Claude Desktop App Starter Guide

The browser version of Claude (claude.ai) is useful. The desktop app is different in kind, not just degree. You're running a recruitment desk and you're only using Claude in a browser tab. You're using about 20% of what it can actually do for you.

This guide covers what the desktop app unlocks and the three things worth doing in your first hour.

The browser is a chat interface. You ask, Claude answers. That's fine for writing job ads or drafting emails, but it doesn't change how your desk runs.

The desktop app adds four things that do:

• Cowork: a separate tab where Claude operates as an autonomous agent. You give it a task and point it at a folder on your computer. It works through the task step by step: reading files, creating documents, organising data, while you're on calls. This is task delegation, not chat.
• Scheduled Tasks: Claude runs specific tasks automatically on a recurring schedule. Your Monday morning pipeline summary. Your Friday candidate database cleanup. Your end-of-week activity report. All handled without you lifting a finger.
• Connectors: link Claude directly to Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, and Notion. We cover this in a separate guide: Getting Claude Connected to Your Tools →
• Dispatch: send Claude tasks from your phone while you're between calls or commuting. It runs the task on your desktop. You come back to finished work.

One thing to know before you start: your computer needs to stay awake and the app needs to stay open for Cowork and scheduled tasks to run. If your laptop sleeps, Claude pauses. Adjust your power settings before you start relying on it.

01: Download the App and Open Cowork

Go to claude.ai/download and install the desktop app. Once it's open, you'll see two tabs at the top: Chat and Cowork. Chat works exactly like the browser. Cowork is new.

Click into Cowork. This is where Claude stops being a tool you query and starts being something closer to a researcher working through tasks while you're on the phone.

02: Give It Your First Real Task

1. Click + New task in Cowork
2. When Claude asks for folder access, point it at somewhere you actually work: your Documents folder, a client folder, your Downloads
3. Give it a real task and let it run

Try this as your first task:

"Go through my Downloads folder. Sort everything into subfolders: CVs in one folder, job specs in another, client contracts in another, interview notes in another, and everything else into a Misc folder. Move anything older than 60 days that isn't already organised into a folder called 'Archive - [today's date]'. Give me a summary of what you moved when you're done."

Claude shows you its plan before it starts and asks for approval before deleting anything. You can watch it work in real time, redirect it mid-task, or walk away and come back to a finished result. That last option is the point.

03: Schedule One Task That Runs Every Week Without You

Set tasks up once and Claude handles them on schedule, as long as your computer is awake and the app is open.

1. Open Cowork and start a new task
2. Type /schedule in the message box
3. Tell Claude what the task is, how often to run it, and any specific instructions
4. Manage all recurring tasks under Scheduled in the left sidebar

Monday Morning Pipeline Brief

"Every Monday at 7:30am: Check my Google Calendar for every meeting this week, listing the time, attendees, and what each one is about. Pull everything into a document called 'Weekly Brief - [date range]' and save it to my Desktop. I want this ready before I sit down."

Friday File Cleanup

"Every Friday at 4:30pm: Go through my Downloads folder and Desktop. Move any CVs, job specs, interview notes, and client documents that have been sitting there for more than 7 days into an archive folder organised by type. Flag any duplicate CVs or documents. Save a summary as 'cleanup-log-[date].md' on my Desktop."

End of Week Activity Summary

"Every Friday at 5pm: Go through my sent emails and calendar for the week. List every client or candidate I spoke to, what we discussed, and whether there's a clear next action. Save it as 'activity-summary-[date].md' on my Desktop."

Scheduled tasks only run if your computer is awake and the app is open at the scheduled time. If your laptop is closed at 7:30am Monday, the brief won't generate until you open it. Adjust your sleep settings so the machine stays on during your scheduled task windows.

Most recruiters use Claude to write emails faster. That's fine. The ones who pull ahead over the next two years are the ones using it to change what their desk does while they're not at it.

The desktop app is where that starts.