Crunch: Claude Web Search is from now made free for all Claude users, including free accounts. This means Claude (specifically Claude 4 Sonnet for this feature) can now tap into the live internet for up-to-date information and insights, complete with citations. For Claude for Work accounts, admins need to enable it first.
Claude Hits the Internet
Previously a more limited feature, web search is now expanding across the Claude.ai platform. When you ask Claude about topics that need current info, it will use a search tool to inform its responses, grounding them with live web content.
Beyond general search, if “Web search” is toggled on, Claude can also perform “web fetch.” This means if you provide a specific URL, Claude can retrieve and analyze the full content of that article, blog post, or web page. This is powerful, but free users should be mindful: fetching long articles can consume a good chunk of your daily usage capacity, as the entire content is pulled into Claude’s context window.
Managing Your Search & Usage
Enabling web search is done via a slider icon in the chat input interface. For Claude for Work (Enterprise or Team) accounts, a Primary Owner/Owner must first enable web search for the entire workspace through the integrations settings before individual users in supported locations can toggle it on.
To get the best results, Anthropic suggests asking about recent information or explicitly telling Claude to “Search the web” in your prompt. You can also request information from multiple sources.
While Claude aims for accuracy, it’s always wise to cross-reference cited sources for critical decisions. Keep in mind that search availability can vary, links might occasionally break, and Claude might use your inferred location for localized results.
TLDR
Claude.ai now has web search for everyone (free users too!), pulling real-time info with citations. Admins on Work plans need to enable it first. It can also “fetch” content from URLs you provide. Free users: watch your usage with long articles! Toggle it on/off as needed.
