New Claude Cowork tasks on Pro and Max now run in the cloud only

Your move: The Only on your computer option will be removed for Pro and Max plans

Starting October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans run on Anthropic's servers, and the Only on your computer option in Settings > General will be removed. Tasks you already started on your computer stay there until they are done, each with a button to download its transcript, and scheduled tasks move to the cloud too. Your folders stay on your computer, and a cloud task can reach the ones you have connected only while the Claude desktop app is open.

Why it matters

If you kept Cowork local on purpose, that choice is going away for new tasks, and Claude fetches a copy of just the file a task needs. Anthropic points work that has to stay on one machine to Claude Code in the desktop app, and any scheduled task that uses local files needs the desktop app left open.

Source: Claude Help Center ↗

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 →