Claude CoworkLesson 2

Setup & Access

Cowork is not available everywhere Claude is. You need a paid subscription, the desktop app on macOS or Windows, and explicit folder permissions before Claude can work on your files.

How to access Cowork

Cowork lives inside Claude Desktop. Two things are required before you can open the Cowork tab:

💳
Claude Pro or Max

Cowork requires an active Pro or Max subscription. Sign in at claude.ai → Settings → Plan to check or upgrade.

🖥️
Claude Desktop app

Download from claude.com/download, install, and sign in with the same Pro or Max account. Open the app and switch to the Cowork tab.

Before you open Cowork
✓Claude Pro or Max subscription
Required
✓Claude Desktop app installed
Required
✓Signed in with the same account
Required
✗Web browser only (claude.ai)
Not enough
✗Mobile app only
Not enough
Cowork runs inside Claude Desktop — not in the browser or mobile app alone
Team and Enterprise plans also include Cowork on Claude Desktop. The requirements are the same: desktop app + paid plan — not the web-only experience.

Supported platforms

Claude Desktop — and Cowork inside it — runs on macOS and Windows. There is no Cowork mode in the browser or on mobile.

🍎
macOS
macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
Download
Apple Silicon and Intel Macs supported
🪟
Windows
Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
Download
Install the desktop app — Cowork is not in the web app
Linux and mobile-only access are not supported for Cowork at this time
1
Go to claude.com/download and pick your operating system.
2
Install Claude Desktop and sign in with your Pro or Max account.
3
At the top of the app, switch from "Chat" to "Cowork".
4
Describe your task and grant folder access when prompted.

Granting folder access

Cowork needs permission to read and write files on your machine. You choose which folder to share for each task — Claude does not get blanket access to your entire computer.

→
You pick the folder — When a task starts, Claude asks you to select a folder — e.g. Documents/Invoices or Downloads.
→
Scoped to that folder — Cowork can work inside the granted folder and its subfolders. Other locations stay off limits unless you grant them separately.
→
OS may ask too — macOS and Windows may show their own permission dialogs the first time Claude Desktop accesses a folder. Approve those to let Cowork proceed.
→
Grant again for new tasks — If your next task needs a different folder, you select it again. Permissions are tied to what you approved for that session.
Claude Desktop — Grant folder access
Claude needs access to work on your files

Choose a folder for this task. Claude can read and write inside the folder you select.

Selected folder
/Users/alex/Documents/Invoices
Cancel
Allow access
You pick which folder Cowork can touch — it does not get access to your whole drive by default
Example: You ask Cowork to sort invoices in Documents/Invoices. Grant only that folder — not your whole Documents directory — unless you intend Claude to work across all of it.

Sandboxing — how permissions work

When Cowork runs shell commands or scripts, they execute inside an isolated virtual machine (VM) on your computer — not directly on your main operating system. Combined with folder grants, this limits what Claude can touch.

Your computer
🔒 Desktop
📁 Documents/← granted
🔒 Downloads/
🔒 Other folders
→
Isolated VM (sandbox)
•Shell commands run here
•Scripts execute safely
•Outputs written to granted folder only
Commands run in a sandboxed virtual machine — separate from your main OS — with access limited to folders you approved
Sandboxing keeps system files protected; Cowork only reaches folders you explicitly grant
LayerWhat it does
Folder grantYou choose which directories Cowork can read and write
Sandboxed VMCommands run in an isolated environment, not on your main OS
Ask before actingClaude pauses for approval before each action (recommended default)
Delete protectionPermanent file deletion always requires explicit confirmation
Cowork — action approval
Claude wants to rename 24 files in Documents/Invoices with a date prefix.
Allow
Deny
With "Ask before acting" enabled, Claude pauses for your approval before each step

Setup checklist

☐Active Claude Pro or Max subscription
☐Claude Desktop installed (macOS or Windows)
☐Signed in with the same account in the desktop app
☐Cowork tab selected in Claude Desktop
☐Folder access granted for the task at hand
☐"Ask before acting" enabled until you are comfortable with Cowork
Summary:
  • Cowork needs Claude Pro or Max and the Claude Desktop app.
  • Supported on macOS and Windows — not browser or mobile alone.
  • You grant folder access per task; Claude cannot see your whole drive by default.
  • Commands run in a sandboxed VM, with optional step-by-step approval before actions.

What's Next

Core Capabilities — reorganize files, build spreadsheets from screenshots, and run multi-step tasks end-to-end.