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What You'll Need

• [ ] A Mac/Windows computer
• [ ] The Claude desktop app (download here)
• [ ] A paid Claude plan ($20/month Standard plan or higher) </aside>

Step 1: Open Cowork

Open the Claude desktop app on your Mac. You'll see three tabs at the top:

• Chat (left) is the standard LLM interface
• Cowork (middle) is the new intermediate mode
• Code (right) is the developer-focused advanced mode

Click on Cowork to get started.

Step 2: Select a Folder

This is what makes Cowork powerful. Click "Work in a folder" and select a folder from your computer.

You're giving Claude a shared workspace. It gets free access to explore, read, and create files within that folder. No need to upload files one by one.

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Tip: Even if you don't have existing files to work with, select a folder anyway. Cowork will save any files it creates right there for you.

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Step 3: Give It a Task

Remember: think in tasks, not questions. Instead of asking something general, give Cowork something from your actual to-do list.

Here are some examples to try:

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With existing files:

• "Analyze these meeting notes and create an action items summary"
• "Organize these files using the PARA method"

Without existing files:

• "Plan a 4-night road trip near [your city] for a family with young kids"
• "Research the best project management tools for a small team and create a comparison doc" </aside>