# What Is Cowork in Claude, and How Is It Different from Claude Code? > Chat, Cowork, and Claude Code: working with folders, business tasks, confirmations, and technical limitations. Source: https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/claude-cowork-vs-claude-code/ Canonical: https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/claude-cowork-vs-claude-code/ Language: en Publisher: Ailoot (https://ailoot.ai/) Translation: guide-057 Revision: sha256-094c9a7969ca32022ed2cebbce2e0b3924dd81e334dc56f3d70503d84face8ef Cowork in Claude is the second step after chat: an agent on your computer that you give an entire folder to, and it plans the work, opens files, and puts together spreadsheets and presentations on its own. For a task involving documents and spreadsheets, use Cowork. If you need a bot, automation, or a website, that’s the third step: Claude Code. If you no longer see the “Chat” and “Cowork” switch in the input field, nothing has disappeared. Anthropic has merged Cowork with regular Claude: it decides whether to respond quickly or take on a task. Just describe the task in the regular input field. Most people use Claude to only 5% of its potential: they ask a question and get an answer. You can work in the browser, but you’re very limited there. Cowork is your AI colleague that works with real files on your computer. And it’s already available on Pro for $20 a month: you don’t need an expensive plan for it. Chat is the first step, Cowork the second, and code the third. We’ll look at Cowork along this ladder: what it can do, where the button went, where the line is between it and Claude Code, and how to launch it on Windows and Mac. Let’s go.
Key takeaway Cowork is a Claude mode in which it works with folders on your computer: it reads files, edits them, and saves the result alongside them. It has the same agent foundation as Claude Code, just without the terminal. It won’t write a program, bot, or website: that’s Claude Code’s job. Anthropic is now merging Cowork with regular chat: first, the “Chat” and “Cowork” switch disappears for Pro and Max users, and Claude figures out whether it’s looking at a question or a task. Cowork is available only on paid plans: Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. For it to see your files, you need the Claude desktop app for Windows or Mac.
## What Is Cowork in Claude, in Simple Terms? The first section of Claude is chat. You write something and get a response, like with ChatGPT. Cowork differs from chat because it’s a kind of workspace. You can not only ask questions, but also save information locally, update that information, manage files, and control your computer. In chat, you ask a question; here, you assign a task, and Claude carries it out. It’s essentially an [agent on your computer](https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/ai-agents-explained/): you describe a task, and then it works on its own and saves everything locally on your computer. Under the hood, Cowork has the same agent architecture as Claude Code. You don’t need the terminal: you assign a task in plain text, just as you would in chat. There is one condition, though. Cowork can access your files, browser, and computer only when the Claude desktop app for macOS or Windows is open. Cowork is also available in the web version, but without access to folders on your disk, it loses its main advantage.
Ailoot documentation describes [connecting models and working with the API](https://ailoot.ai/docs/).
## Where Did the Cowork Button Go? “It’s Just Claude Now” Anthropic’s help center now puts it this way: Claude Cowork is now just Claude. There’s no separate mode anymore. You write in one field, and Claude decides whether you need a quick answer or a multi-step task involving files. The new interface is rolling out gradually: first to Pro and Max, then to the other plans. It’s easy to tell if you have it: if the input field doesn’t offer “Chat” and “Cowork,” you already have the new version, and you just need to describe the task in a regular message. If the switch is still there, you have the previous interface. Here’s how it works: 1. Select “Cowork” in the input field. 2. Describe the task. 3. Review how Claude proposes to handle it, then let it work. 4. To return to a regular conversation, switch to “Chat.” ## Chat, Cowork, or Claude Code: Which One Should You Use? The second step, Cowork, lets you ask about information stored on your computer, get an answer, and edit that information right away. The third step, Claude Code, works with the same folder: just as with Cowork, you can ask questions and edit information, but you can also build features, write bots, and create automations. It’s a [full-fledged developer](https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/install-claude-code/) that can create a website for you, read a codebase, and test it. | Step | What you provide | What you get | Example task for a business owner | |----|----|----|----| | Chat | A question | An answer in the window | Draft an email to a client, review a contract pasted into a message | | Cowork | A folder of information and instructions | An answer and modified files in that folder | Compile the month’s receipts into a report, create a presentation from notes, organize documents | | Claude Code | The same folder and a task to build a program | Working code: a bot, website, or automation | A bot for handling requests, a website, a scheduled CRM export | There’s one rule for choosing. Need an answer? Use chat. Need to change files on your computer? Use Cowork. Need a program, bot, or website? Use Claude Code. And it’s all in one ecosystem. All three steps are sections of one app, and the folder stays the same. If you want to move up to the third step and build your own bots and automations without hiring a developer, continue to Claude Code. ## A Folder Instead of Files: What to Give Cowork for Business In chat, you upload files one at a time and retrieve the result manually. With Cowork, there are no uploads: you work directly with files in folders. Give it an entire folder, set instructions for the folder, and it figures out what to do with each item on its own. Claude reads and writes only in the folders you’ve connected. It can’t see the rest of your disk. It can save the result there too: a document, PDF, or anything else, locally on your computer. The tasks Anthropic itself gives as examples apply almost word for word to business: - a folder of receipts for the month — an expense report; - a folder of meeting and research notes — one summary; - a sales export — an Excel spreadsheet with formulas; - notes for a talk — a finished presentation; - a mess in the “Downloads” folder — files sorted into folders; - scans with meaningless names — bulk renaming according to one rule. But the most important folder for business is the one with documents: contracts, price lists, procedures, and client responses. You can ask questions about this information: what payment terms did we offer this client, where does the procedure explain