Getting Started
What Is Claude Cowork?
A beginner's guide to understanding Claude Cowork, who should use it, and what it can do for your work.
Claude Cowork is a way to use Claude for professional workflows that involve multiple steps, files, and tools. Unlike regular Claude, which works through chat, Cowork lets you give Claude access to your files, connect it to apps like Slack or Notion, and automate complex work that normally takes hours to do manually.
The Simple Explanation
You probably already know Claude as the AI chatbot. You ask it a question, it answers. You can brainstorm with it, get writing help, or ask it to explain something. That's powerful, but it has limits — it's one conversation at a time, and Claude can't access your files or talk to other tools you use.
Claude Cowork takes that same Claude intelligence and extends it. Cowork is Claude with the ability to:
- • Work with your actual files (documents, spreadsheets, data)
- • Connect to apps you already use (Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Figma, Google Sheets)
- • Handle multi-step workflows automatically
- • Produce polished, professional outputs ready to use or share
Think of regular Claude as a helpful colleague who can answer your questions over chat. Claude Cowork is that same colleague, but now they can also open your documents, check your email, pull data from your systems, and turn that into finished work.
What Makes Cowork Different from Regular Claude
Here's the clearest way to think about it:
Regular Claude (Web or App)
Great for: Quick answers, brainstorming, writing help, learning. Works in a chat interface. Can't access your files or tools.
Claude Cowork
Great for: Real work. Accessing your files, connecting to your tools, automating workflows, creating professional outputs. Works on your desktop, with full access to your systems.
The key difference: Cowork can do things, not just answer questions. It can read your files, talk to your apps, handle complex multi-step work, and integrate into your actual workflow.
Who Is Cowork For?
Claude Cowork is for anyone who does professional work and needs to handle multiple tasks, files, or systems. Here are some common roles:
Marketing Managers
Draft blog posts, plan campaigns, analyze competitor content, organize campaign calendars.
Sales Professionals
Prepare for calls, draft outreach emails, organize customer research, track deal progress.
Lawyers & Legal Teams
Review contracts, check compliance, draft legal documents, research case law.
Accountants & Finance
Create journal entries, reconcile accounts, analyze financial statements, audit data.
Project Managers
Build project plans, track status, manage timelines, coordinate across teams.
Operations Teams
Streamline workflows, manage data, automate repetitive tasks, organize systems.
The common thread: if your work involves files, multiple tools, or multi-step workflows, Cowork can help.
What Can You Actually Do With Cowork?
Here are concrete examples from real professionals:
A Marketing Manager
Uploads 10 blog posts, asks Claude to analyze what topics perform best and why. Claude reads all the posts, pulls together insights, and drafts an outline for the next three blog posts — complete with SEO recommendations and headlines. Ready to go in 5 minutes instead of an hour.
A Sales Rep
Before a big client call, uploads the company's website, recent press releases, and the proposal draft. Claude reads everything and creates a customized briefing document: 3 key talking points, 2 potential objections with responses, and questions to ask. Printed out or on screen during the call.
A Lawyer
Uploads a new NDA from a vendor. Claude reviews it for unusual or risky clauses, compares it to your standard template, and flags anything that needs legal attention. You get a 2-minute summary instead of spending 20 minutes reading it yourself.
An Accountant
Uploads bank statements and expense reports. Claude reconciles transactions, flags discrepancies, and generates a draft reconciliation journal. You review and approve in minutes instead of an hour of manual matching.
A Project Manager
Gathers status updates from team members in a Google Doc. Claude reads them, organizes them by project, flags risks, and drafts a status report for leadership. Structured, professional, and ready to send.
The pattern: upload files, ask Claude to do something with them, get professional outputs in a fraction of the time it would take manually.
Cowork vs Claude Code
You might have heard of Claude Code. Here's the difference:
| Claude Cowork | Claude Code |
|---|---|
| For professional workflows and file work | For writing and running code |
| No coding required | Designed for developers and coding tasks |
| Access files, connect tools, automate workflows | Write, test, and debug code |
| Used by marketing, sales, legal, finance, ops | Used by developers and engineers |
In short: Cowork is for work. Code is for coding. If you're not writing code, use Cowork. If you're a developer, Claude Code might be right for you. Learn more about getting started with Cowork.
What You Need to Get Started
Getting started with Claude Cowork is straightforward:
- • A paid Claude plan — Claude Pro or Claude Team. (Free Claude access doesn't include Cowork.)
- • The Claude desktop app — Download it to access Cowork. Available on Mac and Windows.
- • Optional: Tool connections — Connect Claude to Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Google Sheets, or other apps. But you can start using Cowork with just files.
That's it. You don't need special software, API keys, or technical knowledge. Once you have the desktop app and a paid plan, you're ready to start using Cowork for your work.
How Plugins Extend Cowork
Cowork comes with core capabilities built in. But there are 11 official plugins that extend what Claude can do, tailored to specific professions and workflows.
Plugins give Claude specialized knowledge and skills for your role. For example:
- • The Marketing plugin helps with campaign planning, content analysis, and audience research
- • The Sales plugin helps with deal management, prospect research, and outreach
- • The Legal plugin helps with contract review, compliance, and legal research
- • And 8 more for finance, operations, design, and other areas
All plugins are free. You just need a paid Claude plan to access them. You can install one plugin, several plugins, or just use Cowork without any plugins — it's up to you.
Read our complete guide to getting started with Cowork and plugins for step-by-step setup instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Claude Cowork secure? Can Claude see my sensitive data? →
Yes, Cowork is secure. Claude can only access files and systems you explicitly give it permission to use. Anthropic has strong data privacy protections in place. You control what Claude sees. If you upload an NDA, Claude reads it — but it's not shared with anyone else or stored for later. Be mindful of what data you share, just like you would with any professional tool.
Can Claude Cowork replace my entire team? →
No. Cowork is a tool that makes you and your team more productive. It handles routine work, analysis, and drafting — so your people can focus on strategy, relationships, and decisions that require human judgment. Think of it as giving your team a highly capable assistant, not replacing team members.
What happens if Claude makes a mistake? →
Claude is smart, but not perfect. It can hallucinate facts, misunderstand context, or produce work that needs review. That's why you always review Cowork's outputs before using them. Cowork is best used as a productivity tool — you review, edit, and approve everything before it goes out. Never blindly trust AI-generated work.
Do I need to know how to code to use Cowork? →
No. Claude Cowork is designed for non-technical professionals. Marketing managers, lawyers, accountants, and salespeople use Cowork without writing code or knowing anything about programming. You just need to know how to use your computer and your professional tools.
How much does Cowork cost? →
Cowork is included with any paid Claude plan (Claude Pro or Claude Team). The plugins are also free — you just need a paid plan. There's no additional cost for Cowork or plugins on top of your Claude subscription.
Can I use Cowork offline? →
Claude Cowork requires an internet connection to work because it needs to communicate with Claude's servers. You can't use Cowork offline, but you can use it on any device with internet access and the Claude desktop app installed.
Ready to explore what Claude Cowork can do?
Check out our complete getting-started guide, or browse the official plugins for your role.