Install Claude Desktop in three steps and turn on Computer use, the macOS feature that lets Claude run apps, type, and click on your behalf with per-action approval. Download the macOS app from claude.ai/download, drag Claude into Applications, sign in with the same Google or email you use on the web, then open Settings, Desktop app, Computer use, and toggle Enable computer use. macOS will prompt for Accessibility and Screen recording permissions; both are required. Once granted, send a task in plain English from the desktop input, and Claude proposes a shell or AppleScript command and asks for permission before each action. Computer use is in Beta in 2026, free on every Claude plan that has desktop access, macOS only at launch. Verified June 2026.

How to Install Claude Desktop and Set Up Computer Use (2026)

Claude's desktop app moved from "second window for chat" to "agent that drives your Mac" with the Computer use Beta rollout in 2026. The install itself is the standard Mac flow: download a .dmg, drag the app to Applications, sign in. The interesting part is the second wave of setup: turning on Computer use in Settings, granting Accessibility and Screen recording, and then approving the very specific commands Claude proposes per task. This guide walks the full sequence with screenshots from June 2026, then shows where the Claude module of AI Toolbox (formerly Claude Toolbox) picks up: full-text search across every Claude conversation on claude.ai, message-level bookmarks with scroll-to and highlight, and per-conversation TXT or JSON export. AI Toolbox runs in Chromium browsers on claude.ai and is part of the same unified Chrome install that powers our ChatGPT and Gemini modules. The desktop app and the browser extension complement each other; many power users keep both open.

What Is Claude Desktop and What Is Computer Use?

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's native macOS and Windows app that bundles Chat, Cowork, and Claude Code into a single window with a global Quick access shortcut. Anthropic's tagline on the download page reads "Chat, Claude Cowork, and Claude Code, all in one place." On Mac, the app adds three things the web version cannot: a global hotkey (Tap Option twice by default, configurable to Option+Space or Custom), a menu bar icon for quick access, and the Computer use Beta surface. Quick access lets you message Claude from anywhere on your desktop without context-switching to a browser tab. The app keeps your sidebar, projects, and conversation history in sync with claude.ai automatically.

Computer use is the Beta capability that lets Claude take screenshots of your screen and control your mouse and keyboard inside apps you allow. Anthropic describes it directly in the in-app confirmation modal: "Claude will take screenshots of your screen and control your mouse and keyboard. You'll approve each app, but not confirm each step Claude performs." In practice that means Claude can drive AppleScript, run shell commands, open native apps, and operate UIs that have no API, with per-action approval gating. It is not autonomous; every command requires your explicit Allow once or Always allow before it executes. macOS only at launch in 2026.

Step 1: Download Claude Desktop From claude.ai/download

Open claude.ai/download in any Chromium browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Arc) or Safari and click the Download for macOS button. The page auto-detects your platform; on a Mac you will see a single dark Download for macOS button with the Apple logo under the "Chat, Claude Cowork, and Claude Code, all in one place." tagline. The download is a standard .dmg file that lands in your Downloads folder, typically named Claude.dmg. Anthropic does not require a sign-in to download the installer, and the same .dmg works for Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, and Free users on all Claude plans that have desktop access.

If you are on Windows, the same page detects your OS and shows a Download for Windows button instead. Computer use is macOS-only at launch in 2026, so the rest of this guide focuses on the Mac flow. Linux users can use Claude on the web through claude.ai or any Chromium browser; there is no native Linux desktop app as of June 2026.

Step 2: Drag Claude Into the Applications Folder

Double-click the downloaded Claude.dmg to open the installer, then drag the Claude icon onto the Applications folder shortcut. The installer window shows the orange Claude burst logo on the left, an arrow in the middle, and the blue Applications folder icon on the right; drop the Claude icon onto the Applications folder to copy the app into /Applications. After the copy finishes, eject the .dmg from Finder's sidebar to keep your desktop clean. The first launch from Launchpad or Spotlight triggers a macOS Gatekeeper prompt that reads "Claude is an app downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it? Chrome downloaded this file today at 11:02. Apple checked it for malicious software and none was detected." Click Open to launch.

This step is the standard macOS app install flow; Anthropic does not use a separate installer pkg or App Store distribution in 2026, so the drag-and-drop .dmg is the only path. If you previously installed an older Claude Desktop build, dragging the new icon into Applications will prompt you to replace the existing one; the new install keeps your existing sign-in and chat history.

