7 min · +100 XP
Show it files, screenshots and errors
How to give Claude exactly what it needs to see.
By the end of this lesson
You will be able to hand Claude a file, a screenshot or an error message in a few seconds.
Claude can read the files in your project folder by itself, but it works faster and makes fewer wrong guesses when you point at the right thing. There are four kinds of material you will hand over most often: files, pictures, error messages and links.
Files: type @
Attach a file to your message
- 1In the Claude Code prompt, type @ followed by the first letters of the file name, for example @bud.
- 2A list of matching files appears under the prompt. Use the arrow keys to highlight the right one.
- 3Press Tab or Enter to put the path into your message. Then keep writing.
- 4Press Enter once more to send. Claude reads the file before it answers.
You can mention several files in one message. Mentioning a folder shows Claude the list of files inside it, not their contents.
Pictures and screenshots
Three ways to add an image
- 1Drag the image file from a folder or the desktop into the terminal window where Claude is running.
- 2Copy an image and paste it into the prompt: Ctrl+V. On a Mac in iTerm2 it is Cmd+V; on Windows it is Alt+V.
- 3Or write the path: "Look at this screenshot: /Users/anna/Desktop/screen.png".
- 4A small [Image #1] label appears in your message. Write your request next to it and press Enter.
Mac: taking a screenshot for Claude
- 1Cmd+Shift+4, then drag over the area: the screenshot is saved as a file on the Desktop. Drag that file into the terminal.
- 2Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4: the screenshot goes to the clipboard instead. Paste it into the prompt with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V in iTerm2).
Windows: taking a screenshot for Claude
- 1Win+Shift+S, then select the area. The screenshot goes to the clipboard, not to a file.
- 2Click into the Claude Code prompt and press Alt+V to paste it.
- 3If pasting does not work in your terminal, click the preview that appears in the corner of the screen, save the picture, and drag the saved file into the window.
A screenshot of a page or app you like is often clearer than a paragraph of description. Paste it, then add the phrase below. The comparison step is what makes the result close to the picture.
“Make my page look like this picture. Then take a screenshot of the result, compare it with the picture, list the differences and fix them.”
Claude rebuilds the page, compares its own screenshot with yours and corrects what differs.
Errors and links
Hand over the exact text
- 1Error: select the whole message with the mouse, copy it, and paste it into the prompt. Then add a phrase like the one below.
- 2Long text is folded into a [Pasted text #1] label so the prompt stays readable. Claude receives all of it.
- 3No error text at all? Describe what you did and what happened: "I clicked Delete and nothing changed." That is a complete error report.
- 4Link: paste the address of a documentation page and ask Claude to read it. Pages from the internet can contain text meant to mislead an AI, so use sources you trust; the safety lesson covers this.
“This appeared when I clicked Save. Find the cause, fix it and check that saving works.”
Replace "clicked Save" with what you were doing. Claude reads the error, fixes the cause and checks again.
›What a "file path" is
A path is the address of a file on your computer, written as folders separated by slashes, for example /Users/anna/Desktop/screen.png on a Mac or C:\Users\Anna\Desktop\screen.png on Windows. You rarely need to type one: the @ menu and drag-and-drop write it for you.
You are on Windows and pressed Win+Shift+S. How do you give the screenshot to Claude?
A long red error filled the screen. What gives Claude the best chance of fixing it?
Facts checked against the official Claude Code docs October 24, 2026 · source
Author
Evgenii Arsentev
PhD · Chief Executive Officer, digital health