What you’ll know by the end of this check
- What Chat, Cowork, and Code are for — and which one to open for a given task
- Why Cowork and Code share the same engine (and what that means for what they can do)
- The handful of desktop-only features that make the app worth installing even if you love the web version
Three modes, one question
Every time you open the Claude desktop app, the implicit question is: what kind of work am I doing right now?
| Mode | Use it for | The key thing |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Quick questions, writing, iteration, brainstorming | Same as claude.ai, plus desktop superpowers |
| Cowork | Long-haul tasks that pull from multiple sources | Hands-off: give it a goal, let it work |
| Code | Building and modifying software | Full access to your codebase, terminal, and git |
Cowork and Code run on the same engine — they’re both Claude Code underneath, capable of running independently and spinning up sub-agents. The difference is scope: Cowork is sandboxed to folders you share; Code runs directly in your project with full file system access.
What Chat adds on desktop
If you’re already on claude.ai, Chat mode in the desktop app gives you a few things the browser can’t:
- Double-tap Option (Mac) — pulls up Claude in a floating overlay over whatever you’re working on. No tab switching, no context lost.
- Screenshots and window sharing — drag your cursor over any window and Claude sees exactly what you’re looking at. Faster than describing a confusing UI.
- Dictation — talk through a problem. Useful when you’re thinking out loud and typing would slow you down.
- Desktop connectors — local tools that aren’t available on the web.
The double-tap shortcut alone is worth the install. You’re looking at an unfamiliar dashboard, a confusing error message, a spreadsheet someone else built — hold up Claude over it and ask.
What Cowork actually means
Cowork is for work that has multiple steps and multiple sources. You give it a goal. It builds a plan, shows you the plan, and then works through it — pulling from your folders, your connected tools, and the web.
The parts worth knowing:
- Scheduled tasks — set up recurring work once. “Every morning, pull my calendar and Slack updates and give me a 5-minute brief.” Runs automatically when the app is open.
- Subagents — for complex tasks, Cowork spins up parallel workers to handle different parts simultaneously. You get one finished deliverable at the end.
- Dispatch — hand off tasks to your desktop machine from the Claude mobile app. Your computer has to be awake and open.
Cowork is only on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. Computer use (letting Claude click and interact with your desktop directly) is in research preview on Pro and Max, macOS only.
Things to try right now (5 minutes)
Install the desktop app if you haven’t. Find something on your screen right now — a doc, a dashboard, a message thread — double-tap Option and screenshot it. Ask Claude “what do I need to know about this?” See what it picks up without you typing a description.
The canonical version
Full official lesson at anthropic.skilljar.com/claude-101/440908 — includes the comparison table and mode-specific walkthroughs.
Ready to verify this check?
Finish the official lesson, then come back and mark this check verified on your flight log.