Step 3: Sign In With Google or Email

Open Claude from Launchpad or Spotlight, click Get started on the welcome screen, then sign in with the same Google account or email you use on claude.ai. The Sign In card offers two options stacked vertically: Continue with Google at the top (with the Google G mark), an "OR" separator, an Enter your email field, and a dark Continue with email button below. Email sign-in sends a one-time code to your inbox; paste it back into the desktop app to finish. Below the buttons, the card reads "By continuing, you acknowledge Anthropic's Privacy Policy." Use the same identity you signed up to claude.ai with; the desktop app shares your account, conversation history, projects, custom Styles, and Instructions for Claude with the web version automatically.

If you have a Team or Enterprise seat, the desktop app picks up your organization on first sign-in and respects your admin's data settings. There is no separate "desktop license"; one Claude account works across web, desktop, and the iOS and Android apps simultaneously.

Step 4: Open Settings and Toggle On Computer Use (Beta)

Click your avatar in the bottom-left, choose Settings, scroll to the Desktop app section in the left sidebar, click Capabilities, then toggle Enable computer use under the Computer use Beta header. The Computer use panel shows three rows: Enable computer use ("Let Claude take screenshots and control your keyboard and mouse in apps you allow."), Unhide apps when Claude finishes ("Apps hidden during a task are restored when Claude stops."), and Denied apps ("Any request Claude makes to access these apps is automatically rejected."). Below those, two macOS permission rows appear: Accessibility and Screen recording, each with a Not requested status and an Open System Settings button. Flip the Enable computer use toggle to start the permission flow.

Toggling the switch surfaces a confirmation modal titled Turn on computer use? with the safety guidance you would expect: some actions cannot be undone, apps you approve could open other apps that you haven't approved, websites and docs could contain malicious instructions, and you should close anything sensitive because Claude can see your screen. Click Turn on to confirm. Computer use is gated behind this explicit opt-in for a reason: it is the only Claude feature that takes screenshots of your screen and drives keyboard and mouse input, so the permission cannot be granted silently or rolled forward from web sign-in.

Step 5: Grant macOS Accessibility and Screen Recording Permissions

Claude opens a Grant macOS permissions modal listing two required permissions: Accessibility ("Required for mouse and keyboard control") and Screen recording ("Required for screen visibility. macOS may ask you to restart Claude"). Click Request next to each row; macOS opens System Settings to the matching panel and shows Claude in the list of apps. Flip the switch next to Claude in Accessibility, then again in Screen recording. macOS typically requires a Claude restart after granting Screen recording; the app will prompt you to quit and reopen. After the restart, both rows in the Grant macOS permissions modal flip from Not granted to Granted, and the Done button activates. Click Done to return to the Computer use panel.

These two permissions are the technical reason Computer use can do what it does: Accessibility gives Claude the ability to send keystrokes and mouse events to other apps, and Screen recording gives it the ability to take screenshots so it can see UI state. Without both, Computer use will not run; the toggle will stay on in Settings but every task will fail with a permission error. You can revoke either permission at any time from System Settings > Privacy & Security; Claude will surface the Grant macOS permissions modal again on the next Computer use task.

Step 6: Send Claude a Task in Plain English

Switch the input mode to a tab that supports Computer use (Code, Cowork, or a Project with the right model), and type the task you want Claude to perform in plain English. In our test we typed: "Open the Notes app, create a new note titled 'Tutorial test 2026-05-29', and write three short lines: 1) This note was created by Claude. 2) The current date is 2026-05-29. 3) End of test." Hit Return. Claude does not start clicking immediately. It first decomposes the task ("I'll create the note using AppleScript, which drives the Notes app directly and reliably"), shows a one-line status ("Running Open Notes and create a new note via AppleScript"), and waits for your approval on the specific command before any keystroke or mouse event reaches another app.

This is the right way to write a Computer use prompt: concrete, scoped, and verifiable. Tell Claude exactly what to do, name the app or apps involved, and include enough detail (titles, text content, file paths) that you can confirm success at a glance afterward. Vague instructions ("organize my desktop") will either fail or produce changes you can't easily audit. Treat Computer use like a junior colleague with admin permissions: helpful, but only if you tell them what success looks like.

