Getting Started with Cowork

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Reading time: ~10 minutes

Goal: Go from zero to your first successful Cowork workflow

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Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

Requirement	How to Check
Pro or Max subscription	claude.ai → Settings → Subscription shows “Pro” or “Max”
macOS or Windows	macOS: Apple menu → About This Mac; Windows: Settings → System → About
Claude Desktop app	Applications folder or Spotlight search
Latest app version	See verification steps below ⚠️

⚠️ Verify You Have the Latest Claude Desktop Version

Critical: Cowork requires the latest version of Claude Desktop. If you don’t see “Cowork” in the mode selector at the top of the app, your version is outdated.

How to verify:

1. Open Claude Desktop app
2. Look at the top of the sidebar — you should see three modes:

   Chat    Cowork    Code
   

3. If you don’t see “Cowork”, update your app:
   • Go to Claude Desktop menu → Check for Updates
   • Or download the latest version from claude.ai/download

Official Documentation: For additional help, see Anthropic’s Getting Started with Cowork guide

Subscription Tiers

Tier	Cost	Cowork Usage
Pro	$20/mo	Light use (~1-1.5h intensive before reset)
Max	$100-200/mo	Heavy use (5x-20x Pro’s limit)
Team	Per seat	Full Cowork access, admin controls
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Full Cowork access, SSO, admin controls

Don’t Have Access?

Situation	Action
Free tier	Upgrade to Pro ($20) or Max ($100+)
Linux	Wait for platform expansion (Linux not announced)

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Step 1: Enable Cowork

1.1 Open Settings

1. Launch Claude Desktop app
2. Click your profile icon (top right)
3. Select Settings

1.2 Enable the Feature

1. Navigate to Features or Beta Features section
2. Find Cowork toggle
3. Enable it

Note: The exact location may vary slightly as the app is updated.

1.3 Verify Activation

After enabling, you should see:

• New “Cowork” option in conversation mode selector
• Or a dedicated Cowork section/tab

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Step 2: Create Your Workspace

Critical: Never grant Cowork access to Documents, Desktop, or home folder directly.

2.1 Create Dedicated Folder

Open Terminal and run:

mkdir -p ~/Cowork-Workspace/{input,output}

This creates:

~/Cowork-Workspace/
├── input/    # Files you want processed
└── output/   # Where Cowork puts results

2.2 Grant Folder Access

1. Start a new Cowork conversation
2. When prompted for folder access, navigate to ~/Cowork-Workspace/
3. Grant access only to this folder

2.3 Verify Access

Ask Cowork:

List the contents of my workspace folder

Expected response: Shows input/ and output/ directories.

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Step 3: Your First Workflow

Let’s do a simple but complete workflow to verify everything works.

3.1 Prepare Test Files

Create some test files in your input folder:

cd ~/Cowork-Workspace/input

# Create sample files
echo "Meeting notes from Monday" > meeting-monday.txt
echo "Meeting notes from Wednesday" > meeting-wednesday.txt
echo "Project status update" > project-status.txt
echo "Random thoughts" > misc-notes.txt

3.2 Run Your First Task

In Cowork, enter:

Organize the files in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/ into subfolders
by category. Create a summary of what you organized in the output folder.

3.3 What Should Happen

1. Plan display: Cowork shows its intended actions
2. Your approval: You review and approve the plan
3. Execution: Cowork reorganizes files
4. Report: Creates summary in output folder

3.4 Verify Results

Check the result:

ls -la ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/
ls -la ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/

You should see:

• Organized subfolders in input/
• A summary file in output/

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Step 4: Understanding the Workflow

The Cowork Cycle

Every Cowork task follows this pattern:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   YOUR REQUEST                       │
│     "Organize my files by category"                 │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                      ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   ANALYSIS                           │
│     Cowork examines your files                      │
│     Identifies patterns and categories              │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                      ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   PLAN PROPOSAL                      │
│     "I will create 3 folders and move X files..."   │
│     ⚠️ YOU REVIEW THIS BEFORE EXECUTION              │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                      ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               YOUR APPROVAL                          │
│     "Yes, proceed" or "No, modify the plan"         │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                      ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   EXECUTION                          │
│     Cowork performs the approved actions            │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                      ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   REPORT                             │
│     Summary of what was done                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Points

