We Love Claude — Claude Desktop App (macOS) UI Map
Power-user reference. Every element of the UI, not just features.
Version: 0.3 (in progress) — last updated April 18, 2026 App version captured: Claude for Mac 1.3109.0 (35cbf6) Purpose: Comprehensive map of every screen, option, and feature in the Claude macOS desktop app. Companion to
claude-ui-sitemap.md(web). Coverage status: Batches 0, 0b, 1 captured. Phase 1 complete. Phases 2–5 pending (Phase 4 partially seeded by Batch 1 bonus). ID prefix:DT-(per the web doc's reserved prefix plan).
The defining architectural difference
The Claude desktop app is structured around a three-tab switcher at the top of the sidebar. Each tab is effectively a different product with its own sidebar contents, main-area layout, composer, and workflow. Everything else in this document nests under one of these three tabs or lives in the shared chrome.
| Tab | Icon | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Speech-bubble | Conversational Claude. Closest analogue to the web app. |
| Cowork | Task-list (dashes + dots) | Task-oriented agentic mode. Task list, project work, scheduled/dispatched jobs. |
| Code | </> |
Claude Code on desktop. Git-aware sessions, repo/branch/worktree selection, stats dashboard. |
Table of Contents
- 1. Window Chrome & Shared UI
- 2. Global Search Modal
- 3. User Profile Menu
- 4. "Apps and Extensions" Surface
- 5. Chat Tab
- 6. Cowork Tab
- 7. Code Tab
- 8. Native Menu Bar (macOS)
- Dock & System Integrations (pending — still Phase 1 follow-up)
- 10. Settings (partial — Desktop-app tabs seeded)
- 11. Edge Surfaces (partial — About dialog + Cmd-W)
- Divergences from the Web App
1. Window Chrome & Shared UI
Elements that appear regardless of which top tab is active.
| ID | Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-WC-01 |
Traffic lights | Standard macOS close/minimize/zoom in the top-left. |
DT-WC-02 |
Sidebar-toggle icon | Rectangle-with-line icon immediately right of the traffic lights. Collapses/expands the sidebar. |
DT-WC-03 |
Global search icon | Magnifying-glass right of the sidebar toggle. Opens the global search modal. |
DT-WC-04 |
Incognito toggle | Ghost icon top-right. (Chat tab only? — to confirm in Phase 2.) |
DT-WC-05 |
Top-of-sidebar tab switcher | Three tabs (Chat / Cowork / Code) that determine what the sidebar and main area render. |
DT-WC-06 |
User profile row | Bottom-left of the sidebar. Shows avatar + "Vijay" + a "Get apps and extensions" download icon on the right. Clicking opens the profile menu. |
DT-WC-07 |
Window-close behaviour | Cmd-W closes the window. Process remains running (accessible via Dock icon / menu bar). |
2. Global Search Modal
Trigger: DT-WC-03 (magnifying-glass in the chrome).
A modal overlay that lets the user search across everything in the app.
| ID | Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-GS-01 |
Search input | "Search chats and projects" placeholder. Magnifying-glass icon on the left, × close on the right. |
DT-GS-02 |
Result list | Vertical list of results with a type-indicator icon to the left of each title. Types observed: Project (folder), Chat (speech-bubble), Cowork task (task-list icon), Code session (</>). |
DT-GS-03 |
Meta column | Right-aligned metadata per result. Projects show the owner. Other types show a relative date ("Past hour", "Yesterday", "Past week", or a PR reference like "PR #1 · Past week"). |
DT-GS-04 |
Selection state | First result is pre-highlighted with an enter-key glyph (↵) to indicate keyboard activation. |
Note: the modal indexes Cowork tasks and Code sessions, not just chats and projects — a meaningful upgrade over the web app's search.
3. User Profile Menu
Trigger: click the Vijay row at the bottom-left of the sidebar (DT-WC-06).
