Cowork Capabilities

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Reading time: ~8 minutes

Purpose: Understand exactly what Cowork can and cannot do

Model Selection

Cowork supports different Claude models. Since Sonnet 4.6 launched (February 17, 2026), the model selection calculus has changed significantly.

Available Models

Model Best For Speed Context Window Usage Cost
Haiku Very simple tasks, quick queries Very Fast Standard Low
Sonnet 4.6 ⭐ Agentic tasks, file automation, daily Cowork workflows Fast 1M tokens (beta), 128K output Standard
Opus 4.6 Deep reasoning, scientific analysis, complex multi-agent tasks Slower 1M tokens (beta), 128K output Higher (5x Sonnet)

Model Notes (February 2026):

When to Use Each

Task Type Recommended Model Why
File organization, renaming Sonnet 4.6 Agentic tasks — Sonnet’s strength
Receipt extraction, OCR batches Sonnet 4.6 Tool-calling — Sonnet’s #1 ranking
Email drafts, document creation Sonnet 4.6 Fast, sufficient quality
Daily automations, scheduled tasks Sonnet 4.6 Same agentic performance, 5x cheaper
Multi-source research synthesis Sonnet 4.6 1M context handles large volumes
Contract review, legal analysis Opus 4.6 Deep reasoning advantage
Complex scientific/technical reports Opus 4.6 GPQA-level reasoning needed
Multi-agent coordination Opus 4.6 Coordination logic benefits from Opus

Selection Tips

  1. Default to Sonnet 4.6 — Handles 90%+ of Cowork tasks with near-identical agentic performance to Opus
  2. Switch to Opus 4.6 only when:
    • Results require expert-level reasoning (legal, scientific, regulatory)
    • Task involves complex multi-agent coordination
    • Output quality from Sonnet falls consistently short despite good prompts
  3. Avoid Opus for file operations — No measurable benefit over Sonnet for organizing files, extracting data, or running scheduled automations
  4. Mind your quota — Opus consumes 5x more quota per token. On Pro plan, this compounds quickly.

Pro plan users: Sonnet 4.6 is your default for everything. Reserve Opus for the rare task where reasoning depth genuinely matters.

Max plan users: Still start with Sonnet 4.6. Switch to Opus for contract review, strategic analysis, or when Sonnet’s output needs more depth.

Capability Matrix

File Operations

Operation Can Do Notes
Read files ✅ Yes Any format in granted folder
Create files ✅ Yes Any text-based format
Move files ✅ Yes Within granted folders
Copy files ✅ Yes Within granted folders
Rename files ✅ Yes Bulk renaming supported
Delete files ✅ Yes ⚠️ Permanent, no trash
Create folders ✅ Yes Nested structures supported
Extract archives ❌ No Cannot run unzip/tar
Compress files ❌ No Cannot create archives

Document Generation

Format Can Create Features
Plain text (.txt) ✅ Yes Any content
Markdown (.md) ✅ Yes Full formatting
Word (.docx) ✅ Yes Headers, tables, formatting
Excel (.xlsx) ✅ Yes Formulas, multiple sheets, formatting
PowerPoint (.pptx) ✅ Yes Slides, basic formatting — see reusable template workflow →
PDF ✅ Yes Generated from content
HTML ✅ Yes Full HTML/CSS
CSV ✅ Yes Data export
JSON ✅ Yes Structured data

Input Processing

Input Type Can Process Notes
Text files ✅ Yes Any encoding
Office docs ✅ Yes Word, Excel, PowerPoint
PDFs ✅ Yes Text extraction
Images ✅ Yes OCR for text extraction
Screenshots ✅ Yes Receipt/document scanning
Markdown ✅ Yes Full parsing
CSV/JSON ✅ Yes Structured data parsing
Audio ❌ No Cannot process
Video ❌ No Cannot process
Encrypted files ❌ No Cannot decrypt

Web Capabilities (via Chrome)

Action Can Do Notes
Search web ✅ Yes Via Chrome integration
Read pages ✅ Yes Extract content
Save content ✅ Yes To local files
Fill forms ⚠️ Limited Requires explicit approval
Make purchases ❌ No Security restriction
Login to sites ❌ No Security restriction
API calls ❌ No No direct network access

Detailed Capabilities

1. File Organization

Cowork excels at organizing large numbers of files:

INPUT:  500 files in Downloads folder
OUTPUT: Organized structure by type/date/project

What Cowork Does:

Limitations:

2. Document Synthesis

Combine multiple sources into structured outputs:

INPUT:  15 meeting notes, 3 reports, 5 emails (as text files)
OUTPUT: Executive summary with key decisions and action items

What Cowork Does:

Limitations:

3. Data Extraction

Extract structured data from unstructured sources:

INPUT:  20 receipt images (photos, screenshots)
OUTPUT: Excel spreadsheet with Date, Vendor, Amount, Category

What Cowork Does:

Limitations:

⚠️ No independent benchmarks exist for AI file organization tools. Productivity claims are vendor marketing, not peer-reviewed research. Set realistic expectations.

4. Report Generation

Create formatted reports from raw data:

INPUT:  CSV with sales data
OUTPUT: Formatted report with charts and analysis

What Cowork Does:

Limitations:

5. Research Compilation

Gather and organize research from multiple sources:

INPUT:  Topic: "Remote work productivity tools"
OUTPUT: Research document with comparison matrix

What Cowork Does:

Limitations:

Excel Capabilities (Detailed)

Since Excel output is a major Cowork strength:

Supported Features

Feature Supported Example
Basic formulas ✅ Yes =SUM(A1:A10)
Conditional formulas ✅ Yes =IF(A1>100, "High", "Low")
VLOOKUP/HLOOKUP ✅ Yes Cross-reference sheets
Multiple sheets ✅ Yes Summary + detail sheets
Cell formatting ✅ Yes Bold, colors, borders
Number formatting ✅ Yes Currency, percentages
Data validation ⚠️ Limited Basic dropdown lists
Pivot tables ❌ No Must create manually
Macros/VBA ❌ No Security restriction
Charts ⚠️ Limited Basic chart types

Not to Be Confused With: Claude in Excel Add-in

⚠️ Important Distinction: This section describes Cowork’s Excel generation capabilities (creating .xlsx files from data). This is NOT the same as the Claude in Excel add-in (Microsoft Excel add-in for formula assistance, launched Jan 24, 2026).

Key differences:

  • Cowork Excel: Generates new Excel files from unstructured data (receipts, images, text)
  • Claude in Excel: Helps with formulas/analysis inside existing Excel files

See full comparison.

Regional Considerations

Excel formula syntax varies by region:

Tip: Specify your regional setting in prompts:

Create an Excel file using European formula syntax (semicolon separators)

Context Window Usage

Cowork shares Claude’s ~200K token context limit, but effective capacity is ~165K.

Why 165K, Not 200K?

System overhead consumes tokens before your task starts:

Effective limit: ~165-175K usable tokens

Practical Limits

Content Type Approximate Capacity
Plain text pages 100-400 pages
Documents 40-80 typical docs
Spreadsheet rows 8,000-40,000 rows
Images (OCR) 40-80 images

When You Hit Limits

Error message:

Context limit reached

Symptoms:

Solutions:

Token Budget by Task Type

Task Tokens Pro Sessions
Simple Q&A 5K-10K Many
File inventory 20K-30K 6-8
Small file org (10-20 files) 30K-50K 3-5
Large file org (50+ files) 80K-150K 1-2
OCR batch (10+ images) 60K-100K 2-3

Agentic overhead: Plan→Execute→Check cycles add 15-30% tokens.

Extensions & Plugins

Cowork supports official extensions that extend its capabilities for specialized workflows. Extensions are provided by Anthropic and integrate seamlessly with the Cowork interface.

Available Extensions

Claude Legal (announced February 3, 2026):

⚠️ Legal Disclaimer: Claude Legal does NOT provide legal advice. It assists with document analysis and risk identification. All findings should be reviewed by a qualified legal professional before making decisions.

How to use: Claude Legal capabilities are accessible through standard Cowork prompts when processing legal documents. No separate installation required—simply reference legal analysis needs in your task description.

Example prompt:

Review the contract in ~/Cowork-Workspace/contracts/vendor-agreement.pdf
Identify key terms, obligations, and potential risks.
Generate a summary with flagged issues for legal review.

Official Plugins (January 30, 2026) + Expanded Ecosystem (February 24, 2026)

The plugin ecosystem has grown significantly. Starting from 11 core plugins (January 30), Anthropic expanded with enterprise connectors and functional plugins on February 24.

Core Plugins (all users)

Plugin Category SMB Use Cases
Asana Project Management Task tracking, project status
Canva Design Create visuals, social posts
Cloudflare Infrastructure Site management, analytics
Figma Design Design file access, review
GitHub Development Repository management, issues
Google Drive Cloud Storage File access, document management
Jira Project Management Issue tracking, sprint management
Linear Project Management Issue tracking, project planning
Notion Knowledge Base Pages, databases, documentation
Sentry Monitoring Error tracking, performance
Slack Communication Messages, channel management

New Connectors (February 24, 2026)

Key additions relevant for SMBs:

Connector Category Use Cases
Google Calendar Productivity Meeting scheduling, availability checks
Gmail Communication Email workflows without Chrome
DocuSign Documents Contract signing, document workflows
WordPress Publishing Post management, content updates
Apollo Sales Contact research, prospecting
Clay Sales Lead enrichment, CRM data
Outreach Sales Sales sequences, follow-ups
Similarweb Research Competitor web traffic analysis
Harvey Legal Legal document analysis
LegalZoom Legal Document templates, compliance

Finance/institutional connectors also added (FactSet, MSCI, LSEG, S&P Global) — primarily enterprise/investment workflows.

GA Connectors (April 9, 2026)

Launched alongside Cowork’s general availability:

Connector Category Use Cases
Zoom Communication Meeting management, transcript retrieval, workflow automation from Cowork

Functional Plugins by Department

Beyond individual app connectors, Anthropic launched pre-built plugins that combine connectors and skills for specific job functions:

Function Covers
HR Full employee lifecycle: job descriptions, onboarding docs, offer letters, offboarding
Legal & Design UX copy, accessibility audits, design critiques
Operations Process documentation, vendor evaluations, change request tracking, brand voice
Engineering Development workflows, code review processes
Finance Financial analysis workflows (enterprise-focused)

Build Your Own Plugin (No Code Required)

You can create custom plugins tailored to your specific workflow:

  1. Open Cowork’s Plugins panel in the interface
  2. Click Create Plugin
  3. Define your skills (reusable AI tasks) with descriptions
  4. Assign slash commands to each skill (e.g., /quote, /followup)
  5. Bundle skills with relevant connectors
  6. Share across your team

Starting point: Anthropic’s 11 official plugins are open-sourced and available as templates to adapt.

Admin: Private Plugin Marketplace

Organizations can create a private catalog of approved plugins:

Note: Google Calendar, Gmail, and DocuSign connectors were announced February 24, 2026. Zoom was added at GA (April 9, 2026). Check current availability in your Cowork settings.

New Capabilities (February 2026)

Scheduled Tasks

Cowork can automate recurring tasks, run them at set times without manually triggering each time. Set it up once, and it handles your daily, weekly, or monthly operations.

Two Task Types

Recurring tasks — Run automatically at set intervals without any manual action:

On-demand tasks — Run once when you trigger them manually:

How to Set Up a Task

  1. Open Claude Desktop → left sidebar → Scheduled section
  2. Click New Task
  3. Write your task prompt (CTOC format recommended)
  4. Choose task type:
    • Recurring: set cadence (hourly / daily / weekly / weekdays / custom)
    • On-demand: will run when you click “Run now”
  5. Activate

Managing tasks from the sidebar: view upcoming runs, see past run history, edit prompt or cadence, pause, resume, delete, or trigger an on-demand run at any time.

Note: Scheduled Tasks is in research preview. Reliability may vary. Always verify automated outputs before acting on them.

⚠️ Device must be awake: If your computer is asleep or Claude Desktop is closed when a task fires, it will be skipped and re-run once the device wakes and the app reopens. Plan accordingly for overnight or early-morning schedules.

4 Essential Patterns

Pattern 1: Daily Morning Brief Triggers every day at 9am. Consolidates overnight inputs into a usable brief.

CONTEXT: Files added yesterday to ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/daily/
TASK: Summarize new documents, key information, items requiring action today
OUTPUT: ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/brief-[date].md with sections: Actions Today, Key Info, Nothing Urgent
CONSTRAINTS: Max 1 page. Bullet points only. Flag anything time-sensitive.

Pattern 2: Weekly Sales Compilation Triggers every Monday at 8am. Pulls together the past week’s data.

CONTEXT: Files in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/weekly/ from the past 7 days
TASK: Compile into a weekly summary, totals, notable items, open follow-ups
OUTPUT: ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/weekly-[date].docx
CONSTRAINTS: One-page executive format. Include totals. Flag overdue items.

Pattern 3: Friday Wrap-Up Triggers every Friday at 5pm. Documents what happened this week.

CONTEXT: All files modified this week in ~/Cowork-Workspace/
TASK: Create end-of-week recap, work done, pending items, notes for next Monday
OUTPUT: ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/recap-[date].md
CONSTRAINTS: Focus on what's actionable next week. Brief format.

Pattern 4: Monthly Dashboard Triggers on the 1st of each month. Creates your monthly overview.

CONTEXT: ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/monthly/ for the past month
TASK: Monthly summary, key metrics, trends, outstanding issues
OUTPUT: ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/dashboard-[month].xlsx with Summary and Details tabs
CONSTRAINTS: Use EU formula syntax. Month-over-month comparison where data allows.

Reliability Notes

Scheduled tasks work well for straightforward, repeatable operations. For complex multi-step workflows or tasks that depend on external data availability, check outputs manually the first few runs to validate behavior.

Alternative for advanced automation: n8n (open source) can trigger Cowork Desktop via the n8n-nodes-claude-desktop community node, enabling more sophisticated scheduling and conditional logic.

3 Methods: What Cowork Can and Can’t Schedule

Not all scheduled automation works the same way depending on your setup:

Method How It Works Requirement Works in Cowork?
Cowork native UI Sidebar → Scheduled → New Task Claude Desktop open, machine awake ✅ Yes
Machine off / you’re away Task fires while Mac is sleeping or closed Remote execution ❌ No — use Dispatch or Claude Code
Headless server / CI Automated server without a display No Claude Desktop ❌ No — use Claude Code

The honest answer: Cowork’s scheduled tasks require Claude Desktop to be running and your Mac to be awake. If the Mac sleeps or the app closes when a task fires, it skips and re-runs once the device wakes.

For the two unsupported cases:

Decision rule: Cowork scheduling is best for “while I’m working” routines (morning brief, weekly compilation). For automation that must run reliably regardless of whether you’re at your desk, Claude Code is the right tool.

Improved Browser Automation

Browser automation capabilities have been enhanced for more reliable web research, form interaction, and content extraction.

Direct Excel and PowerPoint Integrations

Beyond generating .xlsx and .pptx files from scratch, Cowork can now directly edit existing Excel and PowerPoint files — modifying content, adding sheets/slides, and updating formulas in place.

Practical use case: Build a reusable PPTX template from your existing company presentation (brand colors, house structure), then generate each new presentation from notes in 3 steps. See the reusable template workflow.

Claude Add-ins for Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Beyond Cowork’s file generation, Claude is also available as a persistent sidebar directly inside Office apps, installed once from Microsoft AppSource and present every time you open a file.

Install: In any Office app, go to Insert > Get Add-ins, then search “Claude by Anthropic”.

Availability

App Status Plans
Claude for Excel ✅ Available Pro, Team, Enterprise
Claude for PowerPoint ✅ Available Pro, Team, Enterprise
Claude for Word 🔵 Beta (launched April 10, 2026) Pro, Team, Enterprise

Free plan access is very limited. A paid plan is required for regular use.

What Each Add-in Does

Excel

PowerPoint

Word (beta)

Shared Context Across Apps (since March 2026)

The three add-ins share a common conversation context. Load an Excel file in the sidebar, then switch to PowerPoint or Word and Claude still has your data available, with no copy-pasting between apps.

Practical workflow: Q1 board report from a single dataset

  1. Open your sales Excel file with the Claude sidebar active
  2. Ask: “Summarize the key trends from this data”
  3. Switch to PowerPoint (Claude keeps the context) → “Build 5 slides from the Excel data, match this brand template”
  4. Switch to Word (still in context) → “Write a 1-page executive summary from the same data”

Three files produced from one data load, without leaving the Office suite.

How This Differs from Cowork

  Cowork Claude Office Add-ins
Starting point Raw data (emails, PDFs, notes, images) An Office file already open
Output Generates a new .xlsx / .pptx / .docx Edits or extends the current document
Interface Standalone Claude Desktop app Sidebar inside Word, Excel, or PowerPoint
Best for “Create this file from scratch” “Help me work on this file right now”

For formula generation specifically, also see: Not to Be Confused With: Claude in Excel Add-in.

Agent Teams (Research Preview)

Agent Teams lets multiple Claude agents work on a task simultaneously. Instead of one agent processing 50 documents sequentially, you can split the work across several agents, each handling a portion, and get results faster.

When to Use Agent Teams

Situation Example
Large document batches Analyze 50 supplier invoices at once
Multi-source research Research 10 competitors simultaneously
Parallel categorization Sort 200 files by type and date at the same time
Complex synthesis Combine data from multiple file types into one report

For tasks with 5-10 files or simple sequential operations, standard Cowork without Agent Teams is usually sufficient.

How to Invoke Agent Teams

Ask Cowork to use multiple agents explicitly:

Process all PDF invoices in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/invoices/
Use parallel agents to analyze each invoice simultaneously.
Extract: Date, Supplier, Amount, Payment Terms, VAT
Compile into a single Excel at ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/invoice-analysis.xlsx

Or for research:

Research these 8 competitors: [list]
Use separate agents for each company.
For each: products, pricing, target market, main differentiators.
Compile into ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/competitor-analysis.docx

SMB Use Cases

Limitations

Agent Teams is in research preview. Coordination between agents can occasionally be imperfect, one agent may not correctly pass context to another. For critical work, verify the assembled output carefully. The feature works most reliably with clearly scoped, parallel tasks rather than tightly interdependent workflows.

Cross-Session Memory (via Desktop Commander)

By default, each Cowork session starts fresh, Cowork doesn’t remember preferences, client names, or context from previous sessions. With Desktop Commander installed, you can solve this with a memory.md file.

How It Works

  1. Create ~/Cowork-Workspace/memory.md with your recurring context
  2. At the start of each session: “Read ~/Cowork-Workspace/memory.md first. Then [your request]”
  3. Cowork loads your preferences and context before starting work
# My Cowork Memory

## Business Context
- Business type: [your type]
- Main clients: [names and key info]
- Preferred document formats: [list]

## Communication Preferences
- Tone with clients: [formal/casual]
- Language: [French/English/both]
- Things to never do: [list]

## Recurring Tasks
- Weekly: [what you do each week]
- Monthly: [what you do each month]

## Important Details
- VAT number: [if relevant for invoices]
- Standard payment terms: [your terms]

Templates by Business Type

Tradesperson (plumber, electrician, builder)

# Memory — [Your name], [Trade]

## Clients
- Client Dupont: apartment at [address], prefers afternoon calls, always requests itemized quotes
- Client Martin: villa renovation ongoing, needs formal invoices

## Standards
- Quote format: always include labor and materials separately
- Payment terms: 30 days net
- Default VAT rate: 20%

Retail (shop, boutique)

# Memory — [Shop name]

## Inventory Priorities
- Fast movers: [top 5 products]
- Seasonal: [periods and categories]
- Reorder threshold: [quantity]

## Supplier Preferences
- Primary supplier: [name, contact, lead time]
- Backup: [name]

Professional Services (consultant, accountant, coach)

# Memory — [Your name], [Profession]

## Active Clients
- Client A: monthly strategic consulting, formal reports in Word
- Client B: needs bilingual documents (FR/EN)

## Document Templates
- Proposal: see ~/Cowork-Workspace/templates/proposal-template.docx
- Report: [structure preferences]

Requires: Desktop Commander extension (see Getting Started Step 8).

Customize Cowork

The Customize tab in Claude Desktop is where you extend and personalize Cowork. You’ll find it in the main app navigation. Three main areas: Skills, Connectors, and personalizations.

Skills — Extra Capabilities

Skills add specific powers to Cowork, invoked via slash commands. Think of them as specialized tools you activate when needed.

Official Skills (Anthropic)

Skill Slash Command What It Does
PDF /pdf Advanced PDF processing and extraction
Word /docx Enhanced Word document creation and editing
PowerPoint /pptx Richer slide generation and formatting
Excel /xlsx Advanced spreadsheet operations
Canvas Design /canvas-design Visual layout and design creation
Algorithmic Art /algorithmic-art Pattern and visual generation
Skill Creator /skill-creator Create custom skills for your specific needs

How to Use Skills

/pdf Extract all tables from the contracts in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/contracts/
     Save each table as a separate CSV in ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/

Skill Chaining

Combine skills in sequence for multi-step operations:

/pdf Extract the data from these receipts
/xlsx Organize it into a monthly expense tracker with totals and categories
Input: ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/receipts/
Output: ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/expenses-[month].xlsx

Smart Skills Loading

Skills no longer consume your entire context window. Claude loads only the skills it needs for the current task, when it needs them. On long sessions with many installed skills, this significantly extends effective working capacity.

Practical impact: You can install 20+ skills without worrying about context overhead on every task.

Community Skills

Beyond official skills, the community builds and shares skills:

Resource What You’ll Find
github.com/anthropics/skills Official Anthropic skill repository
claudemarketplaces.com Community-contributed skills
skills.sh Skills with one-line install
skillhub.club Curated skill collections

Install any skill from the Customize tab: search by name or paste the skill URL.

Connectors — Connect External Tools

Connectors let Cowork interact with tools beyond your local files. Three connector types:

Type What It Does Setup
Web Search Searches the web (alternative to Chrome) Toggle in Customize tab
Desktop (local files) Access files outside your workspace Via Desktop Commander
Custom JSON Connect to any service with a JSON definition Advanced users

Permission Levels Per Tool

Each connector tool can be set independently:

Permission Behavior
Allow Cowork uses this tool automatically without asking
Ask Cowork asks your permission each time before using
Block Cowork never uses this tool

Example: Set web search to Ask so Cowork confirms before going online. Set local file reading to Allow for seamless file access.

Setting Up Connectors (No Coding Required)

  1. Go to Customize tab → Connectors
  2. Browse available connectors
  3. Click a connector → set individual tool permissions
  4. Save, connector is active immediately

Note: Desktop Commander (a connector) is covered separately in Getting Started Step 8. It’s the recommended first connector for most users.

The Customize Tab Ecosystem

Area Find It In Key Action
Skills Customize → Skills Install, manage slash commands
Connectors Customize → Connectors Add tools, set permissions
Desktop Commander Customize → Extensions Enable cross-session memory
Personalizations Customize → Profile Default behaviors, language settings

Note: Feature locations described here reflect the April 2026 interface.

New Capabilities (March 2026)

Dispatch — Control Cowork from Your Phone

Dispatch lets you manage Cowork tasks remotely from your iOS or Android app while your desktop runs the work.

How it works:

  1. Open Claude for iOS/Android
  2. A persistent Cowork thread is available in the mobile app
  3. Pair your phone to your desktop by scanning a QR code in Claude Desktop settings
  4. Send tasks, check progress, or add instructions from anywhere — Claude works on your Mac while you’re away

Requirements: Mac must stay awake, Claude Desktop must remain open.

Known limitations (research preview):

Interactive Visualizations

Claude can now generate fully interactive charts, diagrams, and visual assets directly inline in responses — no export or third-party tool needed.

Surface Available Examples
Claude Desktop ✅ Yes Interactive charts, sliders, decision trees, weather widgets, recipe cards
Claude for iOS/Android ✅ Yes (March 25, 2026) Live charts, sketches, shareable interactive assets

Visualizations are rendered in HTML/CSS/JS (Chart.js and similar). Users can interact with sliders, inputs, and clickable elements directly in the chat.

Practical use cases for SMBs: Price calculators with sliders, project timeline visualizers, multi-choice decision trees for client onboarding, interactive quote summaries.

Computer Use — Direct Desktop Control

Computer Use lets Claude control your Mac directly: open applications, navigate the screen, click, type, and fill forms — without custom API integrations or setup.

How to enable: See Getting Started Step 9.

Available on: Pro and Max plans, macOS (March 23, 2026, research preview).

What Claude Can Do

Action Example
Open applications Launch Excel, Word, Finder, browser
Navigate and click Click buttons, menus, checkboxes
Fill forms Enter data in any app or web form
Transfer data Copy content between applications without an API
Browse the web Navigate sites that lack integrations
Work with legacy software Any GUI app, even without API access

How Claude Decides When to Use It

Claude follows a 3-level access hierarchy before resorting to screen control:

Priority Method When Used
1 — Connectors/Plugins Direct API integration (Slack, Google Calendar, etc.) Preferred — faster, more reliable
2 — Chrome Browser automation via Chrome integration When no connector exists but the service has a web interface
3 — Screen control Mouse, keyboard, screenshot loop Last resort — when neither connector nor Chrome can complete the task

This means Computer Use activates only when the two faster methods aren’t available. A task involving a legacy desktop app with no web interface or API will trigger screen control directly. A task involving a web-based tool without a connector will go through Chrome first.

Practical implication: Computer Use is slower than connector-based integrations because each action requires a screenshot cycle. If your workflow is time-sensitive, check whether a connector or Chrome automation can handle the task first.

Security Behavior

⚠️ Official Anthropic guidance: Do not use Computer Use with applications that have access to healthcare data, financial accounts, or personal records. Anthropic explicitly acknowledges Computer Use is “still early” and recommends against granting access to sensitive systems until the feature matures. Start with low-stakes, reversible tasks on apps that don’t hold critical data.

Practical SMB Use Cases

⚠️ Research preview caveats: Computer Use can make mistakes navigating unfamiliar interfaces. Always supervise the first runs of a new task. Stop execution immediately if Claude takes an unexpected action.

What Cowork CANNOT Do

Code Execution

❌ Cannot run: Python, JavaScript, shell scripts
❌ Cannot execute: Installed applications
❌ Cannot use: Command-line tools

Workaround: Use Claude Code for code execution tasks.

Network Operations

❌ Cannot make: API calls, HTTP requests
❌ Cannot access: Remote databases
❌ Cannot sync: Cloud storage directly

Workaround: Download cloud files locally first, or use Chrome for web access.

System Operations

❌ Cannot change: System settings
❌ Cannot install: Software
❌ Cannot access: Other applications' data

Workaround: These operations must be done manually.

Security-Sensitive Operations

❌ Cannot handle: Passwords, credentials
❌ Cannot process: Encrypted files
❌ Cannot access: Protected system folders

Workaround: Keep sensitive data out of Cowork workspace.

Environment Constraints

❌ Cannot work: With VPN active (VM routing conflict)
❌ Cannot run: On Linux (macOS and Windows only)
❌ Cannot operate: In background (requires app foreground)
❌ Cannot persist: Sessions across app restarts

VPN Issue: Cowork’s VM conflicts with VPN network routing. This is the #1 reported issue. Solution: Disconnect VPN before using Cowork. See Troubleshooting for details.

Capability Decision Tree

Need to do something with files?
├─ Yes → Is it within your granted folder?
│        ├─ Yes → Can Cowork read the file type?
│        │        ├─ Yes → Cowork can help ✅
│        │        └─ No (audio/video/encrypted) → Manual process needed
│        └─ No → Grant access or move files first
│
└─ No → What do you need?
         ├─ Execute code → Use Claude Code
         ├─ API integration → Manual or Claude Code
         ├─ System changes → Manual operation
         └─ Web research → Cowork + Chrome ✅

Best Practices for Capabilities

Maximize Success

  1. Match task to capability — Check matrix before starting
  2. Prepare inputs — Ensure files are in readable formats
  3. Specify formats — Be explicit about output requirements
  4. Test small first — Verify with few files before batch

When to Choose Alternatives

If You Need Use Instead
Code execution Claude Code
API integration Claude Code + scripts
Cloud file sync Native cloud apps
Audio/video Specialized tools
Real-time data Manual process
*← Getting Started Cowork Documentation Security →*