How to Get Started with Claude Cowork
Prerequisites: You need a Mac and the Claude Max plan.
1. Setup the Environment
Cowork lives in the Claude Desktop App, not the web.
- Find the Tab: Open Claude Desktop and click the new Cowork tab.
- Grant Access: Unlike normal chat, Cowork needs a sandbox. Click "Work in a folder" and point it to a specific directory (e.g., your Downloads, Project Docs, or Notes folder). It can now read, write, and organize files in that location.
- Connect the Web: If you have Claude in Chrome set up, Cowork can also browse tabs, fill forms, and extract data from websites to use in your local files.
2. Your First Task (The "Mental Shift")
Stop prompting for answers and start prompting for deliverables.
- Don't say: "Help me understand these meeting notes."
- Do say: "Read all meeting notes in this folder from Q4. Create a summary document listing every decision made and every open action item, grouped by owner."
Try these 3 Starter Workflows:
- The Cleaner: Point it at your cluttered Downloads folder.
- Prompt: "Organize this folder. Group files by type and project name, and delete duplicate screenshots."
- The Analyst: Point it at a folder of raw data or feedback.
- Prompt: "Read these 50 customer emails. Identify the top 3 complaints and draft a response template for each in a new Word doc."
- The Planner: (Requires Chrome/Email access)
- Prompt: "Plan my Lisbon trip. Search my email for flight dates, research restaurants near my hotel, and create a day-by-day itinerary file."
3. How to Manage the Agent
Advertisement
Once you hit enter, the interaction changes:
- Watch the Sidebar: You will see Claude break your prompt into a step-by-step plan.
- Trust the Sub-Agents: For complex tasks (like "Research 4 vendors"), Cowork will spin up sub-agents. These run in parallel—one agent researches Vendor A, another researches Vendor B—and they merge their findings at the end.
- Walk Away: Cowork is designed for asynchronous work. You don’t need to babysit the stream. Let it run, and come back to find the finished files waiting in your folder.
Limitations to Know
- Local Only: If you start a task on your Mac, you cannot check its progress from your phone.
- No Memory: Cowork currently doesn't share "Memory" or "Projects" with your main Claude chat. It starts fresh every time.
