What Are Claude Artifacts? How to Create, Share and Publish Them
Claude artifacts explained for 2026: what they are, the Docs, Slides, Design, Dashboards and Motion templates, legacy artifacts, apps that use Claude, sharing by plan, who can open a link, publishing, and fixes when sharing is greyed out.
Artifacts are the things Claude makes for you that stand on their own. Anthropic's help center defines one as "anything Claude makes for you that you'd put in front of someone: a design, a deck, a document, a dashboard, or a small interactive tool." An artifact opens beside the conversation, and you can edit it, come back to it and share it.
Artifacts changed substantially in 2026: templates for docs, slides and designs, new sharing options, and a split between new and legacy artifacts. This guide covers how artifacts work now, from creating one to deciding who can see it.
Key takeaways
- Claude creates an artifact for content that is substantial and self-contained, "typically over 15 lines," and likely to be reused. You can also ask for one, or start from a template.
- Templates cover Docs, Slides and Design on every plan, plus Dashboards (beta) and Motion (beta) on some plans.
- Everything you make is saved to the Artifacts tab in the Claude sidebar.
- Sharing depends on your plan, and everyone who opens a shared artifact needs a Claude account, except for legacy artifacts published from a chat.
- Artifacts made in a chat before September 16, 2026 are legacy artifacts. They keep working and can still be published, but new ones cannot be made.
When Claude creates an artifact
According to the help center, Claude puts content in an artifact when it is:
- "significant and self-contained, typically over 15 lines";
- "something you're likely to want to edit, iterate on, or reuse outside the conversation";
- able to stand on its own without the rest of the conversation; and
- something you are likely to refer back to later.
Claude "can make an artifact out of almost anything, including documents, code snippets, single-page websites, images, diagrams and flowcharts, dashboards, and small interactive tools." If Claude answers in the chat and you wanted an artifact, ask for one directly.
Plans and how to turn artifacts on
| Feature | Free | Pro | Max | Team | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create artifacts in a chat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Docs, Slides and Design templates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dashboards template (beta) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Motion template (beta) | Yes | Yes | |||
| Connect your apps to an artifact | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Store data in an artifact | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Artifacts need code execution and file creation (called "Create and edit files" in the updated settings) to be on: in Settings › Capabilities on Free, Pro and Max, or Organization settings › Capabilities on Team and Enterprise. On Enterprise, the Docs, Slides and Design templates turned on by default on October 15, 2026, while Dashboards and Motion stay off until an owner turns them on.
Templates
Templates are starting points for work you will share. Ask for one in a chat, choose a template from the Output option in the message box, or pick one in the Artifacts tab.
- Docs: living documents you write with Claude and your team in real time. Export to Word, PDF, Markdown or Google Docs.
- Slides: presentations from your notes or your chat. Edit any slide, present inside Claude, and export to PowerPoint or PDF, or send the deck to Google Slides as editable files.
- Design: visuals, mockups, prototypes, one-pagers and landing pages built with your design system. Export as ZIP, PDF, PowerPoint or standalone HTML.
- Dashboards (beta): dashboards built from your data platforms or connected apps. Claude writes the queries, and each chart shows its query and when it was last refreshed.
- Motion (beta): animated explainers, charts and walkthroughs, exported as MP4 video.
Find, edit and fix artifacts
- Find: "Everything you make is saved to the Artifacts tab in your Claude sidebar," so you can reach it from any conversation.
- Edit: ask Claude for changes, or edit directly in a template artifact: type in a doc, edit a slide, move elements on a design canvas. In a doc, highlight text and choose Edit with Claude to change just that passage.
- Explore another direction: edit an earlier message to create a new version of the chat, with its own artifacts, without losing the earlier ones.
- Fix errors: if an artifact shows an error, choose Try fixing with Claude to send the error details back to Claude.
On iOS and Android you can ask for a design, deck or doc, view it in the Artifacts tab and edit it. Sharing settings can only be changed on the web or in Claude Desktop.
Artifacts that use Claude, apps and data
Artifacts that use Claude. An artifact can call Claude itself, which turns it into a small app. "People using it sign in with their Claude account," and usage "counts against each person's own plan limits rather than yours," so sharing costs you nothing. New artifacts ask for permission the first time they want to use Claude.
Connected apps. On paid plans, artifacts can read from and write to apps you have connected to Claude, such as Asana, Google Calendar and Slack. Claude shows which apps and tools an artifact will use and asks you to approve them. Everyone connects their own apps, even when using someone else's artifact.
