How to Use Claude on Your Computer
Stop copy-pasting between Claude and your files. Let it work where your work already lives.
Why this matters
Claude in the browser is great for asking questions and drafting text. But the moment you need it to touch a real file, organize a folder, or work across multiple documents, you're stuck doing the copy-paste dance. Cowork removes that step. Claude works directly on your computer, in your apps, with your files.
What Cowork actually is
Cowork is a feature inside the Claude Desktop app. It lets Claude interact with files and folders on your computer. You describe what you want done in plain English, and Claude does it: moves files, creates documents, summarizes folders, drafts content into your apps.
Think of it like handing a capable coworker a task. You tell them what to do. They do it. You review the result.
It's not a separate product. It's not a plugin. It's built into the Claude Desktop app on Mac and Windows, available to all paid subscribers.
Generally available as of April 9, 2026 on macOS and Windows via the Claude Desktop app. Skills, Plugins, and Connectors now live together inside the app's new Customize panel, so everything you've set up shows up in one place.
Cowork can also take direct action in other apps on your computer — clicking buttons, filling forms, navigating websites — when you ask it to. This is called computer use, and it's what makes Cowork feel less like a file helper and more like a coworker who can actually drive the software you use.
How it's different from chat and Projects
Chat is a conversation. You ask, Claude answers. Nothing gets saved outside the chat window.
Projects save context between sessions. Claude remembers your instructions, your files, your preferences. But it still works inside the browser.
Cowork crosses that line. Claude can now read, create, and organize files on your computer. It works alongside your other apps instead of in a separate tab. If Projects gave Claude a memory, Cowork gives it hands.
How to get started safely
Step 1: Install Claude Desktop
Go to claude.ai/download. Choose Mac or Windows. Install and sign in with the same account you use on the web. If you already have the app, make sure it's updated to the latest version.
Step 2: Open Cowork
Look in the sidebar of the desktop app. You'll see Cowork listed. Open it and grant access to one folder to start. You control exactly which folders Claude can see. Start with something low-stakes, like your Downloads folder.
Step 3: Give it a task in plain English
No special syntax. No prompt templates. Just describe what you want, the way you'd explain it to a coworker. Claude will show you what it plans to do before it does it, so you can approve or adjust.
Four Day 1 tasks
Task 1: Organize your Downloads folder
Task 2: Turn meeting notes into a summary doc
Task 3: Draft a status update from project files
Task 4: Manage work from your phone
Where to build confidence gradually
A few things to ease into, not avoid forever. Cowork is capable on day one, but these categories are worth building confidence on gradually:
- Anything involving credentials, passwords, or API keys in files
- Bulk operations across your entire hard drive (start with one folder)
- Tasks where a mistake is hard to undo (deleting, overwriting, sending)
- Files with confidential client data until you're comfortable with the privacy model
Start small. Verify the output. Then expand the scope as your confidence grows.
What to do next
Once you're comfortable with Cowork, set up a Project to give Claude persistent context for your most common tasks. Upload your style guides, templates, and reference docs so Claude can work with your standards, not generic defaults.