Claude Cowork

Cowork takes the agent approach behind Claude Code and puts it in an ordinary app window. Instead of typing commands, you describe a job such as sorting a folder of receipts, turning notes into a report, or building a spreadsheet from several PDFs. Claude breaks the request into steps, makes a plan, works on the files you have shared with it, and reports back when it finishes. Files it reads or creates appear in a panel so you can open them.

It is aimed at office work more than software projects. You choose which folders it can see, so it only touches what you hand over, and it asks for confirmation before actions that could be destructive, such as deleting or moving files. It handles repetitive tasks where you would otherwise copy and paste between documents all afternoon, and it can use connectors to work with other apps. Plugins and skills let it follow your organization’s methods for recurring tasks.

Cowork runs in the Claude desktop app and is available on paid Claude plans, with features and platforms expanding over time. Because an agent can act on real files, it is wise to try it on copies first and avoid giving it sensitive folders until you trust its behavior. ChatGPT Work and Microsoft Copilot’s agents are the main alternatives. People who write code usually prefer Claude Code, which has the same foundations but is built for developers.