Lesson 5
Use Cowork for Guided Computer Tasks
You understand what Cowork is and how it keeps you in control, and you have safely run one real task: you gave Cowork a dedicated practice folder and it organized the files and wrote you a summary, with you approving each step.
Chat answers questions. Cowork does the work on your computer: sorting files, filling things in, moving things around. That is powerful, so the whole skill is doing it safely, with a practice folder and your approval on every action.
~25 min Paid plan needed: Cowork is on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise, not on the Free plan. On Free you can still read Phase 1 to see exactly what Cowork is and does. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork).
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Phase 1: Meet Cowork and Set Your Rules
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On the Free plan? You can still do this part.
Cowork is a paid feature (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). This first phase is a read-along tour: what Cowork is, what you would see, and what it does. It is genuinely useful on its own, and there is nothing to buy to read it. The hands-on task in Phase 2 needs a paid plan and the desktop app. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork).
What Cowork Is
Chat talks with you. Cowork works for you on your computer. It uses the same kind of engine as Claude's developer tool, but with no code and no terminal. You give it a task in plain words, and it carries the task out step by step while you watch and approve.
You would find it in the same place you type. In the Claude desktop app, the message box has a mode selector: you switch between "Chat" and "Cowork" right there. Pick Cowork when you want Claude to do something on your computer rather than just answer. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork-interface-home).
Note
Cowork runs on a paid plan and, for anything that touches your computer, the desktop app needs to stay open. It is rolling out on web and mobile in beta too, but the hands-on file work in this lesson is a desktop-app job. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork, mobile-apps).
What Cowork Can Do
Three kinds of things, once you allow them. It can read and write files in a folder you connect. It can open Chrome and work on websites, like clicking and filling forms. And on the Pro and Max plans it can control your screen directly, clicking and typing for you, which is a research preview. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork-file-access, cowork-browser-use, cowork-computer-use).
In this lesson you use only the first one: files in a folder you choose. That is the safest way in, and it is all you need to see how Cowork works. You can try browser and screen control later, once the approval habit is second nature.
Note
Asking Cowork to explain something is not the same as letting it act. You can have it describe what it would do, in full, and it still will not touch anything until you approve. Here is a safe first thing to paste once you are in Cowork on a paid plan:
Prompt: paste into Cowork to see it explain, not act
Before you do anything, explain in plain language what you can do in Cowork on my computer, and what you would need my permission for. Do not take any action or change any files yet. Just tell me.
Set Your Safety Rules First
Because Cowork can change things on your computer, a few simple rules keep you fully in control. Read these before you run anything. They are the real skill in this lesson.
Safety first
The four rules that keep you in control
1. Use a dedicated practice folder. Make a brand-new folder that holds only throwaway files, and give Cowork that folder only. Never point it at your Documents or Desktop, or any folder with real or private files. Cowork can only read or change files in the folders you connect.
2. Read the plan before you approve. Ask Cowork to tell you its plan first, then look it over. If anything seems off, say no or ask it to change the plan.
3. Know your approval modes. You can have Cowork ask before each action (Manual), approve on its own (Auto), or skip approvals (Skip). Start on Manual so nothing happens without your yes. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork-permission-modes).
4. Deletion always asks. Even on Auto or Skip, Claude asks for explicit permission before it permanently deletes any files: you will see a prompt and have to allow it. So a stray "clean up" can never quietly erase something. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork-permission-modes).
Note
That is the whole safety model: a folder that holds only practice files, a plan you read first, Manual approvals, and deletion that always stops to ask. With those in place, the hands-on part is low risk and easy to reset, since you can just delete the practice folder when you are done.
Phase 2: Do a Guided Task with Cowork
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The hands-on task needs the Claude desktop app open on a computer, because Cowork reaches your files through the app. On a phone you can start or watch a Cowork session, but not do the local-file work here. Read along, then run these steps on a computer. See content/capabilities.yaml (mobile-apps).
Make a Practice Folder
First, rule number one. Make a new, empty folder just for this. Name it cowork-practice and put it somewhere easy to find, like your home folder. Do not use your Documents or Desktop folder, and do not put anything real in it.
