Claude Cowork on Mobile and Windows: What Works and What Doesn't

Both work. Claude Cowork runs on:

• macOS desktop
• Windows desktop
• Web (claude.ai)
• iOS and Android
• Chrome side panel

Web and mobile are in beta for Pro, Max and Team plans, and on Enterprise where an admin has turned them on.

A lot of the guidance you'll find online predates this and still says "Cowork is a desktop-only tab." That was true at launch in January 2026. It isn't now.

The four desktop-only capabilities

This is the part that actually matters when you plan your work.

Anthropic's wording: "Local file access, local connectors, browser use, and computer use from web and mobile work through the Claude Desktop app."

The local-files trap

This catches people, so it's worth stating precisely.

Local file access from web or mobile works only when both of these are true:

1. The Claude Desktop app is open on that computer, and
2. The session was started on desktop.

Which means: a session you begin on your phone has no path to your laptop's files, even if the laptop is on and Claude is running. You have to start it on the machine holding the files.

Practical habit: start file-touching work on desktop, then move to your phone to supervise it. That direction works. The other direction doesn't.

Windows: no asterisks

Windows is a first-class desktop target. Claude Desktop for Windows is on all paid plans, Cowork runs there, and local file access, local connectors, browser use and computer use all work the same as on macOS.

The only requirement is running the latest version of Claude for Windows — Cowork specifically needs it, and an out-of-date install is the most common reason people think it isn't available.

What mobile is actually good for

Not a reduced Cowork. A control surface for one.

Because sessions run in Anthropic's cloud and follow your account, the natural pattern is:

1. Start a long task on your laptop, where it can reach your files.
2. Close the laptop. The session keeps running.
3. Check progress, answer its questions and redirect it from your phone.
4. Come back to the desktop for anything needing local access.

That's a genuinely useful shape, and it's the thing worth knowing about Cowork that isn't obvious from the product page.

Quick troubleshooting

"I don't see Cowork on my phone." Check your plan — web and mobile need Pro, Max or Team. On Enterprise, an admin has to enable it. Then update the app.

"Cowork can't see my files from my phone." Almost always one of the two conditions above: the desktop app isn't open, or the session started somewhere other than that desktop.

"Cowork isn't showing up on Windows." Update Claude for Windows. Cowork requires the current version.

"It's greyed out on Free." Cowork isn't on the free plan and there's no trial. See Cowork pricing.

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Also useful: Claude Cowork vs ChatGPT Work. Sources: Use Claude Cowork on web, desktop and mobile, Get started with Claude Cowork. Retrieved 20 September 2026 — this one changes fast, so check the help centre if something above doesn't match what you see.