How to Use Claude Cowork: A Beginner's Guide

Claude Cowork lets you give Claude a task with several steps, supply the files it needs, and review the finished work. It can prepare reports, organize files, and create documents through a visual interface. You can start without writing code.

In this guide, you will turn three rough project notes into a weekly update and a follow-up email draft. You will check the plan, correct the result, and save the process for next time.

Important interface update: Anthropic began combining Cowork and chat on September 16, 2026. The change is rolling out to Pro and Max accounts. Some readers will still see a Cowork option; others can start the same task in an ordinary conversation.

The Cowork starter kit is available to Rundown University Pro members in this guide’s Resources tab. It includes fictional notes, copy-and-paste prompts, and an answer key. Keep the answer key outside the files you give Claude.

Choose work with a clear input and a result you can check. For example, turn approved notes into a client brief, compare drafts against a set of requirements, or prepare a weekly update from several files.

For your first task, use a few invented or redacted documents. Leave your inbox, customer database, and main work folders out of the setup. Anthropic recommends narrow access and backups because Cowork can change files and take actions through tools you allow.

Cowork is available on paid Claude plans: Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. Web and mobile access is in beta, with Enterprise access subject to admin enablement.

Local-file access needs Claude Desktop open and connected. The desktop app supports macOS and Windows; Anthropic also lists a Linux beta with separate requirements. This guide's first exercise uses web uploads so local setup stays optional.

Cost: Claude Pro costs $20 per month in the US on monthly billing. Regional prices and taxes vary. Usage limits still apply, and bigger tasks can consume more of your allowance. Check your plan before running a large batch.

The practice files require no API key, additional plugin, or connection to another app. The starter kit itself requires Rundown University Pro.

On desktop, Claude can read and write within folders you connect. Use a copy of the Cowork-Practice folder for a first local test. Keep the answer key and unrelated files outside it.

Choose the practice folder through the app's folder-access control and inspect the selected path before allowing access. Then ask Claude to list the files it can see. Correct a wrong folder before requesting any work.

Use this instruction with the same task:

Use only the three text files in Cowork-Practice/inputs. Leave them
unchanged. After I approve the plan, create new files in
Cowork-Practice/outputs. If an output name exists, choose a new versioned
name. Show the output paths when you finish.

Keep Claude Desktop open and online during local-file work. A cloud task can continue without your laptop, but it loses access to local files and desktop tools when the app is offline.

Once the exercise works, give related tasks a dedicated Project. Projects keep instructions and source context together. Account-saved projects and projects tied to local folders have different storage behavior, so check which kind you create.

Open Projects in the left navigation and use + to create a project. The documented Cowork flow includes Start from scratch and Use an existing folder. The latter creates a project tied to that computer.

For a simple weekly-update project, save these instructions:

Use the source files I specify for each task. Flag missing information
and conflicts. Keep suggestions separate from agreed work. Draft before
formatting. Ask for approval before changing source files or taking
actions outside the task. Use short sentences. Save new versions rather
than overwriting approved work.

Add the current source files yourself and name the files Claude should use each week. Remove stale inputs or label them clearly. Keep older outputs separate so Claude has a clear source of facts for the new report.

Connectors let Claude work with apps such as Google Drive or Slack. Open Customize → Connectors, choose a service, review its capabilities, and complete the account authorization. Connect only what the task needs and check whether the tool can change data as well as read it.

For a first connected task, request a draft from one named source:

Read the project notes I identify in Google Drive and draft a weekly
update in this conversation. List the source documents. Do not change
the originals, send messages, or create tasks in another app.

Skills hold reusable task instructions. After you have tested a process, you can package its steps and checks into a Skill. Claude manages these under Customize → Skills, subject to account and workspace settings.

A Project keeps the context for a body of work. A Skill describes how to perform a repeatable task. A connector supplies access to another app. You can learn each part separately.

Begin with a draft-only task that uses files saved to your Claude account or a supported connector. Make sure the source will contain fresh information at the scheduled time. Uploading this week's notes once will not supply next week's update.

In the new scheduling experience, describe the task and cadence, review the proposed details, and select Schedule. In the separate Cowork interface, use Scheduled → New task → Create with Claude.

For example:

Prepare a draft weekly update every Friday at 9 a.m. America/New_York
using the current-week source documents I specify in this project.

List the files and reporting dates used. If fresh inputs are missing,
say so and stop. Keep unresolved decisions visible. Save the result for
my review. Do not send, publish, or change source records.

Show me the task, source access, time zone, and schedule before creating it.

Check the first run and pause the schedule when you no longer need it. Cloud schedules can run without your computer, but local-folder scheduling has separate constraints. Use cloud-accessible inputs for this workflow.

For differing controls, check Anthropic’s combined-interface guidance, file-creation guidance, and device-access notes.

Treat it as software that can act with the access you grant. Start with approved material and a small working folder. Keep copies of important files and review changes that affect other people.

Local-file access does not guarantee local-only processing. Anthropic says cloud sessions process accessed files on its servers, including files reached through Desktop. Follow your organization's data policy before adding client, employee, or financial records.

Documents and websites can contain instructions that try to divert an AI from your task. Restrict access, watch for unexpected actions, and stop the task when its scope changes. A prompt alone cannot guarantee safety.

You have a first task to test. The next step is to adapt the process to your own files, standards, and review steps.

In Getting Started With Claude Cowork, Nate Grahek covers kickoff prompts, project folders, reusable instructions, and the steps from gathering sources to creating editable documents, decks, and spreadsheets. The on-demand course has eight chapters and runs 83 minutes.

Watch Getting Started With Claude Cowork