1. Always review the plan — This is your safety checkpoint
2. Be specific — Vague requests lead to unexpected results
3. Start small — Test with few files before large batches
4. Check results — Verify output before proceeding

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Step 5: The CTOC Framework

Power users structure every Cowork prompt with four components:

CONTEXT → TASK → OUTPUT → CONSTRAINTS

The Framework

Component	What it is	Example
Context	Background, files, situation	“I have 50 receipts from a business trip to Paris…”
Task	Clear single objective	“Extract all expenses into a spreadsheet”
Output	Exact format and location	“Save as ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/paris-expenses.xlsx”
Constraints	Rules, limits, preferences	“Use EUR currency, semicolon formulas, categorize by type”

CTOC Example

CONTEXT: I have meeting notes from the past month in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/notes/.
They're from different team members with inconsistent formatting.

TASK: Create a consolidated status report from these notes.

OUTPUT: Save as ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/team-status-january.docx
with sections: Executive Summary, Progress by Project, Blockers, Next Steps.

CONSTRAINTS: Keep under 3 pages. Focus on actionable items.
Highlight any risks mentioned.

Quick Patterns

Pattern	Example
Be explicit	✅ “files in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/” not ❌ “my files”
Specify output	✅ “save to ~/output/report.docx” not ❌ “create a report”
Describe format	✅ “columns: Date, Amount, Category” not ❌ “make a spreadsheet”
Add constraints	✅ “use European formula syntax”

Break Down Complex Tasks

Instead of:

❌ "Process all my receipts, create expense reports, and organize by month"

Do this:

✅ Step 1: "List all receipt files in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/"
✅ Step 2: "Extract expense data from these receipts into a single Excel file"
✅ Step 3: "Add monthly summary sheets to the Excel file"

This batching approach also optimizes token usage (see Cheatsheet for token budgets).

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Step 6: Personalize Your Profile (Optional)

Create a personal profile file so Cowork knows your preferences and communication style.

6.1 Create Your Profile File

In your workspace, create my-profile.md:

# My Communication Profile

## Tone & Style
- Formal (use "vous" with clients) / Casual (use "tu")
- Concise bullet points preferred
- No jargon or anglicisms

## Things I NEVER Do
- Use exclamation marks in emails
- Promise specific deadlines
- Skip the greeting

## Default Signature
Best regards,
[Your Name] - [Company]

6.2 Use Your Profile

Start each conversation with:

Read my-profile.md first. Then [your actual request]

Example:

Read my-profile.md first. Then draft a follow-up email to a client
who hasn't responded to our quote in 2 weeks.

6.3 Benefits

Benefit	Why It Matters
Consistent voice	All outputs match your style
Time savings	No need to repeat preferences
Team alignment	Share the file with colleagues
Portable	Same file works with other AI tools

Tip: 80% of an effective profile is what you don’t want. Focus on constraints and anti-patterns.

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Step 7: Chrome Integration (Optional)

Cowork can use Chrome for web research tasks.

Enable Chrome Access

1. When Cowork requests Chrome permission, review carefully
2. Grant only for specific research tasks
3. Revoke after task completion

Example Web Research Task

Research the top 5 project management tools for small teams.
Save your findings to ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/pm-tools-research.md
with a comparison table.

Security Note

• Review each web action Cowork proposes
• Don’t let Cowork fill forms or make purchases
• Revoke Chrome access when not needed

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Step 8: Install Desktop Commander (Recommended)

Desktop Commander is a free official extension that expands what Cowork can do. Most users benefit from it, especially for recurring work.

What Desktop Commander Enables

Capability	Without Desktop Commander	With Desktop Commander
File access	Workspace folder only	Any folder you authorize
Memory between sessions	None — starts fresh each time	Persistent via memory.md
MCP server setup	Manual, technical	One-click install

Installation

1. Open Claude Desktop → Customize tab (or Settings → Extensions)
2. Find Desktop Commander in the list
3. Click Install
4. Restart Claude Desktop when prompted

Takes under 2 minutes. No technical knowledge required.

