Anthropic just upgraded Claude to be more than a conversational assistant. A fresh feature preview lets users create and edit real files—Excel sheets, Word docs, PowerPoint decks, and PDFs—directly through Claude.ai and the desktop app. Rather than simply getting text output, you can describe what you need, upload data, and receive usable files already formatted and ready to share or export.
What’s New
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File types supported:
.xlsx,.docx,.pptx,.pdf—spreadsheet, word-processed, slide, and presentation formats. -
Complex workflows enabled: You can ask Claude to build financial models with formulas and multiple sheets, convert PDFs into slides, clean raw data, run statistical analyses, produce charts, or stitch together reports—all via natural instructions.
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Sandboxed computing: Claude now operates in a restricted internal computing environment. It can run code (e.g. Python), load libraries, and generate artifacts without exposing your local machine.
Availability & Plans
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Already available now for those on Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.
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Pro users will get access soon.
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It’s currently a feature preview—opt-in required per user via the Claude settings (“Upgraded file creation and analysis”) and may still be tweaked.
Use Cases: What You Can Do
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Transform raw data into polished reports (CSV → charts → formatted Word or PDF).
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Build project trackers, scenario models, dashboards in Excel with working formulas.
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Convert existing documents from one format to another: e.g., meeting notes → slide decks; PDF reports → editable docs.
Risks & Safeguards
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Security: Because Claude gets limited internet access in order to import packages or execute code, there is risk of malicious content or prompt injection. Users are encouraged to monitor outputs and disable the feature if suspicious behavior arises.
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Sandbox isolation: Enterprise settings allow admins to enable or disable file creation organization-wide. Team users must opt in; individuals can toggle the feature.
Why It Matters
This move shifts Claude (and similar models) further into hands-on productivity automation. Rather than merely advising, Claude can now execute parts of what used to require manual effort: formatting, data manipulation, cross-format conversion. That reduces friction for users who want to go from idea → usable artifact in fewer steps. It’s also a more natural way to blend AI into workflows: you stay in chat, give instructions, and get back files—not just text dumps you have to reformat. It’s a signal of what’s next: smarter agents embedded in the tools people use daily.
