Updates Anthropic

Claude Sonnet 4.6 Launches as New Default Model for All Users

Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 4.6 with 1M token context, improved coding, and computer use — now the default model for free and Pro users.

Published February 21, 2026
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Anthropic Ships Sonnet 4.6 — Free for Everyone

Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 4.6 on February 17, 2026, making it the new default model for all Claude users — including the free tier. The update comes just 12 days after the launch of the flagship Opus 4.6 model.

Sonnet 4.6 brings significant improvements over its predecessor across coding, computer use, design tasks, and general knowledge work. Most notably, it gains access to the 1M token context window that was previously limited to Opus, giving all developers the ability to process massive documents and codebases in a single conversation.

What’s New in Sonnet 4.6

The new model introduces several key improvements:

  • 1M token context window now available to all developers, not just Opus users
  • Improved coding performance with better code generation, debugging, and multi-file refactoring
  • Enhanced computer use capabilities for automated desktop workflows
  • Better design and visual tasks with stronger understanding of layouts and interfaces
  • Faster response times compared to Opus while maintaining high quality output

Sonnet 4.6 sits in the middle of Anthropic’s model lineup — more capable than the fast, lightweight Haiku 4.5, while being significantly more affordable than the flagship Opus 4.6. At $3 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens via the API, it offers a strong balance of capability and cost.

Opus 4.6 Continues to Lead

While Sonnet 4.6 becomes the default, Opus 4.6 remains Anthropic’s most powerful model. Released on February 5, Opus 4.6 introduced adaptive thinking — a system where the model automatically adjusts its reasoning depth based on task complexity. It scored 80.8% on SWE-bench Verified (the highest of any model) and 1606 Elo on GDPval-AA, leading professional benchmarks in finance and legal reasoning by a 144-point margin.

Opus 4.6 is available to Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers.

Growing Platform Ecosystem

The Sonnet 4.6 launch caps a busy February for Anthropic. Earlier this month, the company also shipped Claude Cowork for Windows (bringing feature parity with macOS), announced that Claude will remain permanently ad-free, and enabled self-service Enterprise plan purchases — removing the requirement to speak with sales.

With over 50 MCP integrations connecting Claude to tools like Slack, Gmail, Figma, and Notion, Anthropic is positioning Claude not just as a chatbot but as a central work hub.

What This Means for Users

Free users now get access to a significantly more capable model at no cost. Pro subscribers benefit from the improved Sonnet as their everyday model while retaining access to Opus for complex tasks. For API developers, the 1M context window on Sonnet opens up use cases that previously required the more expensive Opus model.

The update is rolling out globally and should be available to all users within 24 hours.