Computer Use: Put Claude to Work on Your Computer

Claude can now see your screen, control your mouse and keyboard, and complete real tasks — opening apps, browsing the web, filling spreadsheets. Currently a research preview on macOS.

Computer Use is one of the most powerful capabilities in Claude Cowork. Instead of only working with files in a folder you grant access to, Claude can interact with your desktop applications directly — clicking buttons, typing into forms, navigating menus, and reading what's on screen.

Open Numbers and create a new spreadsheet.

1. Launch the Numbers app
2. Create a blank spreadsheet
3. In column A, enter the months January through June
4. In column B, enter random revenue figures between 5000 and 15000
5. In column C, calculate the month-over-month growth percentage
6. Add a header row with: Month | Revenue | Growth %
7. Format the header row in bold
8. Save the file as ~/Documents/Revenue-2026-H1.numbers

Take a screenshot at each major step so I can verify the progress.

What Computer Use Does

Computer Use gives Claude three core abilities that go beyond file access:

1. Screen Perception

Claude captures high-resolution screenshots of your desktop (up to 3.75 megapixels) and understands what it sees — reading text, identifying UI elements, recognizing buttons, menus, dialogs, and tables. It can perceive fine details from small text to dense data grids.

2. Mouse and Keyboard Control

Claude can move the cursor to specific screen coordinates, click, double-click, right-click, drag, and type. This lets it interact with any application that has a graphical interface, even if that app has no command-line tool or API.

3. Multi-Step Navigation

Claude plans and executes sequences of UI actions: open an app → navigate a menu → fill a form → save the result → verify the output. It handles dialogs, confirmations, and error popups along the way.

How It Differs from File-Only Access

How to Enable Computer Use

Prerequisites

• macOS (currently the only supported platform; Windows support is on the roadmap)
• Claude Desktop app with a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan
• Cowork mode enabled

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Open Claude Desktop and switch to Cowork mode.
2. Grant screen recording permission: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording → enable Claude.
3. Grant accessibility permission: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → enable Claude.
4. Start a task that requires GUI interaction. Claude will automatically use Computer Use when needed.

You only need to grant these permissions once. Claude will remember them for future sessions.

Real-World Use Cases

1. Spreadsheet Automation

Claude opens Numbers or Excel, creates a spreadsheet, fills in data from files or calculations, applies formatting, and saves the result. Useful for expense reports, budgets, and data summaries.

2. Web Form Filling

Claude opens a browser, navigates to a form, fills in fields from your local data, submits, and captures the confirmation. Useful for repetitive data entry tasks.

3. App Configuration

Claude opens an application's settings, navigates to the right panel, changes specific options, and applies them. Useful for batch-configuring multiple apps or machines.

4. Screenshot Documentation

Claude walks through a workflow in an app, taking screenshots at each step, and compiles them into a step-by-step guide. Useful for creating tutorials and SOPs.

Safety Considerations

Computer Use is powerful, which means it can do more damage if something goes wrong. Follow these practices:

• Start with read-only tasks: Ask Claude to navigate and report what it sees before letting it make changes.
• Use a test user account: For sensitive apps, create a separate macOS user account with limited permissions.
• Watch the first run: Observe Claude's actions the first time it uses a new app. Stop it if it does something unexpected.
• Keep Time Machine backups: Computer Use can modify system settings. A backup lets you roll back.
• Avoid financial apps unsupervised: Don't let Claude access banking or payment apps without close supervision.

Limitations

• macOS only at launch. Windows support is planned.
• No audio: Claude can't hear system sounds or voice chats.
• No video playback control: Claude can't play, pause, or scrub video files in media players.
• Speed: GUI interaction is slower than file or API operations. Budget 30-60 seconds per click.
• Complex apps: Apps with highly custom UI (e.g., pro video editors) may not work reliably.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Computer Use safe?

Computer Use runs in an isolated VM on your machine. You can review Claude's planned actions before they execute. Granting screen recording and accessibility permissions is required, but Claude doesn't send your screen contents to the cloud for training.

Can Claude use any app?

Claude works best with apps that have standard, predictable UI elements. Apps with heavily customized interfaces, complex keyboard shortcuts, or gesture-based navigation may not work reliably.

Does Computer Use work on Windows?

Not yet. Computer Use launched as a macOS-only research preview. Anthropic has indicated Windows support is on the roadmap.

How fast is Computer Use?

Each GUI action (click, type, wait) takes 1-5 seconds. A multi-step task like "open Numbers, create a spreadsheet, fill 20 rows, save" typically takes 2-4 minutes. File-based tasks are much faster.