Projects

What it is

A Project is a container for work that spans more than one conversation. Instead of re-explaining yourself every time you start a chat, you put the context — instructions, reference files, running memory — into a project, and Claude keeps it in mind for every chat and task you run inside it.

On desktop, a project is tied to a real folder on your computer. That’s a big deal: it means Cowork tasks can read and write files in the folder, and Claude Code sessions use it as the working directory. On web, a project is an Anthropic-hosted container for chats, uploaded files, and instructions. Same idea, different plumbing.

Where to find it

On desktop

Sidebar → Projects — appears in every tab (Chat, Cowork, Code).
The Projects landing page shows cards for each project with a “last used” timestamp. New project is top-right.

On the web

claude.ai/projects — the list.
claude.ai/project/{id} — a specific project.

How to use it

Create a project (desktop)

Desktop gives you three routes at the start. This is the step the help docs gloss over, so it’s worth knowing.

Projects → New project → pick one of three routes:
- Start from scratch — set up a new folder on your computer with instructions and files.
- Import a project — bring a project you started in Chat over to Cowork.
- Use an existing folder — point Claude at a folder you already work from. Good for existing codebases.
If you picked “Start from scratch”, the next screen asks for:
- Name (required).
- Instructions (optional) — “Tell Claude how to work in this project.” This is the prompt Claude treats as standing context for every chat and task in the project.
- Files — drop or browse to add reference documents.
- Project location — the folder path on disk. Defaults to ~/Documents/Claude/Projects/.
- Memory — on by default. Project memory persists facts Claude learns across sessions.
Hit Create. The new project card appears on the Projects page.

Create a project (web)

Same idea without the folder step. claude.ai/projects → New project → name, instructions, and upload files. Chats created inside the project carry the project’s instructions automatically.

Scope a Cowork task to a project

In the Cowork home composer, the Work in a project dropdown lists projects by name with their disk paths. Pick one and your task runs with that project as its working directory — Claude can read and write files there.

Pin context in a project

Inside a project’s detail view (desktop), you can pin files from the folder to a “referenced files” area. Claude treats pinned files as high-priority context for every new chat or task in the project.

Good to know

Projects on desktop store locally. The folder on disk is the project. If you move it, update the project’s location (right-click the project → Edit).
Memory is on by default for new projects. Turn it off in the create form or later in project settings if you don’t want Claude to remember past sessions.
Projects appear in every tab’s sidebar. The same project works across Chat, Cowork, and Code — you don’t have separate “chat projects” and “cowork projects”.
Right-click a recent chat in the sidebar and you’ll see Move to project — handy for retroactively tidying work.
Instructions are powerful. They become part of every system prompt for chats and tasks in the project. Treat them like a CLAUDE.md for that body of work.
Free plan cap: free accounts can create up to five projects. Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise have no project count limit.
Large knowledge bases use RAG automatically. When the pinned files and instructions in a project approach the context-window limit, Claude switches into RAG mode — instead of loading every file into memory, it uses a project knowledge search tool to retrieve the most relevant chunks on demand. This expands capacity by up to ~10× while maintaining answer quality. It activates automatically (no setup); you’ll see a visual indicator that the project is RAG-enabled, and Claude will switch back to in-context mode if the knowledge drops below the threshold. RAG works alongside web search, extended thinking, and Research. Available on all plans (free, Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise).
Team and Enterprise: projects can be shared with individuals (by email), in bulk, or org-wide. Permission levels are Can use (read and chat) and Can edit (modify instructions, knowledge, and members). Shared projects appear in a Shared with me tab.

What’s changed recently

2026-04-18 — Cross-referenced with official help-center articles; added sources.
2026-04-18 — Page verified against desktop build 1.3109.0. Three-route create flow (Start from scratch / Import / Use existing folder) confirmed.