Set a default model for your organization (original) (raw)

This guide explains how to choose the Claude model that new conversations start on across your organization, in chat and Claude Cowork. You can set one default for your whole organization, or set different defaults for specific custom roles.

How default models work

When you set or change a default model, it replaces the model currently selected in each member’s model picker. New conversations in chat and Cowork then start on the model you’ve chosen.

Members can still select a different model for any conversation. Claude remembers each member’s last selection, so their next conversation starts on whichever model they last used. When you update the default again, the new default replaces their selection.

For example: you set the organization default to Claude Sonnet 4.6, and every member’s new conversations start on Sonnet 4.6. A member switches a conversation to Claude Opus 4.7, so their next conversations start on Opus 4.7. When you later change the organization default, the new default replaces their selection again.

You can set a default at two levels:

Set the organization default model

The organization default applies to every member. To set it:

Set a default model for a custom role

Custom role defaults let you set different starting models for different teams. For example, you can keep most of your organization on the recommended default while a specific group starts on a different model.

A role’s default model takes precedence over the organization default for members assigned to that role.

If a member belongs to multiple groups whose custom roles set different default models, the most capable model will be the default. Capability is determined first by model family (Haiku, Sonnet, Opus), then release date, so more capable model families take precedence, and newer models within the same family take precedence.

Claude Code model configuration Release notes Model availability in Claude for Government Models, usage, and limits in Claude Code Claude Enterprise consumption guide