Cowork gets its own browser, no more Chrome extension needed

Your move: On by default for Enterprise, rolling out to Pro, Max, and Team

On August 26, 2026, Anthropic built a browser directly into Claude Cowork. When a task needs the web, Cowork now opens a custom browser in a side panel instead of driving Chrome through the Claude in Chrome extension. It's live on Enterprise plans and rolling out to Pro, Max, and Team subscribers, on by default, with an option to switch back to the extension in settings. The browser has no access to your logins for email, banking, or other services unless you enter them manually, so it's built for fetching public information rather than acting as you. Anthropic says prompt injection, where hidden instructions on a page hijack an agent, is still a risk and relies on the same guardrails as the Chrome extension.

Why it matters

You no longer need the Chrome extension installed for Cowork to browse the web. If you'd rather keep using your own signed-in Chrome session instead, check settings, it's on by default but reversible.

Source: Claude by Anthropic ↗

Published by Agent Log. The summary reports the linked source; “Why it matters” and the verdict are Agent Log's interpretation.

More Claude Cowork updates →