-step work accessible through conversation.

Getting started

To try the feature:

1. Enable "Upgraded file creation and analysis” in Settings → Features → Experimental.
2. Upload relevant files (or just describe what you need).
3. Guide Claude in chat as it iterates.
4. Download results or save directly to Google Drive.

Anthropic notes that enabling this capability gives Claude internet access during file creation and analysis. Teams should monitor chats and apply their standard data-handling policies when working with sensitive information.

Why it matters

File creation compresses workflows that typically require spreadsheet skills, scripting, or hours of manual formatting into minutes of conversation. For analysts, marketers, and operators, that means quicker turnarounds on dashboards, decks, and models—and a clearer path from idea to execution.