Computer Use Articles
12 articles across AI Catchup's news, guides, tutorials, and comparisons.
All Computer Use articles
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. Claude can click, type, open apps, and use dev tools while you keep working on macOS, with Windows support also documented. The beta is limited to Pro and Max plans and still requires the desktop app to be open and the computer awake.
OpenAI Launches GPT-6 Astra for Computer Use and Complex Work
OpenAI launched GPT-6 Astra on September 3, 2026, as a model for computer use, browsing, software engineering, cybersecurity, science, and complex professional workflows. Access started with a limited set of organizations; Astra is now available in ChatGPT Work and Codex, the OpenAI API, Microsoft Foundry, and Amazon Bedrock.
ChatGPT Appshots Send the Frontmost App Window Into a Chat on macOS and Windows
Appshots let the ChatGPT desktop app capture the frontmost app window, including the visible image and any text the app exposes, and attach it to a chat. Press both Command keys on macOS or both Alt keys on Windows. Windows support arrived on September 11, 2026; new Appshots still cannot be taken from the CLI.
Claude Cowork Gets a Built-In Browser: Web Tasks Without an Extension
Anthropic added a built-in browser to Claude Cowork on the desktop app. Claude can open webpages in a separate side-panel browser, read pages, click, type, and fill forms without using the user's own tabs or browser extension. The rollout covers Pro, Max, and Team plans, with Enterprise admin controls available first.
Claude Platform Makes Computer Use, Browser Use, Skills, and Files Generally Available
Anthropic says computer use, browser use, the Skills API, and the Files API are now generally available on the Claude Platform, combining multi-action software control with versioned skills and reusable files for production agents.
Cursor Says Cloud Agents Use 20-30% Fewer Tokens
Cursor said on August 3, 2026 that its Cloud Agents are 20-30% more token efficient, and 80% more efficient on runs with computer use, crediting better MCP, skills, and computer-use handling. A September 23 agent-harness update later reported a further 7% cut in token costs without lower agent quality.
Codex Record & Replay: Turn a Demonstrated Mac Workflow Into a Reusable Skill, Now in the EU, UK, and Switzerland
Record & Replay, added to the Codex app in version 26.616 on June 18, 2026, turns a workflow you demonstrate on your Mac into a reusable skill. As of September 2026 it is available in the EU, the UK, and Switzerland (since July 31), requires Computer Use to be enabled, and runs inside the ChatGPT desktop app.
Codex Adds Windows Computer Use + ChatGPT Mobile Windows Connections for On-the-Go Steering
On May 29, 2026, OpenAI brought Codex Computer Use to Windows, where it operates desktop apps in the foreground, and let the ChatGPT mobile app connect to Windows machines so you can steer tasks from your phone. Both now run through the ChatGPT desktop app, which Codex joined on July 9, 2026.
OpenAI Codex adds Locked computer use on Mac (keep Computer Use running after lock)
Codex can keep using Mac apps after your screen locks. Locked use, now set in the ChatGPT desktop app under Settings > Computer Use, is a narrow unlock path for active Computer Use turns started from a connected device, with a short-lived authorization window and a relock on local input.
Codex Chrome Extension, Now the ChatGPT Browser Extension: How It Drives a Signed-In Browser for LinkedIn, Salesforce, Gmail, and Internal Tools
OpenAI's Codex Chrome extension is now the ChatGPT browser extension. It lets ChatGPT Work or Codex use your signed-in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, or Vivaldi for sites like LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Gmail. Set it up in the ChatGPT desktop app under Settings > Computer Use, invoke it with @Chrome, and approve each new site.
OpenAI Codex Goes 'For Almost Everything': Mac Computer Use, Browser Comment Mode, and Thread Automations Explained
OpenAI's April 16, 2026 Codex update pushed it past coding: Computer Use drives Mac apps (Windows followed on May 29), an in-app browser takes comments on rendered pages, and thread automations wake a thread on a schedule. Since July 9, 2026, Codex lives in the ChatGPT desktop app, where thread automations are scheduled tasks in a chat.
Perplexity Personal Computer vs OpenAI Codex Computer Use vs Claude Computer Use: Which AI Should Run Your Mac?
Pick Perplexity Personal Computer for an always-on desktop agent on Mac or Windows; Max includes 10,000 Computer credits a month. Pick Codex Computer Use if you live in ChatGPT and want one agent driving code, browser and desktop apps. Pick Claude Computer Use to wire it into your own harness on any OS, or in Claude Code.