Computer Use

What it is

Computer use lets Claude drive your actual desktop — clicking, typing, opening apps — when it doesn’t have a more precise way to get a task done. It runs inside Cowork (and Claude Code) in the Claude Desktop app.

Cowork picks the fastest tool first. If there’s a connector for what you need, it uses that. If not, it tries the Chrome browser. Only if neither works does it fall back to controlling your screen directly. This ordering matters: connectors take seconds where screen interaction takes minutes, and errors are much more likely when Claude is clicking through UI it wasn’t designed for.

Computer use is in research preview. It has real risk — Claude sees what’s on your screen, can open apps you haven’t explicitly approved if one app launches another, and the prompt-injection guardrails aren’t perfect. Read cowork-safely before turning it on.

Where to find it

On desktop

Settings → General (under Desktop app) → Computer use toggle.
Once enabled, it becomes available inside any Cowork or Claude Code session.

How to use it

Turn it on

Update to the latest Claude Desktop at claude.com/download.
Open Settings → General under Desktop app.
Flip the Computer use toggle on.
Open Cowork or Claude Code and start a task.
Ask Claude to do something involving a local app. Claude asks permission before touching each new app.

Watch the fallback order in action

When you give Claude a task, it picks in this order:

Connector. Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, etc. — the fastest and most reliable path.
Browser. Claude in Chrome, for web tasks without a direct integration.
Screen interaction. Claude takes screenshots, clicks, and types on your actual desktop.

If you watch a task and wonder why Claude is fumbling through a UI, check whether a connector for that tool exists — adding it in Customize → Connectors will make future runs much faster.

Manage per-app permissions

Claude prompts before each new application.
Some apps (investment platforms, crypto) are blocked by default.
Add your own to a blocklist to prevent access outright.
You can interrupt Claude mid-task at any point.

Good to know

Desktop must be awake. Your Mac or Windows machine stays on, Claude Desktop stays open. Sleep kills the run.
Outside the VM. Unlike Cowork’s regular file/code work, computer use runs on your real desktop — not the sandbox. Actions affect real apps and files.
Cross-app side effects. Clicking a link in Mail can open Chrome even if you haven’t granted Chrome access. Anthropic can hide the Chrome window from Claude but can’t stop the OS from launching it.
Don’t point it at sensitive apps. Banking, health, legal, anything with other people’s personal data — keep these off-limits. Close sensitive windows before running.
Memory excludes sensitive data. Cowork memory ignores passwords, financial details, health info — but you should still be careful what’s visible on screen.
Pro and Max only. Team and Enterprise don’t have access yet.
Expect retries. Complex multi-step workflows sometimes need a second attempt.

What’s changed recently

2026-04-18 — Page created from official help-center article.