A popover menu above the profile row.
| ID | Item | Icon | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DT-PM-00 |
Email header | — | — | Shows the signed-in email. Non-interactive. |
DT-PM-01 |
Settings | Gear | ⌘, |
Opens the Settings view. Exposes a native-style keyboard shortcut next to the label. |
DT-PM-02 |
Language | Globe | ▸ | Submenu — presumably a language list. (To capture — Phase 4 follow-up.) |
DT-PM-03 |
Get help | Question mark | — | Opens help. (Destination TBC.) |
DT-PM-04 |
Upgrade plan | Circle-with-arrow | — | Likely opens billing or a plan chooser. |
DT-PM-05 |
Get apps and extensions | Download | — | Opens the Apps and Extensions surface. |
DT-PM-06 |
Gift Claude | Gift-box | — | Referral / gifting flow. |
DT-PM-07 |
Learn more | Info | ▸ | Submenu. (To capture.) |
DT-PM-08 |
Log out | Door-arrow | — | Signs out of the current session. |
4. Apps and Extensions Surface
Trigger: profile menu → "Get apps and extensions" (DT-PM-05), or the download icon inline on the profile row.
A full-width view (back arrow top-left labelled "Apps and extensions") that replaces the main area. Large headline: "Do more with Claude, everywhere you work." Content is a grid of product cards with per-item action buttons.
| Card | Items & Actions |
|---|---|
| Claude Code — "Build, debug, and ship from your terminal or IDE." | Terminal (Install), VS Code (Install), Desktop app (Open — already installed), JetBrains (Install), Slack (Install). Card has a small animated pixel-art character + a mini terminal preview showing > Fix the auth bug in signup flow / * Noodling…. |
| Mobile — "Chat hands-free, connect Claude to your favorite apps, and kick off tasks on the go." | iOS (Download), Android (Download). Preview pane: sample prompt + bar chart. |
| Chrome (partially visible) | "Claude navigates, clicks buttons, and fills forms in your browser. Works in Cowork." Install action. |
| Microsoft Office (partially visible) | "Analyze data and build presentations with Claude alongside you." Install action for Excel visible. |
Still needs a scroll capture — only the top is visible. Full card list TBC.
5. Chat Tab
Tab: leftmost sidebar tab (speech-bubble icon).
5.1 Sidebar
| ID | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CT-SB-01 |
New chat | + New chat. Starts a fresh conversation. |
DT-CT-SB-02 |
Projects | Folder icon. Projects list. |
DT-CT-SB-03 |
Customize | Briefcase icon. Skills & connectors. |
DT-CT-SB-04 |
Artifacts | Grid icon. Artifacts gallery. |
DT-CT-SB-05 |
Pinned section | Pinned chats + projects. |
DT-CT-SB-06 |
Recents section | Scrollable list of recent chats by title. |
5.2 Home — New Chat
| ID | Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CT-HC-01 |
Greeting | "Back at it, Vijay" with the orange asterisk icon. |
DT-CT-HC-02 |
Composer placeholder (rotating) | Placeholder text rotates through a set of suggested prompts — hint copy showing "what you can do" rather than a static label. Observed values include "How can I help you today?" and "Type / for skills". |
DT-CT-HC-03 |
Composer — plus button | + bottom-left. (Menu content pending Phase 2 capture.) |
DT-CT-HC-04 |
Composer — model picker | Bottom-right. Opus 4.7 Adaptive with a chevron. |
DT-CT-HC-05 |
Composer — voice button | Microphone at far right. |
DT-CT-HC-06 |
Quick-action tabs | Row under the composer: Write, Learn, Code, From Calendar, From Gmail. |
5.3 Slash Menu
Trigger: type / in the composer.
| ID | Item | Icon | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DT-SL-01 |
add-files | Paperclip | Command | "Open file picker." Pre-selected. |
DT-SL-02 |
context | Scroll | Command | Purpose TBC. |
DT-SL-03 |
schedule | Scroll | Command | Likely schedules the composed task. |
DT-SL-04 |
setup-cowork | Scroll | Command | Cowork onboarding / setup helper. |
DT-SL-05 |
skill-creator | Scroll | Skill | Invokes skill-creator. |
DT-SL-06 |
"Marketing" group | — | Section | Skills grouped by plugin/pack. (Cut off — recapture with scroll.) |
DT-SL-07 |
Type-to-filter input | — | — | Inline filter at the bottom. |
6. Cowork Tab
Tab: middle sidebar tab (task-list icon). Labelled "Cowork" in the tab badge.
