Before leaving work, you hand Claude Cowork a half-hour document-organizing task and close your laptop for the commute. The task can keep running, but if its next step is to read a spreadsheet on your computer, it will not be able to reach it after shutdown. Moving Cowork to the cloud solves the problem of tying a task to one computer; it does not give the cloud automatic access to the whole machine.
That distinction matters especially for Pro and Max users who use Cowork with files and scheduled tasks. Anthropic’s help page lists October 6, 2026 as a planned change date: from then, new Cowork tasks will run in the cloud by default, and the “Only on your computer” option will be removed. This is not an announcement that every task has already moved; Anthropic also says the new experience is rolling out gradually.
Moving to the cloud changes where the task runs
A cloud Cowork process runs on Anthropic’s servers rather than on your laptop. According to Anthropic, tasks can continue in the background, scheduled tasks do not require a device to be online, and the same conversations and files are available across desktop, web, and mobile through your Claude account.
Previously, “I shut down my computer” often meant that work on the machine stopped too. For cloud tasks, those two events are now separate: the computer can go offline while the task continues in the cloud. Think of it as handing work to a colleague in a remote office. After the handoff, they can keep working with the materials they received, but they do not automatically have the key to your desk.
A conversation following your account does not mean every device has the same capabilities. The web and mobile apps let you check progress, answer questions, and redirect tasks. Reading local files, using local connectors, or controlling the computer still requires another layer of access.
Pro and Max have a clear date for the change, but old tasks will not all be forced to move
Anthropic’s help page says it plans to have new Cowork tasks for Pro and Max users run in the cloud from October 6, 2026, and to remove the “Only on your computer” setting. Tasks already started on a computer will remain local and can continue until they finish. Anthropic also says those tasks will offer a way to download a transcript at the top, so the work can be continued in Claude Code.
Two boundaries matter here. First, this is the date Anthropic has listed for a planned change. The feature and the new Claude experience are still rolling out, so it should not be read as every account having switched already. Second, keeping an old task local does not mean that projects, scheduled tasks, and the full working environment will migrate with its record. Anthropic explicitly says that projects and scheduled tasks will not be brought into Claude Code.
So if you have a long task running locally, do not only consider the future default. Check whether the current task depends on local resources and whether you need to preserve its record. A task transcript carries the textual context, not all the permissions and environment of the original machine.
A running task does not necessarily still have access to local files
Local file access is the easiest part to misunderstand. Cowork can access only folders that you explicitly connect; when the cloud needs a file, it obtains a copy. Anthropic says those copies are deleted under its data-retention rules when the conversation is deleted. This is not a full-disk sync to the cloud.
More importantly, Claude Desktop must remain open on that computer if a cloud conversation is to read or write those local files. Once the desktop app closes, the cloud task can continue running but cannot access local files. If a workflow is “analyze online material first, then open a local spreadsheet to fill in figures,” the first half may continue after the computer goes offline while the second half stalls because its input is missing.
Local connectors and plugins that include local MCP servers also depend on the desktop app. Computer control, meaning Claude directly clicking, typing, and operating the screen, likewise requires the desktop app. Browser tasks depend on the specific mode and connection method. A conversation on the web or mobile is not a cloud computer that duplicates your browser and desktop.
This is worth watching closely: a moving progress indicator does not mean the task has the resources required for its next step. Treating “task running” as “all inputs available” can leave you discovering the missing local file only at delivery time.
Cross-device continuation provides supervision, not a duplicate computer
Cowork’s cross-device capability is useful: you can check a task on your phone, answer Claude’s follow-up questions, change its direction, and receive notifications when it finishes or needs input. For research, draft organization, and work that uses project knowledge without depending on local machine state, this means you do not have to stay at one computer.
But if a conversation started on the desktop and the task needs local files or a desktop browser, the desktop app still needs to be online while you supervise from your phone. Your phone can take over the conversation, but it does not bring the desktop’s local resources with it. Web and mobile support for local files, browsers, and computer control may also be provided through an online desktop app.
In practice, ask what the task needs to touch next before asking whether you can shut down. Tasks that use only cloud data and account-level connectors are better suited to running in the background. For tasks that need a local folder, a local browser, or clicks on the computer interface, treat an online desktop app as a prerequisite.
Make a resource-dependency checklist before migrating
You can divide current work into three groups:
| Task dependency | What shutdown means | Confirm before starting |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud conversation and connected online services | The cloud task can continue running | Whether the connectors used are supported on the current client |
| Folders on the computer | The task can continue but loses local file access | The folder is connected and the desktop app will remain open |
| Local connectors, computer control, or desktop browser operations | Do not assume the cloud can finish independently | Whether the desktop app is online and the current browser mode is supported |
This table is not a guarantee of every feature for every account. Anthropic labels Cowork on the web and mobile as beta, and the feature set is still rolling out. Availability depends on the account, plan, and current client state.
Scheduled tasks are subject to the same distinction. Anthropic says scheduled tasks run in the cloud and do not require a device to stay awake, but it also states that scheduled tasks involving computer files still require the desktop app to be open. Do not reduce “scheduled tasks move to the cloud” to “every scheduled task will finish after the laptop is shut down.”
There is another data boundary worth making clear to a team: cloud tasks use copies of connected files to process them, and those copies are deleted with the conversation as described by Anthropic. Whether conversations are used to improve Claude follows the “Help improve our AI models” option in the account’s privacy settings. For sensitive material, first check which folders are connected, what content the task will access, and which privacy settings apply to the team.
The final rule is simple. If the work needs only the task itself and cloud services, continuing after shutdown is a practical improvement. If a crucial step happens on your computer, the computer is still part of the task. Mark the dependencies on folders, connectors, browsers, and computer control before migrating, then decide which tasks can safely be handed to the cloud.
Sources
- Primary source: Claude Help Center: Use Claude Cowork on web, desktop, and mobile
- Further reading: Claude Cowork safety guide
- Further reading: Claude Cowork scheduled tasks
- Further reading: Claude Cowork architecture overview
