# Web search

> A setting that lets Claude look things up on the internet, so it can answer with current information and link its sources.

**Category:** Claude

**Web search lets Claude go and look, rather than rely on memory.** Its built-in knowledge stops at a training cut-off, so for anything recent, prices, news, a today fact, you switch web search on and Claude fetches it live and shows the source links.

The habit: **switch it on for anything current, then check the links.** For timeless questions the built-in knowledge is faster and perfectly fine.

## At work

Before a meeting, ask Claude for a prospect's latest news with web search on, then click the sources to confirm before you rely on it.

## Often confused with

Extended thinking. Web search fetches new facts from the internet; [extended thinking](/glossary#extended-thinking) reasons harder with what Claude already has.

## Related terms

- Extended thinking
- Model
- Claude

## See it in a lesson

[Models, thinking, and web access](/en/learn/getting-started-with-claude/models-thinking-and-web-access)

## Further reading

- [Enable and use web search (Help)](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10684626-enable-and-use-web-search): How to switch web search on and use it.
- [When should I use web search, extended thinking, and research? (Help)](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11095361-when-should-i-use-web-search-extended-thinking-and-research): When to reach for the web instead of memory.
- [Use research on Claude (Help)](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11088861-use-research-on-claude): The deeper, multi-source research mode.

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Last updated: 24/07/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary