Claude Cowork

Starting October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans run on Anthropic's servers, and the Only on your computer option in Settings > General will be removed. Tasks you already started on your computer stay there until they are done, each with a button to download its transcript, and scheduled tasks move to the cloud too. Your folders stay on your computer, and a cloud task can reach the ones you have connected only while the Claude desktop app is open.

On September 16, 2026, Anthropic combined Claude's chat, Cowork, and Artifacts into a single interface. Instead of picking which mode to open, you talk to Claude in one window, and it decides on its own whether a request is a quick question or a longer, multi-step project, using Cowork's tools automatically when the task needs them. Anything you already had in Cowork, chats, projects, connectors, and skills, stays exactly where you left it. Anthropic also launched two new tools in beta: Claude Docs, for writing and editing documents together with Claude inside a conversation, and Claude Slides, for building presentations you can edit directly, present from Claude, or export as PowerPoint or PDF. The change starts rolling out today to Pro and Max plans across web, desktop, and mobile, with Team and Free plans to follow.

Microsoft released KB5129195, an out-of-band Windows 11 update, on September 14, 2026. It fixes the folder-sharing bug that a September 8 security update introduced for apps that manage virtual machines the way Claude Cowork does, which is what broke Cowork's local sandbox on Windows earlier this month. Microsoft names Claude Cowork among the affected apps. Installing this update restores the sandbox without needing to uninstall the earlier patch.

A Windows 11 security update released on September 8, 2026 (KB5124008 on 24H2/25H2, KB5124012 on ARM64, KB5122880 on 23H2) stops Claude Cowork's local sandbox from reaching your PC's files. Chat still works, and simple file reading or editing still works, but Cowork can no longer run commands on your computer or reach connected folders. Anthropic says the cause is a change on Microsoft's side, not a Cowork bug, and that Microsoft is working on a fix. There is no in-app workaround yet: restarting or reinstalling the app does not help. Windows 10 is not affected.

On September 2, 2026, Anthropic gave Claude the ability to use your computer in the background inside Claude Cowork and Claude Code. Give it something to do on your desktop and Claude clicks, types, and opens apps the way you would, while you work on something else. It's rolling out in beta on macOS for Pro and Max plans.

On August 26, 2026, Anthropic built a browser directly into Claude Cowork. When a task needs the web, Cowork now opens a custom browser in a side panel instead of driving Chrome through the Claude in Chrome extension. It's live on Enterprise plans and rolling out to Pro, Max, and Team subscribers, on by default, with an option to switch back to the extension in settings. The browser has no access to your logins for email, banking, or other services unless you enter them manually, so it's built for fetching public information rather than acting as you. Anthropic says prompt injection, where hidden instructions on a page hijack an agent, is still a risk and relies on the same guardrails as the Chrome extension.

On August 25, 2026, Anthropic merged the memory system behind Claude chat and Claude Cowork. What Claude learns about you in one now carries over to the other, so handing off a task to Cowork no longer means re-explaining context you already gave it in chat. You can see everything Claude remembers, topic by topic, and edit or delete any of it. Sensitive topics like health, race, or political beliefs stay off by default unless you turn them on. It's on by default on Free, Pro, and Max plans, across web, desktop, and mobile.

On July 7, 2026, Anthropic expanded Claude Cowork beyond desktop to web and mobile, in beta. Until then, Cowork only lived on your laptop, so a task stopped when you stepped away. Now your sessions and files follow you: start a task at your desk, check on it from your phone, and pick up the finished output anywhere. Scheduled tasks run even with no device online. When Claude reaches a decision only you can make, the question reaches your phone, and nothing ships until you've reviewed and approved it. Desktop remains the full experience, since it can reach folders and apps on your own computer that web and mobile can't.