Find every Claude conversation by what you said inside it. Claude's native search finds conversations by title. On paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise), Claude also offers conversational RAG search via natural-language queries, scoped per-project. AI Toolbox (formerly Claude Toolbox) adds full-text search across all message content with an Exact match toggle on claude.ai, plus message-level bookmarks with scroll-to and highlight, and per-conversation TXT or JSON export. Free plan: 5 search results per query, 2 bookmark conversations. Premium: unlimited at $9.99 per month or $99 lifetime. Using ChatGPT and Gemini too? All Access Lifetime ($149) covers all three modules and saves $148 versus three single-platform Lifetimes ($99 x 3 = $297). See the Claude module →

Step 7: Approve the Command Once (or Always for This Project)

Claude surfaces a per-action approval card with the exact command it intends to run, the app it will affect, and four buttons: Deny, Always allow, Allow once, and a project scope label. In our screenshot, the card reads Allow Claude to run Open Notes and create a new note via AppleScript?, with the subtitle "Open Notes and create a new note via AppleScript" and the note "This command requires approval." The full osascript block is visible inside a code panel, showing the AppleScript that opens Notes, sets the body to the three lines from our prompt, and saves the note to the Notes folder of the iCloud account. The four buttons at the bottom are Deny, Always allow (scoped to Project: local), and Allow once (the rightmost, dark button with the ⌘↵ shortcut). Click Allow once to run this command this time only, or Always allow to skip the prompt for the same command pattern inside this project.

Once approved, Claude executes the AppleScript and shows the result inline. In our test, the Notes app opened, the new note titled Tutorial test 2026-05-29 appeared in the Notes folder under iCloud, the three lines wrote in correctly, and the timestamp ("1 June 2026 at 11:11") matched the local clock. The whole loop, from prompt to verified result, took under ten seconds, with the only human action being the Allow once click. That is the shape of Computer use: every action is one click away from approval, and you can revoke trust at any time by closing the chat or quitting Claude.

Computer Use Safety: What Claude Sees, What It Cannot Do

Computer use sees everything that is visible on your screen and can drive any UI that responds to keyboard or mouse, but every action is gated behind explicit per-command approval inside Claude Desktop. Anthropic's in-app guidance is direct: "Some actions can't be undone. Apps you approve could open other apps that you haven't approved. Websites and docs could contain malicious instructions that misdirect Claude. Close anything sensitive. Claude can see your screen. This is a research preview. Start with tasks where mistakes are easy to fix." Treat the feature as Beta in 2026: useful for personal automation, transcription of UI-locked apps, and one-shot batch tasks; not yet ready for unattended overnight workflows or anything touching production systems.

Concrete safety habits that matter: keep the Unhide apps when Claude finishes toggle on so background apps don't stay hidden after a task; add sensitive apps (1Password, banking apps, anything you would not want Claude to read) to the Denied apps list under Settings > Capabilities; close browser tabs with private session content before running a task; and prefer Allow once over Always allow while you are still learning the boundaries of what Claude will propose. Always allow scopes to the project you are in (Project: local in our screenshot), so you can experiment in a sandbox project without granting standing approval for everything elsewhere.

Claude Desktop vs ChatGPT Desktop vs Gemini Desktop in 2026

Of the three big assistants, Claude is the only one shipping a generally available agent-style Computer use feature inside its desktop app in 2026. ChatGPT Desktop has Voice mode, global Cmd+Shift+G prompt access, and a Computer Use research preview that is API-only, not surfaced in the consumer Mac app. Gemini ships through Chrome and through the Google AI Studio site rather than a dedicated desktop app for consumer use; agent-style screen control is not part of the Gemini consumer surface as of June 2026. The trade-off is feature breadth versus polish: ChatGPT and Gemini's desktop surfaces are simpler and faster; Claude's is the only one that can drive your Mac with per-action approval.

Quick Access Shortcut and Voice Shortcut

Claude Desktop ships two configurable global shortcuts: Quick access shortcut (default Tap Option twice) for opening the prompt input from anywhere, and Voice shortcut (default No shortcut) for speaking to Claude from any app. Both live under Settings > Desktop app > General. Click the Quick access shortcut dropdown to choose Tap Option twice, Option+Space, Custom (any keyboard combination), or No shortcut. Voice shortcut offers the same set. The Menu bar toggle below those rows ("Show Claude in the menu bar") puts a small Claude burst icon in your top bar for one-click access without the keyboard shortcut.

Useful pairing for power users: set Quick access to Option+Space (free on a stock Mac if you remap Spotlight to Cmd+Space), and leave Voice shortcut as No shortcut until you find a real reason to dictate. Keep the menu bar icon visible for the first week; once you trust your hotkey, you can hide it. The Keep computer awake toggle at the bottom of General is worth turning on if you use Computer use for long-running tasks: it prevents idle-sleep so scheduled tasks can run, though your display can still turn off and closing the laptop lid still puts the machine to sleep.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Computer use in Claude Desktop?

