Cowork is Claude Code's agentic capabilities made available for everyone, not just developers. It provides a simpler way to work with Claude by giving it access to folders on your computer where it can read, edit, and create files. This allows Claude to complete tasks with more agency than regular conversations, making it feel like working with a digital coworker.

Cowork enables Claude to organize files by sorting and renaming them, create spreadsheets from piles of screenshots, and produce first drafts of reports from scattered notes. It can use existing connectors that link Claude to external information and includes skills that improve Claude's ability to create documents, presentations, and other files. When paired with Claude in Chrome, Cowork can complete tasks that require browser access.

Cowork works by allowing you to give Claude access to a folder of your choosing on your computer. Once you set a task, Claude makes a plan and steadily completes it while keeping you informed about its progress. It's built on the same foundations as Claude Code, providing agentic capabilities in a more approachable form for non-coding tasks.

The product makes using Claude for new work simpler by eliminating the need to manually provide context or convert Claude's outputs into the right format. You can queue up tasks and let Claude work through them in parallel, reducing back-and-forth communication. This approach feels more like leaving messages for a coworker than having a conversation.

Cowork is designed for Claude Max subscribers on macOS and represents a research preview that will be improved based on user feedback. It's intended for anyone who wants to work with Claude in an agentic way beyond simple conversations.