What is the Claude desktop app?
The Claude desktop app is Anthropic's native app for macOS, Windows and Linux (beta) that puts Claude chat, Claude Code and Cowork in one window on your computer. You download it free from claude.com/download, sign in with your Claude account, and get features the browser can't offer, such as local MCP servers, desktop extensions and Claude Code sessions on folders on your own machine.
What you can use inside the app depends on your plan. Per Anthropic's install article:
| Feature | Free | Pro | Max | Team | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Claude Cowork | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How do you download and install Claude Desktop?
On macOS and Windows:
- Go to the Claude downloads page.
- Choose your build: macOS (a universal build for Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows x64, Windows ARM64, or the Microsoft Store listing.
- Open the downloaded file to install.
- Launch Claude from Applications on a Mac or the Start menu on Windows, then sign in.
The system requirements are macOS 13 (Ventura) or later and Windows 10 or later. Companies can deploy the app centrally; the downloads page links separate enterprise deployment guides for macOS and Windows.
On Linux, Anthropic recommends its apt repository so updates arrive through your normal package updates. The app doesn't update itself on Linux. On Ubuntu or Debian, run:
sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/key.asc
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/apt/stable stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install claude-desktop
Then launch Claude from your applications menu or run claude-desktop. Linux needs Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later, or Debian 12 or later, on x64 or arm64. A .deb download also exists, but it doesn't opt you into updates. On Linux, computer use and dictation aren't available yet.
What can you do in the desktop app that the browser can't?
Chat in the desktop app is the same Claude you use on the web, tied to the same account. The desktop-specific pieces are:
- Desktop extensions that install local MCP servers with one click.
- Local MCP servers that can reach files and apps on your computer.
- Claude Code in the Code tab, working on folders on your machine without a terminal.
- Cowork, which runs longer agentic tasks in an isolated virtual machine on your computer.
- Quick Entry, a global hotkey for Claude.
- Computer use in Claude Code, a research preview on macOS and Windows.
Artifacts work fully in the desktop app too: Anthropic lists Claude on the web and Claude Desktop as the places to create, edit and share them, and to change sharing settings.
How do desktop extensions and connectors work?
Both connect Claude to outside tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), but they run in different places.
Desktop extensions are packaged local MCP servers that install with one click, much like browser extensions. To browse them, go to Settings > Desktop app and select "Manage" next to Extensions (Settings > Extensions in the older layout), then click "Browse extensions." The directory includes Anthropic-reviewed options like filesystem access and iMessage. You can also install a custom extension from a .mcpb file under "Advanced settings." According to the local MCP article, extensions support Node.js, Python and binary MCP servers, and the app includes a built-in Node.js environment, so you don't need to install Node yourself.
Custom connectors link Claude to remote MCP servers hosted on the internet. They're available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, with Free limited to one custom connector. One detail surprises people: Claude connects to a remote server from Anthropic's cloud, not from your computer, even in the desktop app. A server behind a VPN or firewall won't connect unless you allowlist Anthropic's IP ranges.
To check what's connected, click the "+" button in the chat box and select "Connectors." On Team and Enterprise, Owners can allow or block public extensions and upload custom ones for the whole organization. For server ideas, see the best MCP servers guide.
How does Claude Code work in the desktop app?
On paid plans, Claude Code lives in the Code tab at the top of the sidebar. The desktop quickstart says the app "includes Claude Code, so you don't need to install Node.js or the CLI to use the Code tab."
Each conversation in the Code tab is a session with its own chat history and project folder. When you start one, you pick where it runs:
| Environment | Where the session runs |
|---|---|
| Local | Your machine, on a folder you open |
| Cloud | Anthropic-managed infrastructure; keeps going after you close the app |
| SSH | A remote machine, cloud VM or dev container you connect to |
| WSL (Windows) | Inside a WSL 2 Linux distribution |
The desktop docs list what the graphical interface adds on top of the CLI engine: parallel sessions (Cmd+N on macOS, Ctrl+N on Windows), a visual diff view you can comment on, a preview pane for your running app, an integrated terminal and file editor, pull request status monitoring, and side questions that don't derail a session.
Cloud sessions started here are the same ones you see at claude.ai/code, covered in the Claude Code on the web guide. You can also send a local session to the cloud from its Open in menu, which the terminal CLI can't do.
Skills and plugins work in the Code tab. Local sessions load your personal skills from ~/.claude/skills/, plus project skills from your repo and skills enabled on your claude.ai account. Type / in the prompt box to browse them. Click + next to the prompt box to add connectors or plugins. If you want claude in your terminal as well, follow the Claude Code setup guide.
Computer use lets Claude open apps and control your screen for tasks that have no CLI or API. It's a research preview on macOS and Windows, requires a Pro or Max plan, isn't available on Team or Enterprise, needs macOS 14 or later on a Mac, and is off until you enable it in Settings.
What is Cowork in the desktop app?
Cowork brings Claude Code's agentic abilities to a visual interface for non-coding work, so you can hand off multi-step tasks without a terminal. Per the install article, it can work with local files without uploads, run long tasks like research synthesis and document generation, and produce outputs such as spreadsheets with working formulas.
Cowork runs code in an isolated virtual machine on your computer. File reads and writes are limited to folders you connect. It's available on all paid plans on macOS, Windows and Linux (beta). On Linux it needs hardware virtualization (KVM), about 25 GB of free disk space for the workspace image and at least 8 GB of RAM.
Cowork is changing. On September 16, 2026, Anthropic announced that "Claude Cowork and chat are merging into one Claude," rolling out first to Pro and Max in the Claude app on web, desktop and mobile. If you used Cowork, your chats, projects, artifacts, connectors and skills stay where they were. The current help article says the merged experience is in beta on Team and available on Enterprise where an admin turns on Chat and Cowork unified.
How much does the Claude desktop app cost?
The app itself is free, and chat works on the Free plan. Claude Code, Cowork and computer use need a paid plan. As of October 2026, Claude's pricing page lists:
| Plan | Price (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Free | $0 |
| Pro | $17 per month billed annually, or $20 billed monthly |
| Max | From $100 per month |
| Team | $20 per standard seat per month billed annually ($25 monthly); premium seats $100 ($125 monthly) |
| Enterprise | $20 per seat per month billed annually, 20 seat minimum, plus usage at API rates |
Usage limits apply on every plan, and Anthropic notes prices and plans can change.
Bring your prompts and skills with you
The desktop app, the web and Claude Code all read the same skills, so it helps to keep them in one place you control. Kipt stores your prompts and Agent Skills as Markdown in a private GitHub repo you own, with Cmd+K search and {{name:default}} blanks you fill in when you copy. Every skill installs into Claude Code with npx skills add https://github.com/<you>/<repo>.git --all -g. For how skills work across Claude's apps, read the Claude skills guide.