Claude Computer Use Runs in the Background in Cowork and Claude Code

Anthropic added computer use to Claude Cowork and Claude Code in the Claude Desktop app. When a connector or a more direct tool is not available, Claude can open apps, click, type, navigate the screen, and run developer tools to complete a task. (Claude on X; Anthropic Help Center)

The feature is in beta for Pro and Max plans. Anthropic's current documentation says it works in Claude Cowork and Claude Code on the Claude Desktop app for macOS and Windows. Team and Enterprise plans do not have access to computer use at this time. (Anthropic Help Center)

What Claude can do

Computer use is a fallback in Claude's tool-selection order, not a replacement for every connector. Anthropic says Claude first uses a connector when one is available. If the task needs a website, it may use the built-in browser or Claude in Chrome. If those routes do not fit, computer use can interact directly with the screen. (Anthropic Help Center)

That gives Cowork and Claude Code a way to handle work that is difficult to expose through a structured integration:

• Open a desktop application.
• Navigate through a graphical interface.
• Click controls and type into fields.
• Open files and use developer tools.
• Test a native application or a visual workflow.

Anthropic's launch announcement describes the capability as a research preview and says it can work especially well with Dispatch, which lets users assign a task from a phone and continue the conversation on a computer. (Anthropic's computer-use announcement)

Background work on macOS

The most useful workflow change is that Claude does not always need to take over the visible pointer and keyboard. Anthropic's Help Center says that on macOS 15 or later, Claude can work in background windows while you continue using your computer. It generally waits when you are in the middle of typing, and the background mode is the default on supported macOS versions. (Anthropic Help Center)

The boundary is important: background windows do not mean the task runs without the user's machine. The computer must be awake, the Claude Desktop app must remain open, and the task still needs permission before Claude accesses the full screen in a session. (Anthropic Help Center)

Anthropic's documentation also says users can switch to Full control in the desktop app settings if they want Claude to take over the screen while it works. That is a different permission choice from leaving the default background behavior enabled. (Anthropic Help Center)

macOS and Windows availability

Anthropic's current Help Center page lists computer use in the Claude Desktop app for both macOS and Windows. It separately documents background windows for macOS 15 or later, so the safe product distinction is:

Anthropic's documentation does not promise that Windows has the same background-window behavior as macOS. Users on Windows should therefore treat computer use as an active desktop capability and check the latest desktop release notes before planning unattended workflows. (Anthropic Help Center)

Permissions and safety

Claude asks for permission the first time a session needs full-screen access, and it asks again when a task needs access to a new application. Users can stop Claude at any point. Those prompts are part of the product boundary, not an indication that the agent can safely perform every action without review. (Anthropic's computer-use announcement)

Computer use can reach the same browser pages, files, and applications a user can reach, so it can encounter sensitive information or instructions embedded in a webpage. Start with a bounded task, keep the desktop app and account context narrow, and review any external action before it is submitted. Anthropic describes computer use as a research preview, and says complex tasks may need a second try. (Anthropic's computer-use announcement)

What to try first

The safest first test is a reversible visual task:

1. Update the Claude Desktop app.
2. Enable computer use in the desktop app settings.
3. Open Cowork or Claude Code and ask Claude to perform a low-risk task in a non-sensitive app.
4. Approve the requested application or screen permission.
5. Watch the first run and confirm the result before delegating a longer workflow.

For coding workflows, computer use can be useful when the task includes a GUI-only tool, a native application, or a visual test that is awkward to express through a terminal command. For Cowork, the built-in browser may still be the better route for ordinary web research because it keeps the task in a dedicated browser surface. (Claude Cowork built-in browser announcement)

Bottom line

Claude computer use brings direct desktop interaction to Cowork and Claude Code, including background windows on macOS 15 or later. It is a meaningful workflow expansion for Pro and Max users who need Claude to operate apps, files, browsers, or development tools, but it remains a beta feature that depends on an awake computer, an open desktop app, explicit permissions, and human review of consequential actions.

Sources

• Claude on X, “Claude can now use your computer in the background in Claude Cowork and Claude Code”: https://x.com/claudeai/status/2095226833293685100
• ClaudeDevs on X, “Computer use in the Claude Code desktop app now runs in the background”: https://x.com/ClaudeDevs/status/2095226982644830648
• Anthropic Help Center, “Let Claude use your computer in Cowork”: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/14128542-let-claude-use-your-computer-in-cowork
• Anthropic, “Put Claude to work on your computer”: https://claude.com/blog/dispatch-and-computer-use
• Anthropic, “Claude Cowork gets a built-in browser”: https://claude.com/blog/cowork-built-in-browser/