Computer use is the Beta capability inside Claude Desktop that lets Claude take screenshots of your screen and control your mouse and keyboard inside apps you allow. Every action requires explicit per-command approval from you before Claude can execute it. Computer use is macOS only at launch in 2026, gated behind Accessibility and Screen recording permissions, and free on every Claude plan that includes desktop access.

How do I install Claude Desktop on Mac?

Open claude.ai/download in any browser, click Download for macOS, then open the Claude.dmg file and drag the Claude icon onto the Applications folder shortcut. Launch Claude from Launchpad or Spotlight, click Open on the macOS Gatekeeper prompt, sign in with the same Google or email you use on claude.ai, and you are ready to use the Chat, Cowork, and Code tabs.

Is Claude Desktop free?

Yes. Claude Desktop is free to download and install on every Claude plan that has desktop access, including Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. There is no separate desktop license and no additional fee for Computer use Beta. Your existing Claude account works across web, desktop, and the iOS and Android apps simultaneously.

What permissions does Computer use need on Mac?

Computer use requires two macOS permissions: Accessibility (for mouse and keyboard control) and Screen recording (for screen visibility). Both are required; Computer use will not run with only one. Claude prompts for both inside Settings, opens System Settings to the relevant panels, and may ask you to restart Claude after granting Screen recording. You can revoke either permission at any time from System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Can Claude Desktop run on Windows or Linux?

Claude Desktop runs on macOS and Windows in 2026. The Windows app supports Chat, Cowork, and Code but does not include Computer use at launch; Computer use is macOS only in the initial Beta. Linux users can use Claude on the web through claude.ai in any Chromium browser; there is no native Linux desktop app as of June 2026.

Does Claude Desktop replace claude.ai in the browser?

No. Claude Desktop and claude.ai share the same account, conversation history, projects, custom Styles, and Instructions for Claude. The desktop app adds the global Quick access shortcut, the menu bar icon, and the Computer use Beta surface; the web version remains available and is where Chrome extensions like the Claude module of AI Toolbox add full-text search, bookmarks, and per-conversation export.

How does Claude decide whether to use the keyboard, mouse, or AppleScript?

Claude picks the approach that is most reliable for the task. For Mac apps with a stable AppleScript dictionary (Notes, Mail, Calendar, Finder), it generates an osascript block and asks for approval before running it. For UI-only apps without scripting, it takes screenshots, computes the next click or keystroke, and runs the action via macOS Accessibility APIs. You see the chosen approach in the approval card before any action runs.

Can I undo what Computer use did?

Some actions can be undone (Cmd+Z inside a single app, deleting a Claude-created file in Finder), and some cannot (sending an email, posting to a website, writing to a remote system). Anthropic's official guidance is to start with tasks where mistakes are easy to fix and to close anything sensitive before running a task because Claude can see your screen. Keep the Unhide apps toggle on so background apps are restored when Claude finishes.

What Claude Desktop Does Not Do (and Where AI Toolbox Picks Up)

Claude Desktop in 2026 is a full chat surface plus an agent surface, but it still does not search your full conversation history by message content (native search finds chats by title), does not let you bookmark individual messages with scroll-to and highlight, and does not export a single conversation to TXT or JSON from the desktop UI. The Claude module of AI Toolbox (formerly Claude Toolbox) adds all three on claude.ai in any Chromium browser: a full-text search popup that scans every synced message with an Exact match toggle, message-level bookmarks (2 conversations free, up to 1,000 bookmarks on Premium) with click-to-scroll and yellow highlight, and per-conversation TXT or JSON export. Background sync to IndexedDB keeps the index current so searches return instantly.

Pricing matches the rest of AI Toolbox: free (5 search results per query, 2 bookmark conversations) or Premium at $9.99 per month or $99 lifetime. If you also use ChatGPT or Gemini, All Access Lifetime ($149) covers the ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude modules in one install and saves $148 versus three separate Lifetimes ($99 x 3 = $297). AI Toolbox is Chromium-only (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Arc) and works on claude.ai, not the native desktop app, so keep claude.ai open in a Chromium tab when you need search, bookmarks, or export, and use the desktop app for Quick access and Computer use.

Install AI Toolbox for Claude from the Chrome Web Store to get full-text search, message bookmarks, and TXT or JSON export on claude.ai. The same install also adds folders, pins, prompts, and prompt chaining on chatgpt.com, plus full-text search and export on gemini.google.com.

Last updated: June 1, 2026