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To create a Claude artifact, describe a concrete deliverable in a Claude chat or start from a Docs, Slides, or Design template, then refine the result by prompting Claude or editing the canvas. To share a current artifact, open it on the web or in Claude Desktop, choose Share, set the audience and available access level, and copy the link. Current artifacts start private, and most recipients must sign in to Claude.
First identify which artifact generation you have. Artifacts created in a chat before September 16, 2026 are legacy artifacts and may show Publish or Share & copy link instead of the current Share controls. The two generations have different audience, account, and unpublishing rules.
What Claude calls an artifact
An artifact is a substantial, self-contained Claude output that is meant to be edited, reused, iterated on, or referred to after the immediate conversation. It is more than a short answer in the chat stream: it has its own working surface or downloadable form.
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Check requirements and identify your artifact generation
Turn on the capabilities artifacts need
For Free, Pro, and Max accounts, artifact creation depends on cloud code execution and file creation being enabled in Settings > Capabilities. Team and Enterprise administrators manage the equivalent controls in Organization settings > Capabilities. The Help Center states: “Important: Artifacts require Cloud code execution and file creation to be turned on in Settings > Capabilities (Free, Pro, Max) or Organization settings > Capabilities (Team, Enterprise).” If those capabilities are disabled, the artifact canvas or creation controls may not appear.
Know whether you have a current or legacy artifact
Current artifacts use a Share control and begin private to you. Legacy chat artifacts are those created before September 16, 2026. They continue to work, but new legacy artifacts cannot be created. A legacy artifact may instead show Publish for Free, Pro, and Max users, or Share & copy link for Team and Enterprise users.
Do not follow legacy publishing instructions for a new artifact merely because an older tutorial uses them. The control visible on the artifact is the reliable indicator of which workflow applies.
Create an artifact from a chat or template
1. Describe the outcome and its user
Start with the result you want someone to use, not just a broad subject. State who will use it, what they need to do, the information or files it should contain, and the format you expect. For example, ask for a one-page onboarding checklist for new support agents, a budget dashboard for a small team, or a browser-based quiz for a specific audience.
Include constraints that affect the build: required sections, tone, calculations, data fields, accessibility expectations, screen size, and whether the output must be printable or downloadable. If the idea is incomplete, ask Claude to interview you about requirements before generating the first version. This produces a clearer first artifact than asking for a vague “app” or “report.”
2. Start in a chat or choose a template
You can create an artifact directly in a Claude chat. Depending on your account, templates can provide a more structured starting point for Docs, Slides, and Design. Some template offerings are beta features limited to particular plans, so a template shown in one account may not be present in another.
When using a template, choose the type that matches the final job. A Doc is appropriate for a report or reusable written guide; Slides is appropriate for a presentation; Design is intended for visual layouts or interactive design work. You can still ask Claude to change the structure after the initial template is created.
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3. Give Claude enough material to make it self-contained
Provide the source text, data, terminology, and decisions the artifact must preserve. Identify which information is authoritative and which parts are examples. For a tool or dashboard, specify inputs, outputs, error states, and the actions a viewer should be able to take. For a visual design, describe hierarchy, dimensions, colors, and content rather than relying on a style name alone.
If you attach files, remember that those files may be relevant to sharing later: a person who can open the artifact may also gain access to materials associated with its originating chat. Remove unnecessary attachments and separate confidential source material before inviting other people.
4. Review the first version in its artifact surface
Check the artifact itself, not only Claude’s explanatory chat message. Look for missing sections, incorrect calculations, broken interactions, layout problems, and assumptions that were not part of your request. Ask for specific changes such as “add a totals row,” “make the navigation keyboard accessible,” or “replace the sample names with neutral placeholders.”
5. Iterate by prompting or editing directly
You can continue the conversation with targeted revision requests, or edit the artifact canvas directly where direct editing is available. In Markdown and Docs, select text and choose Edit with Claude to revise a passage while keeping the rest of the document in context. For a design or interactive tool, direct canvas edits can be faster for small wording, spacing, or ordering changes.
Make one logical change at a time when accuracy matters. After a structural change, test the affected sections again; a request to add a field can alter formulas, navigation, or export layout elsewhere.
6. Explore alternatives without losing the current direction
Earlier chat messages can be edited to explore another branch or version. This is useful when you want to compare two outlines, visual treatments, or interaction models before deciding which one to keep. Name important versions in the artifact or export them so a later branch does not become the only copy of a preferred design.
