Cowork drops local-only mode for Pro and Max on October 6

The Cowork setting that kept Pro and Max tasks on your own computer is going away, and only tasks already started there will be allowed to finish locally. According to an updated Claude help center article, every new Cowork task on those plans will run in the cloud from October 6, 2026.

At a glance

• On October 6, 2026, Pro and Max subscribers lose the "Only on your computer" option in Settings > General, and Anthropic says users don't need to set anything up for the switch.
• Cloud tasks can reach local files only through folders you have connected in the desktop app while it is open, and Claude pulls a copy of just the file a task needs.
• The fallback is Claude Code desktop, which keeps work on your machine. Projects and scheduled tasks don't carry over, though, and Cowork in the cloud is still in beta.

If you haven't followed Cowork closely, here is the setup. Pro and Max users could choose where a task ran, and the "Only on your computer" option kept Claude's work on their own machine. Meanwhile, Cowork has spread to desktop, web, mobile and the Claude in Chrome side panel, with sessions and files tied to the Claude account instead of a single device.

From October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max run on Anthropic's servers

The change is narrow and has a fixed date. On October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans start in the cloud, and the Only on your computer option in Settings > General is removed. In the cloud, Claude's work happens on Anthropic's servers, and the session and its files are saved to your Claude account.

Tasks you already started on your computer won't be moved. They stay local, and you can keep working on them until they're done. Each one gets a note at the top with a button to download its transcript, in case you want to continue that work in Claude Code.

Scheduled tasks move to the cloud too, including ones that use files on your computer. Those still need the desktop app open to run. Anthropic sends readers to a separate article, Schedule recurring tasks in Claude Cowork, for the details.

Your folders stay on your computer, and Claude fetches one file at a time

The help article spells out how file access works. Your folders stay on your machine. Claude can reach only the folders you've connected, only through the desktop app and only while that app is open. When a cloud task needs a file, Claude fetches a copy of that one file and leaves the rest of the folder alone.

Think of a librarian who works in another building. You decide which shelves they can use, and when they need a page, they photocopy that page instead of taking the whole shelf. If you close the desktop app, they lose access to the shelves.

The copies go when the session goes. If you delete a session, the copies Claude fetched are deleted too, in line with Anthropic's data retention practices. Whether your conversations are used to improve Claude still depends on the Help improve our AI models setting in Settings > Privacy.

Claude Code desktop is Anthropic's answer for work that has to stay on one machine

Anthropic acknowledges that some work has to stay on one machine. For that, it points to Claude Code in the desktop app, which runs on your computer and keeps your folders and history there. To bring past work along, download a single task's transcript from the note at the top of that task, or your full Cowork history from a notice in the app, then open it in Claude Code.

The move has limits. Your projects and scheduled tasks don't carry over to Claude Code. The article also has a note for people who use Claude both at work and at home: if you want to keep the two apart, use a separate account for each, because shared logins aren't supported.

Cowork in the cloud is still in beta, and the feature table shows the gaps

Cloud Cowork works on desktop, web, mobile and in the Claude in Chrome side panel. On desktop, web and mobile, chat and Cowork share one home. You select "Cowork" in the bottom left of the message box and describe the task. The new Claude experience has no selector at all, and the Chrome side panel opens straight into a Cowork session.

The table marks these features as available on desktop, web and mobile: starting and steering tasks, resuming a session begun on another surface, connectors, skills and plugins, file previews, scheduled tasks and projects. On web and mobile, local file access, browser use and computer use carry an asterisk because they reach into your computer and need the desktop app open. Live artifacts created before August 19, 2026 get a single checkmark.

Sessions follow your account, so you can switch surfaces mid-task. For example, you might start a task in the Chrome side panel while looking at a dashboard, then pick it up on desktop to work with the downloaded files. When Claude finishes or needs your input, you get a notification on your phone.

The article leaves some gaps. It doesn't say why local-only mode is ending for Pro and Max specifically, or what happens when a scheduled task that uses local files comes due while the desktop app is closed. In our view, the odd part is making the cloud the only option for new tasks while Anthropic still calls the cloud version a beta, and while older live artifacts don't work on every surface.

What the October 6 cutover leaves open

The date itself is fixed at October 6, 2026. Any task you start locally before then can run to completion on your machine, and you can download its transcript for Claude Code. The help article doesn't say when cloud Cowork will leave beta. It also covers only Pro and Max. Team and Enterprise plans have their own article, and this page says nothing about a similar change for them.