Cowork is Claude's desktop tool for work that takes sustained effort, like projects that involve pulling from multiple sources, managing complexity, and producing something finished. Where Chat is conversational, Cowork is task-oriented. You give it a goal, connect it to your tools and resources, and let it work through the task with more scope and stamina than a single conversation allows.
As a result, Cowork is only available on the desktop app, and not via the web browser. In order to use Cowork, you must download the app.
This can be done by visiting Anthropic's Download Claude page.
Cowork is able to:
- Handle multi-step tasks that would take too long or get too complex in a single chat
- Multitask by running multiple projects simultaneously, each in its own workspace
- Gain local folder access. Simply point Cowork at a folder on your computer and it reads what is there, figures out what is relevant, and saves finished work back to the same place
- Work on a schedule by handling recurring work automatically, like a weekly summary of your calendar and email or a monthly report compiled from connected sources
- Build a plan you can review before work begins, with visible progress as it works
Best for: Complex research briefs, end-to-end document production, cross-source analysis, and recurring tasks you want to automate on a schedule.
Beginning a Session in Claude Cowork
- Launch Claude via the app
- Select the Cowork toggle
- Describe the task you want Claude to complete
- Claude will inform you on how it plans to work on it. If this works for you, let it run. If not, hash it out.
Keep in mind that Claude will run tasks even if your Claude app is closed or if your computer is asleep. However, if your task requires Claude to access local files, make sure that your Claude app is open.