Updated 30 October 2026: To start coding in Claude Desktop, download the Claude app for Mac, Windows or Linux (beta), sign in with a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise) and click the Code tab at the top of the sidebar. Choose Local, open your project folder, pick a model and describe a small task in plain English. Claude Code is built into the app, so you do not need a terminal, Node.js or a separate install.
What is coding in Claude Desktop?
Claude Desktop is Anthropic's app for your computer. Alongside chat, it has a Code tab, and that Code tab is Claude Code, Anthropic's AI coding agent, with a graphical interface. A coding agent is an AI tool that can read your project, edit files and run tasks for you while you describe what you want.
Anthropic describes the desktop app as Claude Code "with a graphical interface", running "the same underlying engine" as the terminal version. The difference is how you work with it: you click, review changes visually and arrange panels on screen instead of typing everything into a terminal.
Who it is for
Coding in Claude Desktop is a good fit if you:
- want to build with Claude Code but feel uneasy about the terminal
- prefer to see changes side by side and approve them with buttons
- want to preview your app inside the same window while Claude works on it
- like running several tasks at once and keeping them organised in a sidebar
If you are happy in the terminal, or you want to automate things with scripts, the Claude Code command line tool (the CLI) may suit you better. There is a comparison table further down.
What you will need
- A paid Claude plan. The Code tab requires a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise subscription. If you click Code and see a prompt to upgrade, that is why.
- A supported computer. Anthropic offers a universal build for Mac (Intel and Apple Silicon), an installer for Windows on x64 (with a separate ARM64 installer), and a Linux version in beta for Ubuntu 22.04 or later and Debian 12 or later.
- A project folder. Start with a small project you know well. Anthropic recommends this as the fastest way to see what Claude Code can do.
Setup steps
- Download the app. Go to claude.com/download and download Claude for your computer. On Linux, follow Anthropic's Claude Desktop on Linux instructions.
- Install and open it. Run the installer, then open Claude from your Applications folder on Mac, the Start menu on Windows or your application launcher on Linux.
- Sign in. Use your Anthropic account, the same one you use for Claude.
- Open the Code tab. Click Code at the top of the sidebar. If the tabs only show icons, hover over each one to see its name.
- Fix any first-run prompts. A prompt to upgrade means you need a paid plan. A prompt to sign in online means you should finish signing in and restart the app.
That is the whole setup. The desktop app includes Claude Code, so there is nothing else to install before your first session.
Your first coding task
- Choose where Claude runs. In the row under the prompt box, click the first control (the environment selector) and pick the top entry under Local. Local means Claude works on files on your own computer.
- Choose your project folder. Click the project folder control next to it, select Open folder and choose your project.
- Choose a model. Use the model picker towards the right of the same row. You can change it later.
- Check your permission mode. This decides how much Claude does without asking. For your first session, choose Manual, so Claude proposes each change and waits for your approval.
- Describe a small task. Good first requests from Anthropic's own quick start include:
- "Find a TODO comment and fix it"
- "Add tests for the main function"
- "Create a CLAUDE.md with instructions for this codebase"
- Review the changes. In Manual mode you see exactly what will change and can approve or decline each change. Once Claude has edited files, click the line counts in the Changes card to open the diff view, which shows every change file by file. You can comment on a specific line and Claude will revise its work.
The third task is worth doing early. CLAUDE.md is a plain text file in your project that Claude reads at the start of every session, so it remembers how your project works. Desktop and the terminal version both use it.
Handy things to try next
- Steer Claude mid-task. Click the stop button to interrupt, or type a correction and press Enter without stopping it.
- Point Claude at a file. Type the @ symbol followed by a file name to add that file to the conversation. You can also attach screenshots, PDFs and other files, which helps when you want to show Claude a bug or a design.
- Plan before big changes. Plan mode lets Claude explore your project and propose an approach without editing any files. Approve the plan, then switch modes to carry it out.
- Preview your app. When Claude runs your app's development server, the app opens in the Browser pane inside Desktop. Claude can look at the running app, check for errors and fix what it finds.
- Arrange your workspace. Drag the chat, changes, browser, terminal and file panes into whatever layout suits you.
- Run tasks in parallel. Start new sessions from the sidebar to work on several things at once. In a Git project, you can give each session its own isolated copy of the project, called a worktree.
- Send long jobs to the cloud. Cloud sessions run on Anthropic's infrastructure and keep going even if you close the app.
- Connect your tools. Connectors link Claude to services such as GitHub, Slack and Linear, and plugins add extra skills and abilities.
Claude Desktop vs the Claude Code CLI
Both run the same Claude Code engine, and you can use both on the same project. They share your CLAUDE.md files and settings, so your setup carries over. Anthropic's own advice is to use Desktop when you want to manage parallel sessions in one window, arrange panes side by side or review changes visually, and to use the CLI when you need scripting, automation or prefer working in a terminal.
| Claude Desktop (Code tab) | Claude Code CLI (terminal) | |
|---|---|---|
| How you work | Click, review visually, arrange panes | Type in a terminal |
| Setup | Download the app and sign in | Install from the terminal, then sign in |
| Reviewing changes | Visual diff view with line comments | In the terminal |
| Attaching images and PDFs | Yes | Not available |
| Previewing your app | Built-in Browser pane | Use your own browser |
| Several tasks at once | Sessions in the sidebar | Separate terminal windows |
| Scripting and automation | Not available | Yes |
| Agent teams | Not available | Yes |
| Third-party cloud providers | Anthropic by default, with separate setup for others | Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud and Microsoft Foundry |
| Best for | Beginners and visual reviewers | Terminal fans and automation |
The last row is our summary rather than Anthropic's, but it follows from the rest of the table. One more thing to know: Desktop runs its own copy of Claude Code and keeps it updated, so it can be on a different version from the one in your terminal.
If you want to try the terminal route too, our guide How to get started with Claude Code walks through it step by step.
FAQs
Do I need to install Claude Code separately to code in Claude Desktop? No. The desktop app includes Claude Code, so you do not need Node.js or the terminal version to use the Code tab.
Is coding in Claude Desktop free? No. The Code tab needs a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise subscription.
Does Claude Desktop work on Windows and Linux? Yes. There is a Windows installer for x64 and a separate one for ARM64. The Linux version is in beta and supports Ubuntu 22.04 or later and Debian 12 or later.
Will Claude change my files without asking? Only if you allow it. Manual mode asks before editing files or running commands. Accept edits applies file changes automatically, and Plan mode proposes an approach without editing your code. You can switch modes at any time.
Can I use Claude Desktop and the terminal version together? Yes. You can run both on the same computer and even the same project. They share CLAUDE.md files and settings, and you can carry a terminal session over into Desktop.
Can Claude Desktop write code as I type, like autocomplete? No. Anthropic says Desktop does not offer autocomplete style code suggestions. It works through conversation and explicit code changes that you review.
Does it keep working if I close the app? Local sessions run on your computer. If you want a long task to continue after you close the app, start it as a cloud session instead.
Learn to build with Claude Code
Whichever way you use it, the fastest way to get confident is to build something real. In Build a full stack Next.js app with Claude Code, you build a full stack project management app with Supabase, Stripe, Resend and the AI SDK, step by step, and deploy it for real customers. No prior coding experience is needed.
Sources
This guide is based on Anthropic's official documentation, checked on 30 October 2026:
- Get started with the desktop app (Claude Code docs)
- Desktop application reference (Claude Code docs)
- Claude Desktop on Linux (beta) (Claude Code docs)
- How Claude remembers your project (Claude Code docs)
- Download Claude