Claude Desktop is the Claude app for macOS, Windows and, in beta, Linux. It uses the same account and plans as the web, and adds local file access, a built-in browser, desktop extensions and a Code tab for Claude Code. Install it once you want Claude to work on your own files rather than on uploads.
Other good fits
Adding local connectors (desktop extensions) with a click instead of editing config files.
Using Claude Code through a window instead of the terminal (paid plans).
+ Pros
Read pros
The desktop app is "all of Claude, in one app": the same chats, projects and plans as claude.ai, plus things a browser tab can't do. On paid plans Claude can read and write files in folders you allow, use a browser built into the app for web tasks, and open a Code tab that runs Claude Code with no separate install. On every plan, including Free, you can add desktop extensions, which are one-click local connectors.
Pick it when…
You want Claude to sort, rename or summarise files in a folder without uploading them.
You want a local connector (for example to a tool on your machine) and don't want to edit JSON files.
You'd like to try Claude Code through a window with visual diffs instead of the terminal.
You want tasks started on your phone to reach files on your computer.
− Cons
Read cons
It adds reach, not a different assistant: answers are as good or as wrong as on the web. Local file access and the Code tab need a paid plan. On Linux (beta), computer use and dictation aren't available. Desktop extensions run local programs with your user's permissions, so install only ones you trust. Files Claude reads still go to Anthropic's servers for processing.
Pick something else when…
You just chat and upload the odd PDF: use Claude in the browser.
You work mainly in a code editor or terminal: install Claude Code there.
Data must never leave the machine: LM Studio runs a model locally.
Avoid if
You want coding inside your own editor or terminal: install Claude Code (tool page) directly.
Nothing may leave the laptop: run a local model in LM Studio (tool page).
Workflow
Install the supported desktop app, sign in, choose the relevant Claude workspace or Code tab, add only the material needed for the task, and review the resulting draft or diff. Human decisions remain outside the app.
Cost
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Prices checked 23 September 2026 (Claude pricing (opens in a new tab), US dollars before tax): the app is free to install. Free covers chat and desktop extensions. Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually) adds Claude Code and Cowork, including local file access. Max costs $100 or $200 per month, and Team $25 per seat monthly or $20 annually.
On macOS and Windows the app updates itself. On Linux, install it from Anthropic's apt repository so updates arrive with your normal system updates. It needs macOS 11+, Windows 10+, or Ubuntu 22.04+/Debian 12+. Tasks that touch local files or your browser need the app open and connected, even though the session itself runs in Anthropic's cloud. Team and Enterprise admins can decide which extensions people may install.
Restrictions
Official Claude Code documentation lists desktop downloads for macOS and Windows and marks Ubuntu/Debian support as beta. Account sign-in and paid-subscription requirements apply to documented Claude Code desktop use.
First project
Documentation-based suggestion — not run here.
Read first project
Tidy a copy of a messy folder.
Input: a new folder with about 15 made-up files with vague names such as scan001.pdf, final_v3.docx and notes new.txt. Ask Claude in chat to generate them.
Install the app from claude.com/download and sign in (Pro or higher for local file access).
Start a task and give Claude access to that one folder only. Keep the permission mode on Manual.
Ask: "Propose a folder structure and clear file names. Show me the plan as a table of old name and new name before you move anything. Don't delete anything."
Check the table, correct two names, then let it proceed and approve each move.
Ask it to save the table as renames.csv in the folder.
Done when: every file sits in the new structure, nothing was deleted, and renames.csv lists each old and new name.
Links & evidence
Documentation-based · not hands-on · Sep 23, 2026
Rests on Anthropic's own pages read on 2026-09-23: the Install Claude Desktop help article (platforms, per-plan features, Linux limits), the download page, the desktop extensions article, the Cowork getting-started article and claude.com/pricing. Nothing was installed or run for this review. Not verified: which extensions are in the directory today.
Install Claude Desktop · Sep 23, 2026 — macOS 11+, Windows 10+, Linux beta (Ubuntu 22.04+/Debian 12+); Claude Code and Cowork on paid plans; Linux lacks computer use and dictation; apt updates.
Download Claude · Sep 23, 2026 — "All of Claude, in one app"; downloads for macOS, Windows, Windows arm64, Linux docs.
Local MCP servers on Claude Desktop · Sep 23, 2026 — Desktop extensions install local connectors in one click; Team/Enterprise admin controls.
Get started with Claude Cowork · Sep 23, 2026 — Paid plans only; surfaces; cloud sessions (beta); local files through the desktop app; permission modes; scheduled tasks.
Claude plans and pricing · Sep 23, 2026 — Free, Pro ($20 or $17/month annual), Max from $100, Team $25/$20 and $125/$100 per seat, Enterprise $20/seat plus usage; features per plan; usage pool shared with Claude Code.
Further review notes & alternatives
Alternatives and trade-offs
Claude in the browser wins when you can't install software or only need chat; same account, same plan.
Cowork is the task mode inside this app, and the better read when you want to hand over whole jobs.
LM Studio wins when privacy beats model quality and your laptop can run a local model.
Read local files, work with PDFs, and connect desktop extensions from one application.
Choose it when browser chat is too limited for local-file workflows.
It bundles Claude chat, Claude Code, and Cowork on macOS or Windows.
Anthropic (Claude team) · free-tier · cloud
drag-and-drop files
local file access
browser automation
cloud drive sync
code change monitor
pdf summarizer
cross-device memory
email integration
talk-think
draft-docs
write-code
search-cite
View sourced imageOfficial Claude Desktop extension-settings screenshot for installing local MCP extensions.
Claude Desktop official product documentation
Owner-requested editorial use of public official interface screenshots, 15 September 2026. Copyright retained by the original publisher; attribution preserved. No open licence or hands-on course execution is asserted. Source asset: https://downloads.intercomcdn.com/i/o/lupk8zyo/1681607607/ba6e379d2769d190f0970a0adaed/AD_4nXd4aZkqjJFpiXMPF28Pih7HmSJ9pPsnoWAfVgiLdFRFiTkO92YtXteIjvDHaPl7T0tjfpRTBOlyrMbQ_aciCNDgfIuEvV3szmKvt72x5O51DMSClXOYWk1JIRIzylwkj3joXqZcLw. PNG conversion preserves the complete frame.