Now add three tiny text files so Cowork has something to organize. On a Mac, use TextEdit (choose Format, then "Make Plain Text"). On Windows, use Notepad. Copy each block below into its own file and save it into the cowork-practice folder with the name shown.
Save as notes.txt inside cowork-practice
Team standup, Tuesday. Aisha shipped the login fix. Ben is blocked on the export bug and needs a review by Thursday. We moved the newsletter to next week. Reminder: submit expense reports by the end of the month.
This is made-up text. There is nothing private in it, which is the point.
Save as errands.txt inside cowork-practice
Errands this weekend. Return the library books. Pick up the dry cleaning. Buy a birthday card for Sam. Get the car washed. Refill the water filters.
Save as ideas.txt inside cowork-practice
Ideas parking lot. A short guide on backing up photos. A monthly "what I learned" note. Try batch cooking on Sundays. Ask the neighbor about the community garden. Read one book a month.
Note
Three throwaway files in a folder of their own. That is a safe playground: the only files Cowork can change are the ones in here.
Hand the Folder to Cowork
In the Claude desktop app, switch the message box to Cowork using the mode selector. Set approvals to Manual so it asks before each action. Then give Cowork access to your cowork-practice folder (only that folder), so it can read and change the files in it. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork-interface-home, cowork-file-access).
Now paste the task below. Notice what it asks for: the plan first, then organizing, then a summary file, and your approval on every step. When Cowork shows its plan, read it before you approve anything.
Prompt: paste into Cowork with the cowork-practice folder connected
Here is a folder called cowork-practice with a few text files in it. First, tell me your plan before you change anything. Then organize the files into clearly named subfolders by topic, and write a short summary file called summary.txt that lists what is in the folder and the single most useful next action from all of it. Ask me to approve each step before you take it.
Approve the steps one at a time. Watch what happens in the folder as you go: new subfolders appear, the files move, and a summary.txt is created. You are in the loop the whole time, which is exactly the point.
Check it worked
Open the cowork-practice folder. You should see the files sorted into named subfolders and a new summary.txt. Open summary.txt and read it. That organized folder plus the summary is your proof this worked.
Check the Result and Wrap Up
You just ran a real computer task with Claude and stayed in control of every step. Same recipe every time: a dedicated folder, a plan you read first, Manual approvals, and deletion that always asks.
When you want to use this for real, keep the rules. Make another dedicated folder, put in copies of files that hold nothing sensitive, and let Cowork organize those. Here is a prompt for that:
Prompt: for a real folder later (nothing sensitive in it)
I have a folder of files I would like organized. It has nothing sensitive in it. First show me your plan, then organize it into named subfolders and write a short summary of what is inside. Ask before each change, and do not delete anything without asking me first.
Note
Optional (paid plans): more than files
Files are the safe way in. On the same paid plans, Cowork can also open Chrome to work on websites (clicking and filling forms), always with the same approval steps. Controlling your screen directly is a further step: a research preview on the Pro and Max plans. None of that is needed today. Build the approval habit on folders first, then explore. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork-browser-use, cowork-computer-use).
If something does not work
- You do not see a Cowork option in the message box. Cowork is on paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise), not Free, and the web and mobile versions are still rolling out in beta. Use the desktop app on a paid plan. See content/capabilities.yaml (cowork).
- Cowork says it cannot see or reach your folder. Make sure the desktop app is open and that you gave Cowork access to the cowork-practice folder specifically. It can only touch folders you connect.
- Cowork tried to do more than you wanted. Switch approvals to Manual so it asks before each action, and tell it to show its plan first. You can say no to any step.
- It asked to delete something and you are not sure. That prompt is the safety net working. If you did not intend a deletion, choose no. Nothing is deleted without your explicit yes.
Note
That is Cowork: real work on your computer, with you approving every step. The next lesson looks at Claude Code, another way to have Claude work with your files and builds.
You did it
You've finished the AI for Life basics.
You set up Claude, learned what each tool is for, and ran real workflows. That's the hard part. Here's where to go next.