Projects in Cowork let you group related tasks into dedicated workspaces with their own files, context, instructions, and memory. If you use projects on Claude, Cowork projects work similarly, but they live locally on your desktop and are built around the tasks you run through Cowork.
Availability
Important: This feature requires the latest version of Claude Desktop. Start by updating your desktop app if you’re not using the latest version.
Cowork is available as a research preview for paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise) on:
Claude Desktop for macOS
Click here to download
Claude Desktop for Windows (x64 only)
Cowork requires the latest version of Claude for Windows. Download or update at our download page.
Windows arm64 is not supported.
Create a project
Find Projects in the left navigation panel and click the “+” button to see the three different ways to create a project:
Start from scratch
Selecting “Start from scratch” allows you to set up a new folder with instructions and files:
Import from a Claude project
After selecting “Import from project,” you’ll see a “Search projects in Chat…” field:
Clicking into the field will display a drop-down showing your recent projects, but you can also use it to search all your projects. After you select a chat project (bulk upload is not supported), you can name the new Cowork project and choose where to save it on your computer:
Clicking “Create” will transfer the files and instructions from your existing Claude project and create a new Cowork project.
Use an existing folder on your computer
If you select “Use an existing folder,” you’ll be prompted to pick a file to use as context for the new Cowork project:
After selecting a folder, you can name the new Cowork project, choose where to save it on your computer, add instructions, and attach any additional files. Click “Create” to start using your new project:
What's included in a project
Each project has its own:
Instructions — Add tone, formatting, or rules to help guide how Claude works on all tasks in the project.
Scheduled tasks — Set up recurring tasks that are specific to the project.
Context — Add a local folder, link a chat project, or paste in a URL for Claude to reference.
Memory — Claude remembers context from your work within the project.
Memory in projects
Memory is enabled for Cowork projects. This means Claude can remember context from tasks you've run in a project and apply it to future tasks in the same project. Memory is scoped to the project, so what Claude learns in one project doesn't carry over to others.
For more information about how memory works, see Use Claude’s chat search and memory to build on previous context.
Archive a project
When you archive a project in Cowork:
The project's metadata is removed from the UI, but is not removed locally.
Any related files or folders stored on your computer are not affected.
Current limitations
Projects are only available in Cowork, not in Claude Code. Support for Claude Code is planned for a future update.
Projects are desktop-only and stored locally. There's no cloud sync for project data at this time.
For members of Team and Enterprise plans, Cowork projects do not support project sharing.