Claude · Settings Guide

Stop guessing.
Use the right setting.

Three little controls live in one menu next to the send button.
Learn them once, then just pick a preset.

The Three Controls

MODEL

How clever the base brain is.

Haiku — quick & basic Sonnet — smart all-rounder Opus — heavyweight reasoner

EFFORT

How thorough it is on this answer.

Higher = deeper and slower, and it uses up your plan's limits faster.

Lowstretches usage

Mediumroutine

Highbest balance

Maxhardest tasks

THINKING

Whether it shows its working first.

A separate toggle — mix it with any effort level you like.

Off — answers straight away / On — reasons it through first

Where To Find Them

Click the model name next to the send button.

Pick your model (use "More models" for the full list).

Click "Effort" and choose a level — the recommended one is marked "Default."

Hover "Effort" and flip the "Thinking" toggle on or off.

🟢 Everyday Most of what you do

Emails & messages Calendar & quick tasks Recommendations Summaries & quick questions

Settings Sonnet 4.6 Effort: Low–Medium Thinking: Off

🟡 Turn it up When it matters a bit more

Important drafts Planning & analysis Comparing options Anything you'll act on

Settings Sonnet 4.6 Effort: High Thinking: On

🔴 Heavy work When being wrong costs money or causes a mess

Tax & financial logic Legal or structuring questions Cross-checking & proof-reading High-stakes decisions

Settings Opus 4.8 Effort: High or Max Thinking: On

The One Rule

Leave it on Everyday by default. Only reach for Heavy work when being wrong would cost you money or cause a mess. You can change any of the three settings mid-chat — it applies to Claude's next reply.

💡 Worth Knowing

Running Opus on Low effort with Thinking off throws away most of what makes Opus powerful. If you're going light, Sonnet gives you nearly the same answer faster and uses fewer of your plan's limits. Save Opus for when you actually let it think.

Stop guessing.Use the right setting.

Stop guessing.
Use the right setting.