Anthropic launches new Fast Mode for Claude Opus 4.6

Anthropic has launched a new Fast Mode for its flagship AI model, Claude Opus 4.6. This update responds approximately 2.5 times faster than the standard setting while preserving the model’s full intelligence and reasoning performance.

The new mode is designed for scenarios that demand quick turnaround, such as real-time conversations, brainstorming sessions, and rapid prototyping. Users who need immediate feedback without waiting for deeper processing can now switch to Fast Mode while maintaining a smooth, interactive experience.

Claude Opus 4.6 remains one of the most capable large language models available. It offers complex reasoning, coding, long-context understanding, and nuanced problem-solving. The standard mode prioritizes thorough analysis, which naturally requires more computation time. Fast Mode optimizes the inference process to reduce latency significantly, making the same high-quality outputs available much sooner.

From this point forward, a toggle will appear in the Claude interface, allowing users to enable or disable Fast Mode instantly. Once enabled, responses arrive noticeably quicker; when turned off, the model returns to its default depth-first approach. This new feature lets users choose the best balance for each task, maximum speed for casual chats or iterative work, and maximum depth for analytical problems.

For everyday users, Fast Mode makes Claude feel more responsive in conversations. Ideas can flow faster during creative sessions, and quick questions receive near-instant answers. Developers and professionals benefit from accelerated iteration cycles when debugging code, drafting documents, or exploring design options.

The fast mode is available immediately to all Claude users. No additional subscription or setup is required; just visit the site, start a conversation with Claude Opus 4.6, and enable the toggle.

On the other hand, Pro and Max users can enable it in Claude Code with a /fast command after adjusting settings, and all got $50 in free credits to test it. The standard pricing is $5/$25 per million tokens, fast mode costs $30/$150 (or double for larger contexts), with a 50% discount until February 16.

(source)