Task-mode Claude. Whereas Chat is open-ended conversation, Cowork is oriented around discrete tasks that Claude works on, with persistent state between runs.
6.1 Sidebar
| ID | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CW-SB-01 |
New task | Starts a new Cowork task. |
DT-CW-SB-02 |
Projects | Shared with Chat tab. |
DT-CW-SB-03 |
Scheduled | Clock icon. Cowork-specific — scheduled/recurring tasks. |
DT-CW-SB-04 |
Customize | Shared. |
DT-CW-SB-05 |
Dispatch | Paging/beacon icon. (Purpose TBC.) |
DT-CW-SB-06 |
Pinned section | Pinned tasks. Empty state: "Drag to pin". |
DT-CW-SB-07 |
Recents section | Recent tasks with status-dot. Filled blue = active/in-progress, empty outline = idle/done. |
6.2 Home — "Let's knock something off your list"
| ID | Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CW-HC-01 |
Greeting | "Let's knock something off your list". |
DT-CW-HC-02 |
Safety footnote | "Learn how to use Cowork safely." |
DT-CW-HC-03 |
Composer — text input | Placeholder: "Type / for skills". |
DT-CW-HC-04 |
"Work in a project" selector | Dropdown. Scopes the task to a project (or unscoped). |
DT-CW-HC-05 |
"Ask" mode selector | Dropdown. Other modes TBC. |
DT-CW-HC-06 |
Model picker | Opus 4.7 ▾. |
6.3 Active & Scheduled task lists
| ID | Section | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CW-TL-01 |
Active | Tasks currently running or open. "Clear active" link top-right. Each row: status dot + title + "N days ago." |
DT-CW-TL-02 |
Scheduled | Tasks with a schedule. Each row shows a small clock icon on the title. "Show more" pagination. |
7. Code Tab
Tab: rightmost sidebar tab (</> icon). Labelled "Code".
Claude Code on the desktop. Git-aware, repo-scoped.
7.1 Sidebar
| ID | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CD-SB-01 |
New session | Starts a fresh session. |
DT-CD-SB-02 |
Routines | Lightning icon. Saved routines. |
DT-CD-SB-03 |
Customize | Shared. |
DT-CD-SB-04 |
Dispatch | Shared with Cowork. |
DT-CD-SB-05 |
More | Chevron — expands additional items. (To capture.) |
DT-CD-SB-06 |
Pinned section | Empty state: "Drag to pin". |
DT-CD-SB-07 |
Repo list | Active repos as expandable headers. Expanding shows sessions within that repo, each with a branch-glyph (⎇) and title. |
7.2 Home — Stats Dashboard
| ID | Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CD-HC-01 |
Greeting | "What's up next, Vijay?" |
DT-CD-HC-02 |
Dashboard tabs | Overview / Models. |
DT-CD-HC-03 |
Time-range selector | All / 30d / 7d. |
DT-CD-HC-04 |
Headline metrics grid | Sessions, Messages, Total tokens, Active days, Current streak, Longest streak, Peak hour, Favorite model. |
DT-CD-HC-05 |
Activity heatmap | Contribution-graph-style weekly activity grid. |
DT-CD-HC-06 |
Flavour text | Token count compared to a popular book ("You've used ~120× more tokens than Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"). |
DT-CD-HC-07 |
Mascot | Pixel-art creature in the bottom-right corner. |
7.3 Composer (git-aware)
| ID | Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-CD-CP-01 |
Environment chip | Local (with monitor glyph). |
DT-CD-CP-02 |
Repo chip | Current repo name with folder glyph. |
DT-CD-CP-03 |
Branch chip | Branch name with a branch glyph. |
DT-CD-CP-04 |
Worktree toggle | Checkbox + "worktree" label. |
DT-CD-CP-05 |
Folder-scope icon | Scope to a subfolder. |
DT-CD-CP-06 |
Prompt input | "Describe a task or ask a question." |
DT-CD-CP-07 |
Accept edits toggle | Controls auto-accept of Claude's edits. |
DT-CD-CP-08 |
Plus button | + for attachments. |
DT-CD-CP-09 |
Voice button | Microphone with a small dropdown. |
DT-CD-CP-10 |
Model picker | Opus 4.7 1M · Extra high with a spinner/status indicator. |
DT-CD-CP-11 |
Theme toggle | Bottom-left of the sidebar: sun/moon light/dark quick-toggle. |
8. Native Menu Bar (macOS)
Sits in the macOS system menu bar when Claude is the frontmost app. Localised to British English (observed: "Centre", "Summarise").