7. Export when the artifact must leave Claude
Export choices depend on the template type. Current options described by Claude include:
| Artifact type | Available export formats | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | Word, PDF, Markdown, or Google Docs | Editing in a word processor, distributing a fixed document, or moving content into a shared document system |
| Decks | PowerPoint, PDF, or Google Slides | Presenting, sending a read-only copy, or continuing work in a slide editor |
| Designs | ZIP, PDF, PowerPoint, standalone HTML, or another tool | Packaging assets, presenting a visual, or handing an interactive design to a developer or design system |
| Motion animations | MP4 | Playing or distributing the rendered animation as video |
| Legacy chat artifacts | View code, copy content, or download | Saving the legacy output outside the chat workflow |
Exporting creates a separate file or destination copy; it does not change the artifact’s sharing permissions. If collaborators need the live, editable version, share the artifact itself and use an export for a snapshot or handoff.
Share a current artifact
Use the Share menu on the web or Desktop
- Open the artifact in Claude on the web or in Claude Desktop.
- Click Share.
- Choose the audience offered by your plan and organization settings.
- Select the available access level, such as viewing, commenting, or editing when those choices are provided.
- Review the resulting audience and permissions, then copy the link and send it through the channel you trust.
Current artifacts are private by default. The Help Center’s wording is direct: “Artifacts start private to you.” A copied link does not automatically make a private artifact public; the audience selection in the Share panel controls who can open it.
Choose an audience deliberately
| Audience choice | What it means | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Only you | No other person can use the shared artifact | Work in progress, sensitive drafts, or a personal reference |
| Invited people | Named recipients receive access where email invitations are supported | A project with a defined reviewer or collaborator list |
| Your organization | People covered by the Team or Enterprise organization settings can access it | Internal work that should not be exposed through a public link |
| Anyone with the link | Anyone who obtains the link can attempt to open it, subject to the artifact’s restrictions and sign-in requirements | Broad distribution when the content is suitable for that audience |
Pro and Max generally offer Only you or Anyone with the link; inviting specific people by email is available only where that beta feature is supported. Team and Enterprise accounts can support invitations and organization-level choices. “Anyone with the link” for those plans depends on an owner enabling external sharing or allowing it for the individual artifact.
Understand restrictions before you promise access
The Share menu is the authoritative list for a particular artifact. Some current artifacts cannot be shared externally by link, including artifacts that use Claude or connected apps. Team and Enterprise documents can also have an external-sharing restriction. If an option is missing, changing the link format or resending the URL will not bypass the policy; ask the organization owner whether external sharing is permitted or export a suitable copy instead.
Sharing settings cannot be changed in the iOS or Android apps. Use Claude on the web or Desktop to select the audience, change access, or copy the sharing link.
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What the recipient needs to open and use it
Most current shared artifacts require the recipient to sign in to Claude. The recipient uses their own account and plan limits when they interact with Claude-powered features; the creator is not charged for the viewer’s usage. A link therefore is not a promise of anonymous access, even when the audience is set to anyone with the link.
Legacy published chat artifacts are the important exception. Anyone with the link can open one without an account for basic functionality, although Claude sign-in is needed for Claude-powered features. If a recipient reports that a current link asks them to sign in, that is expected behavior rather than proof that the link is broken.
Legacy chat artifact publishing
Publish a legacy artifact
If the artifact was created in a chat before September 16, 2026, Free, Pro, and Max users may see Publish. Team and Enterprise users may instead see Share & copy link. Publishing adds the legacy artifact to the account’s Artifacts area and creates a link that can be opened for basic functionality without an account.
Legacy publishing is not the current default workflow. It applies only to those older chat artifacts, which remain usable but cannot be newly created.
Stop sharing a legacy publication
Use the legacy artifact’s unpublish control to revoke access. Unpublishing permanently deletes the stored data for that legacy artifact, and the Help Center says the same artifact cannot be republished. If it must be shared again, create a new artifact and review its contents before publishing it.
Protect privacy before sending any link
Check the audience and access level
Read the selected audience aloud to yourself before copying the link. For a confidential project, named invitations or organization-only access are safer than a broad link when those options are available. Confirm whether recipients can only view, or can also comment or edit, because the practical risk changes with each level.
Inspect the originating chat and attachments
An artifact may be connected to the conversation that produced it. Sharing the artifact can also give viewers access to files or other materials attached to that chat. Review every attachment, pasted dataset, and hidden example for personal, customer, financial, or internal information. Remove material that the recipient does not need.
Check shared storage
If an artifact uses persistent storage, determine whether that storage is personal or shared. Shared storage can be visible to other users of the artifact. Do not place sensitive records in it unless that visibility is intentional and permitted by your organization.
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An artifact from an unknown creator should be handled like code or a file from an unknown sender. Do not enter secrets, upload confidential data, or approve an unexpected integration merely because the artifact looks polished. Verify the creator and the requested permissions before interacting with it.