Stored data. On paid plans, artifacts can keep data between sessions, in personal storage (each person sees only their own data) or shared storage (everyone sees the same data). Storage is limited to 20 MB per artifact and holds text only.
How to share an artifact
Artifacts start private. To share one, open it, choose Share, set who has access, and send the link.
| Sharing option | Free | Pro | Max | Team | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anyone who has the link | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Everyone, or specific people, in your organization | Yes | Yes | |||
| Groups | Yes | ||||
| Invite specific people by email (beta) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Publish a legacy chat artifact | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| "Share & copy link" for a legacy chat artifact | Yes | Yes |
On Team and Enterprise plans, artifacts stay inside the organization by default, and "Anyone with the link" is available only when an Owner has turned on External sharing or allowed that artifact individually.
There are three access levels:
- Can view: open the artifact and read its comments.
- Commenter: everything in Can view, plus add comments and download files the artifact offers.
- Can edit: everything in Commenter, plus make changes.
Invitations to people outside your organization are limited to 50 per artifact, and pending invitations expire after 30 days.
Who can open a shared artifact
"Everyone needs a Claude account. People without one can't open a shared artifact, even with the link. The only exception is a legacy artifact published from a chat." Artifacts that connect to your apps or use Claude cannot be shared with "Anyone with the link," and a viewer's own connections are used, not yours.
Publishing legacy artifacts
On Free, Pro and Max, a legacy artifact made in a chat shows Publish instead of Share. Publishing gives a public link that anyone can open and use without a Claude account, and an embed code you can limit to the websites you choose. Two cautions:
- Unpublishing is permanent. "You can't publish an artifact again after you unpublish it"; you would need a new artifact.
- Stored data is deleted. Unpublishing permanently deletes the artifact's personal and shared storage.
On Team and Enterprise, legacy chat artifacts use Share & copy link, and viewers also get access to the attachments and files in that chat. Check the conversation for sensitive documents first.
Artifacts from Claude Code and Cowork
Claude Code publishes session output as an artifact: "a live, interactive web page that Claude Code publishes from your session to a private URL on claude.ai." Good uses include a pull-request walkthrough with annotated diffs, a dashboard of session data or an investigation timeline. Anthropic's documentation describes each one as "one self-contained page with no backend," and Claude Code artifacts need a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan and a session signed in to claude.ai. See how to share Claude Code output for the options.
Cowork artifacts made before August 19, 2026 are live artifacts. They keep working and can be shared within your organization, but cannot be edited in place; to change one, republish it as a new artifact from the Share menu. Cowork artifacts made since then work like any other artifact.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Claude never makes an artifact | Turn on code execution and file creation in Settings › Capabilities, or ask for an artifact by name. |
| "Anyone with the link" is greyed out | On Team and Enterprise, an Owner must turn on External sharing or allow that artifact. "If it's grayed out, ask an Owner or Primary Owner." |
| Someone cannot open your link | They need a Claude account, unless it is a published legacy chat artifact. |
| An artifact cannot be shared by link | Artifacts that connect to apps or use Claude cannot use "Anyone with the link." |
| You cannot change sharing on your phone | Sharing settings are only on the web and in Claude Desktop. |
| You cannot publish an artifact again | It was unpublished, which is permanent. Create a new artifact from the same content. |
| Claude Code writes an HTML file instead of a link | Artifacts are not enabled for that session: check the plan and that the session is signed in to claude.ai. |
Frequently asked questions
Are Claude artifacts public?
Not by default. Artifacts start private. Shared artifacts open for people signed in to Claude whom you chose, or anyone signed in who has the link. Only legacy artifacts published from a chat can be opened without an account.
What is a legacy artifact?
An artifact made in a chat before September 16, 2026. It keeps working and can still be published or shared, but new artifacts work the new way, with the Share menu instead of Publish.
Who pays when someone uses an artifact that calls Claude?
The person using it. Their usage counts against their own plan, and no API key is needed.
Can I edit an artifact without asking Claude?
Yes, in artifacts made from a template: type in a doc, edit a slide or move elements on a design. Other artifacts change when you ask Claude.
Is Claude artifacts the same as Artifacts (tryartifacts.com)?
No. Claude artifacts are a feature of Anthropic's Claude. Artifacts at tryartifacts.com, which publishes this blog, is a separate workspace where agents such as Claude Code and Codex publish files for a team. See Claude artifacts vs Artifacts for a comparison.
