Claude Desktop

The native macOS/Windows app — the same chat as Claude.ai, plus local MCP servers and file access.

What it is

Claude Desktop is the native counterpart to claude.ai. It shares your account, Projects, and history, and renders the same chat interface. Its differentiator is local MCP: you can register MCP servers that run on your machine and expose local files, databases, or scripts to Claude. Connectors enabled in Claude.ai also work here.

Claude Cowork — the sandboxed desktop agent for non-coding work — runs inside Claude Desktop, but is a separate experience from the chat. See Claude Cowork.

When to use it

  • Same use cases as Claude.ai, but you want local files in the conversation.
  • Adding MCP servers that need filesystem or local-process access.
  • When you want both chat and Cowork in one place.

How to install / enable

  • Download from https://claude.ai/download.
  • Sign in with the same account you use on Claude.ai.
  • Add a local MCP server by editing the config file:
    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/folder"]
    }
  }
}

    Restart the app after editing.

Common pitfalls

  • Don’t confuse Claude Desktop with Claude Code. Desktop is for chat-style use with local context; Code is for terminal/IDE coding.
  • Don’t confuse Claude Desktop with Cowork. Cowork is a sandboxed agent that lives inside the Desktop app’s sidebar but is enabled separately.
  • MCP server config changes require an app restart.
  • Local MCP servers run with your user’s permissions — don’t expose folders or scripts you wouldn’t run by hand.

See also

  • MCP servers — the protocol behind local tool access.
  • Connectors — Anthropic-managed integrations that also work here.
  • Claude Cowork — the sandboxed agent that lives inside this app.

Sources