Claude Cowork can now run your tasks in the cloud, on Anthropic's servers instead of your computer. It lets Claude keep working when your computer is closed and brings Cowork to web and mobile. This article covers what changes when a session runs in the cloud and what stays the same.
Claude Cowork is available for paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise) on desktop, and in beta on web and mobile for Pro, Max, and Team plans, and Enterprise plans when enabled by an owner. This article is for existing Cowork users on the desktop app.
What stays the same
Your connectors stay linked across sessions and devices, and files Claude delivers to you are saved. Sessions work the way you're used to: describe the task, review Claude's approach, and steer when it matters.
What's different when using Cowork in the cloud
These differences apply to any cloud session, including on desktop:
Save what you want to keep. Files Claude delivers are saved. Working files it doesn't hand back aren't kept or referenced after the session ends.
You can't switch modes mid-session. Once a session starts, it stays in the cloud or local. To change modes, start a new session.
Search is title-only. You can find past cloud sessions by title, but you can't search their full text yet.
Attach folders manually. Reaching files or tools on your computer requires the Claude Desktop app to be open and connected.
Very large files may be slower. The same goes for a large number of files.
Scheduled tasks created in the cloud can't use local folders or local connectors. Scheduled tasks that run in the cloud use the built-in schedule options. Existing local tasks that rely on a local folder or local connector keep running locally.
What still needs the desktop app
Some capabilities reach things on your computer, so they require the Claude Desktop app to be open and connected, even when your session runs in the cloud:
Local files and folders
Local MCP servers, including plugins that bundle them
Browser use, through Claude in Chrome
Computer use
If the desktop app is closed, sessions in the cloud keep running but can't reach your computer.
Switch between cloud and local execution
You can switch modes when starting a new session by clicking the “Beta” button in the upper right corner, or by navigating to Settings > Cowork and toggling Run new tasks in the cloud on or off.
Chat and Cowork now live in one place
Chat and Cowork share one home on every surface. In the message box, select “Cowork” to hand off a task, or “Chat” for a regular conversation. Some things are shared between them, and a few still differ while we finish bringing them together.
What's shared now:
Projects. From a project, you can start a chat or a Cowork session, and Claude uses the project's knowledge as context. If a project is tied to a local folder, it supports Cowork sessions only. Cowork uses one project at a time and won't change a project's contents, so add anything you want to keep to the project yourself.
Artifacts. Artifacts Claude creates in chat or Cowork show up in one artifacts view and are saved there. Live artifacts stay on the desktop app only.
Recent history and search. Both carry across chat and Cowork.
Memory. What Claude remembers from your chats is available in Cowork tasks that run in the cloud, and what comes up in a task carries back to chat. Sessions that run locally on your computer don't use memory. Learn more about Claude's memory.
Troubleshoot local sessions on Windows
I'm seeing “VM service not running” when I start a local session
This means the Claude VM Service (CoworkVMService) isn't available. It can happen if you installed Cowork with the older .exe installer instead of MSIX, or if the Windows service is stopped. To fix it, reinstall from our download page, or start “Claude VM Service” in services.msc or with sc start CoworkVMService (CoworkVMServiceStore for Microsoft Store installs).
I'm seeing “EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted”
This happens when the VM image download crosses a drive boundary, most often when Settings > System > Storage > “Where new content is saved” points at D:\ instead of C:\. It can also happen when AppData is redirected to a network share through a roaming profile. To fix it, set storage back to C:\, uninstall and reinstall Cowork, and update to the latest desktop version.
Learn more
For where to find Cowork on each surface and what's available on each, see Use Claude Cowork on web, desktop, and mobile. For safety guidance, see Use Claude Cowork safely.