8.1 Claude menu
| ID | Item | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
DT-MB-CL-01 |
About Claude | — | Opens the About dialog — see §11.1. |
DT-MB-CL-02 |
Settings… | ⌘, |
Opens Settings. |
DT-MB-CL-03 |
Services | ▸ | Standard macOS Services submenu. |
DT-MB-CL-04 |
Hide Claude | ⌘H |
Standard. |
DT-MB-CL-05 |
Hide Others | ⌥⌘H |
Standard. |
DT-MB-CL-06 |
Show All | — | Standard. |
DT-MB-CL-07 |
Quit Claude | ⌘Q |
Standard. |
8.2 File menu
Notable: the File menu has only one item. Unusual compared to most macOS apps.
| ID | Item | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
DT-MB-FI-01 |
New Conversation | ⌘N |
Starts a new chat. No New Window, New from Template, Open, Close, Save, or Print items. |
8.3 Edit menu
Standard macOS editing commands plus Apple Intelligence Writing Tools integration.
| ID | Item | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
DT-MB-ED-01 |
Undo | ⌘Z |
Standard. |
DT-MB-ED-02 |
Redo | ⇧⌘Z |
Standard. |
DT-MB-ED-03 |
Cut | ⌘X |
Standard. |
DT-MB-ED-04 |
Copy | ⌘C |
Standard. |
DT-MB-ED-05 |
Paste | ⌘V |
Standard. |
DT-MB-ED-06 |
Select All | ⌘A |
Standard. |
DT-MB-ED-07 |
Find | ▸ | Standard find submenu. |
DT-MB-ED-08 |
Writing Tools | ▸ | Apple Intelligence integration. Submenu below. |
DT-MB-ED-09 |
AutoFill | ▸ | macOS AutoFill: Contact…, Passwords…, Credit Card…. |
DT-MB-ED-10 |
Start Dictation… | — | Standard. |
DT-MB-ED-11 |
Emoji & Symbols | ⌃⌘Space |
Standard. |
Edit → Writing Tools submenu (DT-MB-ED-08): Show Writing Tools, Proofread, Rewrite, Make Friendly, Make Professional, Make Concise, Summarise, Create Key Points, Make List, Make Table, Compose….
8.4 View menu
Minimal, web-style.
| ID | Item | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
DT-MB-VI-01 |
Reload This Page | ⌘R |
Reloads the current view. |
DT-MB-VI-02 |
Actual Size | ⌘0 |
Resets zoom. |
DT-MB-VI-03 |
Zoom In | ⌘+ |
Zooms the UI in. |
DT-MB-VI-04 |
Zoom Out | ⌘- |
Zooms the UI out. |
DT-MB-VI-05 |
Copy URL | — | Copies the URL of the current view. Confirms the app is web-backed (Electron/WebView) — every view is addressable by URL. |
8.5 Window menu
Rich. Standard macOS + Continuity.