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Interactive artifacts that use Claude
An artifact can be interactive rather than static. When it uses Claude-powered functionality, viewers sign in with their own Claude accounts and consume their own plan limits. The first time a new artifact requests Claude access, the viewer must approve that permission. Explain this requirement to collaborators so they know why a live tool behaves differently from a downloaded PDF or HTML file.
Connected apps
Connected apps require approval from each user and use each viewer’s own connections, not the creator’s connections. A viewer cannot automatically see the creator’s connected services through the artifact. Conversely, a viewer should approve only connections they understand, because the artifact may then be able to use data available to that viewer.
Persistent storage
Storage is plan- and platform-dependent. The current product specification states a limit of 20 MB per artifact for text-only storage. Treat that as a product limit, not as a guarantee that every account or artifact type has identical storage behavior. Before using an artifact as a tracker or collaborative tool, establish who can read the stored data, how it is shared, and what should be deleted.
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For internal collaboration, start with the narrowest audience that lets the project work. Organization-level access can be easier to administer than a long list of individual links, but it also reaches more people. Invited-person access is more precise when the project has a small, known group.
| Situation | Safer starting choice | Check before sending |
|---|---|---|
| One reviewer needs to comment | Invite that person and grant the least access offered | Whether invitations are enabled for the plan and whether comments are available |
| Several employees need the same internal tool | Organization access | Whether administrators allow it and whether the artifact contains information appropriate for all members |
| An external client needs a static deliverable | Export to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or another suitable format | Whether the live artifact is blocked from external sharing or requires a Claude account |
| A public audience needs a simple legacy demo | Legacy Publish, only if the artifact qualifies | That no confidential chat material is attached and that you understand unpublishing is irreversible for that legacy artifact |
Troubleshoot common problems
No artifact appears after the request
- Confirm cloud code execution and file creation are enabled in the applicable Capabilities settings.
- Use a concrete deliverable request instead of a general question, and specify the intended format.
- Check whether the feature or template is limited to a different plan.
- For an organization account, ask an administrator whether organization capabilities or policy block artifact creation.
The Share button is missing
- Determine whether you are viewing a legacy chat artifact, which may use Publish or Share & copy link.
- Open the artifact on the web or Desktop; the mobile apps do not provide sharing-setting changes.
- Check whether the artifact type, connected-app use, or organization policy prevents external sharing.
The recipient cannot open the link
- Confirm that the recipient is signed in if the artifact is current or uses Claude-powered features.
- Verify that the recipient’s account belongs to the invited group or organization, if access is restricted.
- Reopen Share and inspect the current audience rather than assuming the copied URL reflects a later permission change.
- If the artifact is legacy and was unpublished, remember that it cannot be republished; create a new artifact when continued sharing is required.
A sensitive artifact was shared accidentally
- Immediately return to Share and narrow the audience or stop sharing, if the current artifact offers that control.
- Review the originating chat’s attachments and any shared storage for exposed information.
- For a legacy publication, unpublish it, understanding that its stored data is permanently deleted and the same artifact cannot be republished.
- Notify your organization’s administrator or security contact if regulated or confidential data was involved.
An interactive artifact behaves differently for each viewer
- Check whether the feature uses Claude, a connected app, or persistent storage.
- Remember that each viewer uses their own Claude plan limits, connections, permissions, and account context.
- Test with a non-sensitive account before broad distribution and provide a static export for readers who cannot use the live feature.
When an artifact is a prototype rather than a finished application
Claude’s official tutorial presents artifacts as a fast way to build, test, iterate, and share prototypes. That makes them useful for validating an idea, demonstrating a workflow, or gathering feedback before investing in a full implementation.
The same tutorial advises moving an application toward more robust infrastructure and proper API-key management when it approaches production. Treat a shared artifact as a prototype unless you have separately addressed authentication, authorization, data retention, monitoring, accessibility, performance, backups, and deployment controls. Never place a production secret directly in an artifact or connected client code.
Quick Recap
A practical pre-share checklist
- The artifact has a clear purpose, intended audience, and tested final version.
- Unneeded attachments and confidential examples have been removed from the originating chat.
- The audience is set to only you, invited people, the organization, or anyone with the link intentionally.
- The access level is no broader than the recipient needs.
- You know whether recipients must sign in and whether they will use their own Claude limits or connected-app permissions.
- Any persistent storage is understood, including whether it is shared and the 20 MB text-only per-artifact limit.
- A suitable export exists if someone needs a static copy or cannot use the live artifact.
- You have tested the link with an account or device that represents the intended recipient.
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