On October 6, 2026, new Claude Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans start running in Anthropic’s cloud instead of on your computer, and the Only on your computer setting goes away. Anthropic made the change in its help center on October 5; a post on X asking “Where is my data, and who can access it?” passed 198,000 views the same day. Tasks you already started locally stay local. This page reads Anthropic’s own help center, its architecture overview and its data retention docs as of October 5, 2026.
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On October 6, 2026, new Claude Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans run in Anthropic’s cloud instead of on your computer.
The Only on your computer option in Settings > General goes away; Anthropic says there is nothing to set up.
Your folders stay on your computer. When a cloud task needs a file, Claude fetches a copy of just that file through the desktop app, and only while the app is open.
Cloud sessions run in an isolated, temporary sandbox on Anthropic-managed infrastructure, created at session start and destroyed at the end.
Tasks already started on your computer stay there; each gets a button to download its transcript and continue in Claude Code.
Anthropic’s change notice names Pro and Max only. Team and Enterprise organizations keep Cowork as it is today.
§ 01What Anthropic is changing
The notice is short. “On October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans run in the cloud.” And: “The Only on your computer option in Settings > General will be removed, and there’s nothing you need to set up.”
| Item | Before | From October 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Where new tasks run | Your computer, or the cloud | The cloud |
| Only on your computer setting | Available in Settings > General | Removed |
| Tasks already started locally | Local | Stay local until done |
| Your folders | On your computer | Still on your computer |
| Files a cloud task needs | Not applicable for local tasks | Claude fetches a copy of that file only |
| Scheduled tasks | Could run locally | Move to the cloud |
| Desktop app | Optional for cloud tasks | Needed, and open, for a task to reach local files |
For work you already began: “Tasks you already started on your computer stay there, and you can keep working on them until they’re done.” Each shows a note with a button to download its transcript so you can continue in Claude Code. Projects and scheduled tasks do not carry over to Claude Code.
§ 02Where your files go
The part people are asking about is local files. Anthropic’s answer: “Your folders stay on your computer.” Claude reaches only the folders you connected, through the desktop app, and only while it is open. “When a task needs a file in the cloud, Claude fetches a copy of just that file.”
The cloud side, per the architecture overview: “In a session in the cloud, the agent loop and code execution run in an isolated, temporary sandbox on Anthropic-managed infrastructure.” Each session gets its own sandbox, created at the start and destroyed at the end. By default it cannot reach private or internal network addresses, and outbound traffic goes through a proxy the sandbox cannot bypass.
§ 03How long the data is kept
| Case | What Anthropic says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| You delete a Cowork task | Removed from history immediately, deleted from backend storage within 30 days | Get started with Claude Cowork |
| Remote session transcripts, organizations using the Compliance API | Retained for 6 years unless a user deletes the session sooner | API and data retention |
| Cloud hosting location | Anthropic-managed infrastructure; no country or region named | Architecture overview |
Anthropic’s Cowork getting-started page says a deleted task is “deleted from our backend storage systems within 30 days”. The 6-year figure comes from the Compliance API section of the retention docs: remote transcripts “are retained for 6 years, unless a user deletes the session sooner”. That section describes organizations’ compliance records; it is not a statement about every Pro account. Neither page names where the servers are.
§ 04Who this does not touch
Anthropic’s notice names Pro and Max only. Its Team and Enterprise page says “Team and Enterprise organizations keep chat and Claude Cowork as they are today”, and the architecture page describes device-level controls for Enterprise admins. If your company pays for Claude on a business plan, nothing in this notice changes your setup.
§ 05What to do before October 6
- Finish or export local tasks you care about. Use the download button on each task’s note, or the full-history download in the app, if you want the work in Claude Code.
- Review which folders are connected. A cloud task can only fetch from folders you connected; disconnect anything sensitive you do not want copied.
- Keep the desktop app open for scheduled tasks that read local files, or they will not reach them.
- Move strictly local work to Claude Code. Anthropic says Claude Code in the desktop app “runs on your computer and keeps your folders and history there”.
- Use a separate account if you want work and personal Claude history apart; Anthropic suggests the same.
§ 06What we are watching
- Whether the local option returns as an opt-in, or for specific regions.
- A region statement. Anthropic has not said where cloud Cowork sessions are hosted.
- Business plans. Whether Team and Enterprise follow later, or keep local Cowork.
§ 07Sources
- Anthropic, “Use Claude Cowork on web, desktop, and mobile”, read October 5, 2026
- Anthropic, “Claude Cowork architecture overview”, read October 5, 2026
- Anthropic, “Get started with Claude Cowork” and “Use Claude Cowork on Team and Enterprise plans”, read October 5, 2026
- Anthropic, “API and data retention”, read October 5, 2026
- Kai (@hqmank) on X, October 5, 2026 post
Q1Can I still keep Claude Cowork tasks on my computer?
Not for new tasks on Pro or Max after October 6. Tasks you already started locally stay local until they are done. For work that must stay on one machine, Anthropic points to Claude Code in the desktop app.
Q2What happens to a local file a cloud task uses?
Claude fetches a copy of just that file through the desktop app, and only while the app is open. Your folders themselves stay on your computer.
Q3How long does Anthropic keep a cloud Cowork task?
When you delete a task, Anthropic says it leaves your history immediately and is deleted from its backend storage within 30 days. For organizations using the Compliance API, remote session transcripts are kept for 6 years unless a user deletes the session sooner.
Q4Where are the cloud sessions hosted?
On Anthropic-managed infrastructure, in an isolated sandbox per session. The pages we read do not name a country or region.
Q5Is this the same as CellCog Cowork?
No. Claude Cowork is Anthropic’s product. CellCog’s Cowork is a desktop app that lets a CellCog agent run commands on your own computer, with every command shown to you. Different products that share a name.