| ID | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-MB-WI-01 |
Fill | Fill the screen (no fullscreen chrome). |
DT-MB-WI-02 |
Centre | Centre the window. British spelling. |
DT-MB-WI-03 |
Move & Resize ▸ | Submenu: Halves, Quarters, Arrange (pair-wise), Return to Previous Size. |
DT-MB-WI-04 |
Full-Screen Tile ▸ | Standard macOS tiling. |
DT-MB-WI-05 |
Remove Window from Set | Standard. |
DT-MB-WI-06 |
Move to [user]'s iPad | Continuity handoff — sends the window to a paired iPad. Desktop-exclusive. |
DT-MB-WI-07 |
Show Main Window | Brings the main window forward. |
DT-MB-WI-08 |
Minimize | Standard. |
DT-MB-WI-09 |
Close Window | ⌘W (closes window; app stays running). |
DT-MB-WI-10 |
Bring All to Front | Standard. |
DT-MB-WI-11 |
Claude (checkmark) | Window chooser — current window indicated with a check. |
8.6 Help menu
| ID | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-MB-HE-01 |
Search | Inline search field (standard macOS help search). |
DT-MB-HE-02 |
Claude Help | Opens help documentation. |
DT-MB-HE-03 |
Troubleshooting ▸ | Submenu. (Content TBC.) |
DT-MB-HE-04 |
Get Support | Opens a support channel. |
10. Settings
Trigger: Profile menu → Settings, or ⌘,, or the menu bar → Claude → Settings….
The Settings view has a left-hand list of tabs. On desktop, the tabs are a superset of the web app's tabs — the web-shared tabs appear at the top, then a "Desktop app" divider, then three desktop-exclusive sub-tabs.
10.1 Tab list
| ID | Tab | Notes |
|---|---|---|
DT-ST-01 |
General | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-02 |
Account | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-03 |
Privacy | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-04 |
Billing | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-05 |
Usage | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-06 |
Capabilities | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-07 |
Connectors | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-08 |
Claude Code | Web-shared. |
DT-ST-09 |
Cowork | Desktop-only tab — not in the web doc. |
DT-ST-10 |
Claude in Chrome [Beta] | Web-shared; on desktop carries a "Beta" badge. |
DT-ST-11 |
— Desktop app — (divider) | Section label. |
DT-ST-12 |
Desktop app → General | See §10.2. |
DT-ST-13 |
Desktop app → Extensions | Content TBC. |
DT-ST-14 |
Desktop app → Developer | Content TBC. Likely dev-tools toggle. |
10.2 Desktop app → General
Heading: "General desktop settings."
| ID | Setting | Control | Observed value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DT-ST-G-01 |
Run on startup | Toggle | Off | "Automatically start Claude when you log in to your computer." |
DT-ST-G-02 |
Quick access shortcut | Dropdown | Tap Option twice | "Message Claude from anywhere on your desktop." |
DT-ST-G-03 |
Voice shortcut | Dropdown | Caps Lock | "Speak to Claude from anywhere on your desktop." Help text: "Press once to start dictation, and press again when you're done speaking." |
DT-ST-G-04 |
Menu bar | Toggle | On | "Show Claude in the menu bar." Implies a menu-bar companion icon — capture in Phase 1 follow-up. |
DT-ST-G-05 |
Keep computer awake | Toggle | On | "Prevent your computer from idle-sleeping while Claude is open so scheduled tasks can run. Your display can still turn off. Closing the laptop lid will still put it to sleep." |
Browser Use section
| ID | Setting | Control | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
DT-ST-G-06 |
Allow all browser actions | Toggle | "Claude will browse and interact with any website in Chrome without asking. Applies to new sessions. This setting can put your data at risk. Learn more." |
Computer Use section [Beta]
| ID | Setting | Control | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
DT-ST-G-07 |
Computer use | Toggle | "Let Claude take screenshots and control your keyboard and mouse in apps you allow. Learn more." |
DT-ST-G-08 |
Unhide apps when Claude finishes | Toggle | "Apps hidden during a task are restored when Claude stops." |
DT-ST-G-09 |
Denied apps | List + "Add app" button | "Any request Claude makes to access these apps is automatically rejected. Claude may still affect them indirectly through actions in [cut off — capture continuation]." |
10.3 Remaining Settings surfaces
Web-shared tabs (General, Account, Privacy, Billing, Usage, Capabilities, Connectors, Claude Code, Claude in Chrome) — capture in Phase 4. Cowork tab (DT-ST-09), Desktop app → Extensions (DT-ST-13), Desktop app → Developer (DT-ST-14) — all TBC.