returns? Get an answer, then ask Claude to make a change right away: update the price list, rewrite a section of the procedure, or create a new contract based on the old template. ## How Much Does Cowork Cost, and Which Plans Include It? Cowork is available only on paid plans: Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. It’s not available on the free plan. Prices listed on Anthropic’s pricing page, before taxes: - Pro — $20 a month with monthly billing, or $17 a month with annual billing, paid as $200 upfront; - Max — from $100 a month, with 5 or 20 times the limits of Pro; - Team — $25 a month for a standard seat, or $20 with annual billing. For one business owner, [Pro is enough](https://ailoot.ai/blog/en/which-claude-plan/): it already lets you assign Claude a task and schedule it. You need Max if you run into Pro’s limits. It’s easier to hit those limits in Cowork than in chat. A multi-step task uses up your limit much faster than a quick question: the agent opens files and works through them step by step. Here’s what helps: - Put related work into one task instead of splitting it into separate messages; - start a new conversation for an unrelated task so Claude doesn’t carry old context along; - check usage in Settings, under Usage. ## How to Launch Cowork on Windows and Mac: Step by Step It doesn’t matter whether you use Windows or Mac; the app can be installed on either. 1. Download or update Claude Desktop at claude.com/download. On Windows, Cowork works only in the latest version of the app, so update it if it’s old. 2. Sign in to an account with a paid plan. 3. Create a separate work folder and connect it. Claude will see only that folder, so put copies of the necessary documents there and don’t give it access to your entire disk right away. 4. Write instructions for the folder: what it contains, how to name files, and what format to use for the results. Set general rules for all tasks in Settings, under Cowork. Claude can add to the folder instructions itself as it works. 5. Leave the confirmation mode set to Manual; it’s the default. 6. Give it a short first task as a check. For example, rename 10 files using one rule, or combine 3 documents into one. In the new interface, just describe the task in the input field. In the previous interface, select “Cowork” first. In addition to desktop, Cowork is available on the web at claude.ai on Pro, Max, and Team (on Enterprise, if an administrator has enabled it), in the Claude mobile app, and in the Claude in Chrome sidebar. In Chrome, it’s currently available on Max and Team, and is rolling out to Pro. ## Confirmations, Scheduling, and Plugins: What to Set Up First **Confirmations.** The new interface has two modes: Auto and Manual. Manual is the default: Claude asks for permission before taking actions. The previous interface has a third mode, Skip. Claude asks for explicit permission before permanently deleting files in any mode. Auto is more convenient, but uses more of your limit than the other modes, so enable it for tasks you’ve already checked in Manual. **Scheduling.** You can schedule recurring work with the /schedule command inside a Cowork task or in the “Scheduled” section in the sidebar. These tasks run in the cloud, so you can turn off your computer. For example, you can have it compile a weekly summary every Monday. **Phone.** You can start a task on your phone, and Claude will continue it in the cloud, even if your laptop is closed. The phone connects through Dispatch: pair it with the computer using a QR code. To be honest, though, it isn’t very reliable. **Plugins.** A plugin bundles skills, service connectors, and agent helpers, each with its own task. Add a plugin once, and it’s saved to your account and works in chat, Claude Code, and Cowork. Choose which connectors Claude can access using “+” in the input field or under Customize, Connectors. Each connector has three permission types: “Always allow” — it works without asking; “Needs approval” — it asks you; “Blocked” — it’s prohibited. Set “Needs approval” for email, banking, and anything that sends data outside your system. ## Where Cowork Falls Short: Limitations - You can’t share a session with a colleague. You can send only individual results: a file, spreadsheet, or document. - Some features are available only in the desktop app. Cowork is limited on the web and on phones. - Tasks run in an isolated environment on Anthropic’s servers; on Team and Enterprise, this is still in beta. Sessions and files are stored in your account. If this is critical, delete the task: it is removed from Anthropic’s storage within 30 days. You can tell by looking at the task: as long as the result is a document or spreadsheet, Cowork is enough. When you need a bot that handles requests on its own, a website, or an automation that works without you, it’s time for the third step: Claude Code. Which folder would you give to Cowork first? Think about where you do the most manual work with files.
### Frequently Asked Questions Do I need to keep my computer on while Cowork is working? Not for scheduled tasks: they run in the cloud, and you can turn off your computer. To work with local folders, the Claude Desktop app needs to be open. Can I use Cowork without an internet connection? No. Claude needs an internet connection even to work with files on your computer.
### Sources - [Anthropic: Get started with Cowork](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13345190-get-started-with-cowork) — plans, merging with chat, Windows and macOS, folders, instructions, confirmation modes, scheduling, limits, plugins and connectors, limitations, deleting tasks - [Anthropic: Cowork page](https://claude.com/product/cowork) — desktop access on Pro, Max, and Team, starting a task from a phone, and cloud operation when the laptop is closed - [Anthropic: Claude pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) — Pro, Max, and Team prices, Cowork on the Team plan
Continue working with AI on [Ailoot](https://ailoot.ai/).
## Questions about What Is Cowork in Claude, and How Is It Different from Claude Code? ### Does a cloud schedule give Claude access to my local folders while my computer is off? No. The guide’s cloud schedules can run with the computer off, but work with connected folders on your disk requires the Claude desktop app to be open. Choose the execution environment according to where the necessary files live. ### What is a useful first Cowork task? Connect a separate folder containing copies of a few documents, leave confirmations on Manual, and ask it to combine three documents or rename ten files by one rule. Inspect the saved files before broadening access or enabling Auto. ## Ailoot · The company and its project portfolio Ailoot combines established operating experience, a large client base, stable service and ongoing KPI control. The company and its project portfolio: millions of customers; monthly sales in the billions. Ailoot brings that operating experience to API access for AI features in customer products, agents, applications and automations.