📝 Community
ThreadCounts Author
@threadcounts Desktop Screenshot Organization
Author had Claude organize 611 desktop files (mostly screenshots) accumulated over months, sorted by year and month in 2 minutes
2 min
View Details cowork flows
Where collaboration meets automation
Explore practical workflows powered by Anthropic's Claude Cowork. Get instant prompts or learn from detailed case studies.
Building the Most Comprehensive Claude Cowork Resource
Real Cases
Real Claude Cowork Use Cases from the Community
These are real Claude Cowork use cases from users sharing their experiences on X, blogs, and other platforms, with original source links.
📝 Community
Feisworld
@feisworld Video Footage Auto-Organization
Automatically categorize footage from SD card by camera position and file type, and prepend date to filenames
2-5 min
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O
Organizational Futures
@threadcounts 611 Desktop Files Organization
Auto-organize 611 desktop screenshots into folders by year and month in 2 minutes
2-5 min
View Details 𝕏 X (Twitter)
Lydia Hallie
@lydiahallie Desktop and Downloads Folder Cleanup
Lydia Hallie used Cowork to organize desktop, clean up downloads, and rename files based on content
5-10 min
View Details 📝 Community
Stefan Wolpers
@ageofproduct AI4Agile Prompt Archive Cleanup
Convert 142 .textClipping prompt files to Markdown, categorize by use case, and build a master index mapped to course modules
15-30 min
View Details 📝 Community
David Gewirtz
@DavidGewirtz Downloads PDF Content Organization
Categorize and rename about 300 downloaded PDFs by content and build a new folder structure
30-60 min
View Details 📝 Community
Batch File Conversion and Compression
Convert documents to PDF, compress PDFs, and normalize image formats in one batch
10-20 min
View Details 📝 Community
Invoice Filename Normalization
Rename messy invoice PDFs into a consistent date-vendor-subject format
5-10 min
View Details Official Tutorials
Explore More Claude Cowork Use Cases
Detailed tutorials based on Anthropic's official documentation to help you master Claude Cowork features
84 Cases Found
View All Cases → File Management
Downloads Folder Organization →
Auto-organize messy downloads folder by type and date
5-10 min
File Management
Content-Aware Batch File Renaming →
Intelligently batch rename files based on content with consistent naming patterns
5-10 min
File Management
Duplicate File Detection and Cleanup →
Scan folders to identify duplicate files, generate cleanup report and safely delete copies
10-20 min
Data Processing
Receipt Screenshots to Expense Spreadsheet →
Auto-convert 50 receipt screenshots into an expense spreadsheet with categories and totals
10-20 min
Data Processing
Contract Key Information Extraction →
Extract key information like dates, amounts, renewal terms from multiple contracts
10-20 min
Data Processing
Professional Excel Spreadsheet Creation →
Generate professional Excel files with working VLOOKUP, conditional formatting, and multiple tabs
10-20 min
Data Processing
PDF Table Extraction to Spreadsheet →
Extract table data from PDF documents and convert to editable spreadsheets
5-15 min
Data Processing
Multi-CSV Analysis and Summary →
Analyze multiple CSV files, extract statistics and generate comprehensive summary reports
10-20 min
Data Processing
Document Version Comparison and Change Tracking →
Compare different versions of documents, highlight changes and generate diff reports
10-15 min
Data Processing
Customer Support Ticket Analysis →
Connect to support systems via MCP to analyze ticket trends, identify issue patterns and generate insight reports
15-30 min
Data Processing
Invoice Processing Automation →
Automatically extract invoice data, validate information and perform 3-way matching with purchase orders
5-15 min
Data Processing
Resume Screening and Candidate Comparison →
Batch screen resumes, extract key information and rank candidates based on job requirements
20-40 min
What is Cowork?
Claude Code for the Rest of Your Work
Cowork extends Claude's agentic capabilities beyond developers to everyone. Give Claude access to your files, describe what you need, and let it work autonomously.
Official introduction video from Anthropic
Cowork is a research preview feature by Anthropic in Claude Desktop that allows anyone to give Claude access to folders on their computer. Claude can read, edit, or create files autonomously while completing work tasks. It transforms Claude from a conversational assistant into a capable workflow automation partner.
"It feels much less like a back-and-forth and much more like leaving messages for a coworker."
Unlike traditional chat interfaces, Claude completes work with much more agency. You can start a task, step away, and come back to finished work. Complex tasks can even spin up independent sub-agents that work simultaneously.
How It Works
📁 01
Share a Folder
Click 'Cowork' in Claude Desktop and select a folder you want Claude to access. Only explicitly granted folders can be accessed.
💬 02
Describe Your Task
Use natural language to tell Claude what you need. Claude will develop a strategy and show you its planned approach.
✨ 03
Watch It Work
Claude executes the plan step-by-step, keeping you informed throughout. You can steer, correct, or step away and return later.
Key Capabilities
📂
File Management
Reorganize downloads, sort files by type or project, rename in bulk, and maintain folder structure automatically.
📊
Document Creation
Generate spreadsheets from screenshots, draft reports from scattered notes, create presentations from outlines.
🤖
Agentic Workflow
Claude makes plans and executes multi-step tasks with minimal intervention. Complex tasks spawn parallel sub-agents.
🌐
Browser Integration
Pairs with Claude in Chrome extension for tasks requiring internet access, combining local file work with web research.
⚡
Parallel Processing
Queue multiple tasks for simultaneous execution. Start several jobs and let Claude work through them efficiently.
🔒
Safe & Secure
Claude only accesses folders you explicitly grant, asks before significant actions, and includes prompt injection defenses.
Example Use Cases
Just describe what you want in natural language
🗂️
Organize Downloads
→ "Organize my Downloads folder. Group files by type and project, rename unclear files."
🧾
Create Expense Report
→ "I have 50 receipt screenshots. Create an expense spreadsheet with categories and totals."
📝
Draft from Notes
→ "Turn these meeting notes into a formal project proposal document."
Ready to Try Claude Cowork?
Claude Cowork is now available for Claude Pro and Max subscribers on macOS.
- Claude Pro subscription ($20/month or higher)
- macOS with Claude Desktop app
- Click 'Cowork' in the sidebar to start
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
01 What can Claude Cowork do?
Claude Cowork enables Claude to read, write, and organize files on your computer, run shell commands, process data, generate reports, and automate repetitive tasks. It works entirely on your local machine.
02 How do I enable Cowork in Claude Desktop?
Open Claude Desktop, go to Settings > Features, and enable the 'Computer Use' option. You may need to restart the application for changes to take effect.
03 Is Cowork safe to use?
Yes. Cowork runs locally on your computer and always asks for your permission before executing any file operations or commands. No data is sent to external servers without your explicit consent.
04 What file types does Cowork support?
Cowork can work with virtually any file type including text files, documents, spreadsheets, images, PDFs, code files, and more. The specific capabilities depend on the task at hand.
05 Can Cowork access the internet?
Cowork primarily works with local files and commands. While it cannot browse the web directly, it can process downloaded files and work with local data.
06 How is Cowork different from ChatGPT?
Unlike ChatGPT, Cowork can directly interact with your computer's file system and execute real commands. This makes it capable of performing actual tasks rather than just providing instructions.
07 What operating systems support Cowork?
Cowork is currently available through Claude Desktop on macOS only. Windows and Linux support are not yet available.
08 Can Cowork run potentially dangerous commands?
Cowork always shows you a preview of commands before execution and requires your approval. It's designed with safety in mind and will warn you about potentially destructive operations.