11. Edge Surfaces
11.1 About Claude
Trigger: Claude menu → About Claude.
A standalone small dialog with its own window chrome (traffic lights).
| ID | Element | Description |
|---|---|---|
DT-AB-01 |
App logo | Large orange asterisk. |
DT-AB-02 |
Title | "Claude for Mac" (italic "for"). |
DT-AB-03 |
Version string | Version 1.3109.0 (35cbf6). Format: semver + short build hash in parentheses. |
DT-AB-04 |
Help button | Opens help resources. |
DT-AB-05 |
Get support button | Opens support. |
11.2 Window close (Cmd-W)
Pressing ⌘W with the main window focused closes the window but leaves the process running. The app remains active in the Dock; reopening via the Dock icon or menu bar restores the window. Standard macOS document-app idiom.
Divergences from the Web App
- Three-tab architecture (Chat / Cowork / Code) — the biggest divergence. Web elevates these differently.
- Cowork is a top-level mode — desktop-exclusive workflow with its own Dispatch, Scheduled, New-task primitives.
- Code on desktop is git-aware — environment/repo/branch/worktree chips, Accept edits toggle. Web's Code doesn't surface worktrees.
- Search moved into the window chrome — magnifying-glass icon, not a sidebar item.
- Search scope is broader — desktop search spans chats, projects, Cowork tasks, Code sessions. Web: chats + projects only.
- No "Chats" destination — recents live directly in the sidebar.
- "Design" sidebar item absent — not visible in the desktop UI.
- Pinned vs. Starred — terminology difference.
- Composer placeholder rotates — cycles through suggestion copy ("How can I help you today?", "Type / for skills", …) rather than holding a single static label. Hint-style rather than label-style.
- Slash menu — composer-anchored menu combining commands and skills.
- Apps & Extensions surface — dedicated marketing/install view for the full product family.
- Theme toggle in the sidebar (Code tab) — sun/moon quick-toggle. Web has Color mode only in Settings.
- Profile menu extras —
⌘,shortcut, Get apps and extensions, Gift Claude. - Dispatch surfaced as a sidebar item in Cowork and Code. Web references it only as a notification toggle.
- Stats dashboard on Code home — desktop-only home view for Claude Code.
- Native macOS menu bar (
DT-MB-*) — adds native affordances the web can't: Services, Hide, About, Move to iPad (Continuity), Writing Tools (Apple Intelligence), AutoFill, native Help search. - File menu is one item — unusual minimalism; there's no New Window, Save, Print, etc.
Copy URLin View menu — every view is URL-addressable; the desktop app is web-backed.- British English localisation — "Centre", "Summarise". Content copy follows UK English.
- Settings is a superset of web Settings — same tabs at top, then a "Desktop app" group with General / Extensions / Developer sub-tabs.
- Cowork has its own Settings tab — desktop-exclusive.
- Desktop-specific settings (
DT-ST-G-*): Run on startup, Quick access shortcut (default "Tap Option twice"), Voice shortcut (default Caps Lock), Menu bar visibility, Keep computer awake, Browser Use permissions, Computer Use [Beta] permissions, Denied apps list. - Continuity support — Window → Move to [user]'s iPad hands the window off to a paired iPad.
- Cmd-W closes the window, app stays running — classic macOS document-app behaviour.
v0.3 — after Batch 1 (menu bar + About + bonus Settings capture). Next: Phase 2 (Chat tab + Cowork tab composer and detail views).