Claude Design: how to use it before standalone closes Dec 14
Claude Design now lives inside regular Claude chats, on every plan including Free. The standalone site closes December 14, 2026: here's what to save first.
Claude Design is Anthropic's tool for making visual work by chatting: one-pagers, slide decks, interactive prototypes, mockups. It now runs inside ordinary Claude conversations on every plan, Free included. The old standalone site at claude.ai/design closes on December 14, 2026, and your chats and comments there will not come with you.
So there are two jobs: learn where Design lives now, and save what you made in the standalone version before the deadline. This guide does both, from Anthropic's own help center, checked October 22, 2026.
TL;DR: In any chat, pick Output > Design in the message box, or just ask for "a one-pager from this proposal". Before December 14, migrate your design systems from the Artifacts page and download each standalone project as a
.zip(Share > Project HTML > Export).
Where Claude Design lives now
Anthropic's Get started with Claude Design describes it as a template for artifacts: you chat, and Claude builds on a canvas beside the conversation. You refine the result through chat, inline comments or by editing it directly.
There are three ways in:
Ask in a normal chat
Something like: Make a one-pager from this proposal. Attach the file first.
Or pick Output > Design
In the message box, so Claude knows you want a visual result rather than text.
Or start from a template
Open the Artifacts tab and choose a Design template.
Because Design now sits inside the chat, it can use what the chat already has: your uploaded files, your project context and your connectors. That is the main reason Anthropic folded it in.
A worked example: a one-page client summary
Here is a job you can run this week with your own material. Take a proposal, a quarterly report or a meeting note you already have as a PDF or Word file.
- Open a new chat and attach the file.
- Write: "Make a one-page summary of this for a client who has two minutes. Three key numbers at the top, one chart, our logo colors." Pick Output > Design if Claude answers in plain text.
- Click on any element of the canvas and leave a comment ("make this chart a bar chart", "shorter headline"). Claude revises that part.
- Use Export (top right) and choose PDF to send it, or PPTX if a colleague will keep editing in PowerPoint.
The first draft usually lands close on layout and weaker on judgment: which number matters most to your client is still your call. Check every figure against the source file before it leaves your hands.
The Claude moves worth stealing, by email
Workflows tested on real jobs, sent only when they are worth it. Free.
What you can export
The Export button offers .zip, PDF, PPTX, Google Slides and standalone HTML. It also hands off to tools such as Canva, Vercel, Netlify, Lovable and Miro, and to Claude Code if a developer will turn a prototype into a real site.
Designs are private by default. Share lets you choose who can view, comment or edit.
Before December 14: what to save from standalone Claude Design
Anthropic's migration guide is blunt about what survives the move.
| What you have in standalone | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Design systems | Copied to Claude when you migrate | Migrate from the Artifacts page |
| Projects | Stay in standalone until it closes; moving them is "coming soon" | Download each one as a .zip |
| Chats with Claude | Not carried over, deleted after closure | Copy out anything you need |
| Comments | Not carried over | Same |
| Public project links | Stop working when it closes | Replace the links you shared |
To migrate design systems: open the Artifacts page in Claude and click Migrate team design systems in the "Claude Design lives here now" banner. If you closed the banner, use the Claude Design menu at the top right. On individual plans it starts straight away. Closing the window does not stop it.
To download a project: open it in the standalone version, click Share, then Project HTML (for slide decks, look under More formats and apps). Keep Project archive selected and click Export. You get a .zip with every file. It is free and does not count toward your usage. Projects download one at a time, so start with the ones you can't lose.
Where Claude Design gets it wrong
- It is not an image generator. It writes code that renders as a visual. It cannot produce a photo or an illustration file. Our guide to whether Claude can generate images explains the difference.
- It eats your usage. Design has no separate allowance anymore. It draws on the same limits as the rest of Claude, Claude Code included, and large projects with many revisions use more. When you hit the cap it stops until the reset. See how Claude's usage limits work.
- Migrated design systems can't be edited on their page yet. You see "Migrated from the standalone version. Ask Claude to make changes."
- It does not edit your open PowerPoint file. For that you need the add-in, covered in Claude for PowerPoint.
Questions people ask
Is Claude Design free?
Yes. Anthropic lists Claude Design on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, on by default. On Enterprise it turned on by default on October 15, 2026. Free usage limits are lower, so long design sessions run out sooner. The free plan guide covers what Free includes.
What happens to claude.ai/design on December 14, 2026?
The standalone site closes and the address redirects to Claude. Design systems you migrated stay. Chats and comments in the standalone version are deleted, and public project links stop working. Download any project you want to keep before that date.
How do I open Claude Design inside Claude?
Ask for a design in any chat, choose Output > Design in the message box, or pick a Design template from the Artifacts tab. The canvas opens beside the conversation.
Can Claude Design make slides?
Yes. It builds a full visual deck that you export to PPTX, Google Slides or PDF. It starts from your brief or an existing file, but it does not edit a deck that is open in PowerPoint.
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