Set Up Your Memory File

Once Desktop Commander is installed, create a persistent memory file so Cowork remembers your context between sessions:

1. Create ~/Cowork-Workspace/memory.md
2. Add your recurring context, here’s a starting template:

# My Cowork Memory

## Business Context
- Business type: [your type — consulting, retail, trades, etc.]
- Primary file formats: [Word, Excel, PDF, etc.]

## Client Preferences
- Client Dupont: formal tone, PDF invoices preferred
- Client Martin: needs itemized quotes with separate labor/materials

## Things I Never Do
- Use exclamation marks in client emails
- Promise specific delivery dates without checking first

## Recurring Tasks
- Weekly: [what you compile or report each week]
- Monthly: [what you do at month end]

1. Start future sessions with: “Read ~/Cowork-Workspace/memory.md first. Then [your actual request]”

Why This Matters

Without a memory file, you’d repeat preferences and context at the start of every session. With it, Cowork picks up where you left off, knowing your clients, your style, and your recurring work patterns.

Note: Desktop Commander is available via the Customize tab in Claude Desktop. If you don’t see it immediately, check Settings → Extensions.

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Step 9: Enable Computer Use (macOS, Optional)

Computer Use lets Claude control your desktop directly — open apps, click, fill forms, navigate the browser — without any custom integration. Available on Pro and Max plans, macOS only.

Note: Computer Use is available on Pro and Max plans. Use it for supervised tasks where you can review each action.

9.1 Enable in Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Go to Settings → Features → Computer Use
3. Toggle it on
4. Confirm the permission dialog

9.2 Grant macOS System Permissions

Claude needs two system permissions to control your screen:

Screen Recording (required to see your screen):

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording
2. Find Claude Desktop in the list
3. Toggle it on (if it doesn’t appear, click + and add it manually)

Accessibility (required to click and type):

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
2. Find Claude Desktop in the list
3. Toggle it on

9.3 (Optional) Pair Your Phone with Dispatch

To send tasks to your desktop from your phone while you’re away:

1. Open Claude for iOS or Android
2. In the Cowork thread, tap Pair Desktop
3. Scan the QR code shown in your Claude Desktop app
4. Your phone is now connected — send tasks remotely

Requirements: Mac must stay awake with Claude Desktop open. Claude uses the paired thread (Dispatch) to run tasks on your computer while you’re away.

Security Notes for Computer Use

• Claude requests explicit permission per task before accessing a new application
• Anthropic recommends not granting access to sensitive apps (banking, health, legal)
• Claude is trained to refuse: stock trading, saving sensitive credentials, scraping facial images
• Token cost is higher than standard Cowork: every action cycle requires a screenshot

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Troubleshooting First Run

“Cannot access folder”

1. Go to System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Files and Folders
2. Find Claude Desktop
3. Ensure your workspace folder is listed and enabled

“Cowork option not visible”

Most common cause: Outdated app version.

1. Verify your version — See Prerequisites above

2. If you don’t see “Chat

   Cowork

   Code” at the top, update your app

3. After updating, check Settings → Features → ensure Cowork is enabled
4. Restart the app

“Plan seems wrong”

1. Don’t approve the plan
2. Say “Stop. Let me clarify: [your clarification]”
3. Cowork will revise its plan

“Incomplete results”

1. Check if Cowork showed any errors
2. Try breaking the task into smaller steps
3. Verify folder permissions

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Next Steps

You’re now ready to:

1. Explore Capabilities — Learn what Cowork can do
2. Review Security — Safe usage practices
3. Try Workflows — Step-by-step tutorials
4. Use Ready Prompts — Copy-paste templates

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Quick Reference Card

Action	How
Start Cowork	New conversation → Select Cowork mode
Grant access	Browse to ~/Cowork-Workspace/ when prompted
Review plan	Read each step before saying “proceed”
Stop execution	Type “Stop” or close the conversation
Check results	Always verify output folder after tasks

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*← Overview

Cowork Documentation

Capabilities →*