Claude can now control your Mac, but what can you actually do with it?

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Claude can now use your Mac the way you do. It can open apps, move through websites, edit files, and complete tasks on its own instead of just giving instructions.

Anthropic is rolling this out as a research preview through Claude Cowork and Claude Code. It is limited to macOS and requires a paid plan, either Claude Pro or Max.

It’s not completely new tech. However, most agents are currently limited to browsers or specific connected apps. Claude Cowork, on the other hand, can now take over the entire desktop, with access to all apps and files, powered by its proven agent orchestration.

Claude can move across apps and do the work for you

Claude Cowork and Claude Code can already do a few tasks on your computer, like organizing and editing files, but they do this using terminal commands. Because of that, the scope of what they can do is limited.

Now, with this new feature, Claude can see your screen, click UI elements, fill out forms, and navigate the Mac interface like we do.

For example, I can ask it to open Chrome, go to a site, log in, pull information, then switch to a local document and update it. It can jump between apps and websites to get things done.

Here are a few things you can try asking Claude now

You can ask almost any task that can be done through your computer. For example,

• You can ask it to open a spreadsheet, copy rows, paste them into a website, and repeat that process.
• Or check Slack, pick out updates, and summarize them.
• You can even ask it to collect information from different places and turn it into a simple report.
• It can even check your LinkedIn profile to learn about your details and apply for suitable jobs by filling in your information automatically.
• Or, you can ask it to buy stuff, compare products based on reviews and features, or even install specific apps.

However, the better approach is to find boring and repetitive tasks that you have to do manually and ask it to handle them.

You can now enable Claude to use your computer to complete tasks.

It opens your apps, navigates your browser, fills in spreadsheets—anything you'd do sitting at your desk.

Research preview in Claude Cowork and Claude Code, macOS only. pic.twitter.com/sVymgmtEMI

— Claude (@claudeai) March 23, 2026

It also supports ongoing tasks. I can tell it to scan my email every morning or prepare a report every Friday, and it keeps doing that. I can assign something from my phone and come back later to a Mac where the work is already done.

However, the process is slow to feel like magic. For normal tasks, it’s better to complete them yourself and move on, but for repeated tasks, you can let it run, take its time, and come back to completed work. That’s where it is actually useful in its current state.

It is early, and the limits are obvious

This is still a research preview, and it shows.

First, it is limited to macOS, and you need a subscription to get started. Also, it sometimes asks for permission for simple actions like opening websites, but may skip asking for tasks that actually need it, such as deleting documents, submitting applications, or sending Slack messages.

Anthropic is also clear about avoiding sensitive data for now, which makes sense because this is essentially giving an AI access to your desktop.

In its current state, I would not trust it with anything critical. But for repeatable, low-risk tasks, it is already useful.

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