The Pulse
Anthropic Moves New Claude Cowork Tasks to the Cloud
Anthropic is routing new Claude Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans through its cloud servers starting October 6, 2026. Local files remain on users’ computers, but tasks that need them still depend on the Claude Desktop app being open.
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Claude Cowork tasks can now keep running after a laptop closes, but work that depends on files stored on that laptop still needs Anthropic’s desktop app online. On October 6, Anthropic began routing new Cowork tasks for Pro and Max subscribers through its cloud servers and removed the “Only on your computer” option.
The change shifts where tasks execute, not where users’ folders live. Anthropic says existing tasks started on a computer remain there until completion; new and scheduled tasks run in the cloud, with conditions attached when Claude needs local resources.
New Pro and Max tasks run on Anthropic’s servers
Cloud sessions continue in the background when a user closes a laptop, and scheduled tasks no longer require a device to stay online. Sessions and files associated with Cowork are available through the user’s Claude account across desktop, web and mobile, allowing someone to check progress or redirect work from another device.
The October 6 change applies specifically to new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans. Anthropic’s help center describes Cowork on web and mobile as a beta for Pro, Max and Team subscribers, as well as Enterprise customers whose administrator has enabled it; the plan-specific switch to cloud execution is stated for Pro and Max.
Local files still need an open desktop app
Anthropic says users’ folders remain on their computers. Claude can access only folders the user has connected, and it reaches them through Claude Desktop while that app is open. If the app closes, a cloud task can continue, but it loses access to those local files.
When a cloud task needs a local file, Anthropic says Claude fetches a copy of that file rather than moving the folder wholesale. The company says those fetched copies are deleted when the session is deleted. Whether conversations are used to improve Claude continues to depend on the user’s “Help improve our AI models” setting.
Scheduled work moves too, with a local-file exception
Scheduled Cowork tasks also move to the cloud, including schedules that use files on a user’s computer. Those file-dependent tasks still need the desktop app open, so cloud execution removes the need to keep a computer awake for some recurring work but does not make every workflow independent of it.
Other local capabilities also retain that dependency. Anthropic’s documentation says local connectors, browser use and computer use require the desktop app; access to local files from web or mobile likewise works through the app on the computer.
Existing local tasks stay put
Tasks users started on their computers before the change remain local and can continue until they finish. Anthropic says each has a note with an option to download its transcript, which users can open in Claude Code if they want to continue the work there.
The transition is not a direct migration of every Cowork workflow: Anthropic says projects and scheduled tasks do not carry over to Claude Code. For users starting fresh in Cowork, the practical dividing line is now clear: execution happens in the cloud, while access to files and tools tied to a computer still depends on that computer’s desktop app.