Claude Code Desktop

Q: Where does Claude Code Desktop put worktrees?

By default in .claude/worktrees/ inside the project; the location and a branch prefix are set in Settings > Code.

Claude Code Desktop is the Code tab of the Claude desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux (beta). It runs Claude Code sessions side by side, locally, in the cloud or over SSH, with Git worktrees, a visual diff view, a terminal, a browser preview and computer use, on any paid Claude plan with no separate CLI install.

1:51 Claude Code Desktop is Claude Code inside the Claude desktop app: open the app, sign in and click the Code tab (Desktop application). It runs the same engine as the terminal version, so it reads the same CLAUDE.md files, settings and MCP servers, but it adds a graphical layer: several sessions in a sidebar, each optionally in its own Git worktree, a visual diff you can comment on, an integrated terminal and file editor, a built-in browser for previewing your app, computer use and side chats. The app includes Claude Code, so nothing else needs installing, but it requires a paid subscription (Overview). It is available for macOS, Windows (x64 and ARM64) and, in beta since the week of Jun 29, 2026, Ubuntu and Debian Linux.

Quick facts

Where	The Code tab of the Claude desktop app
Systems	macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows x64 and ARM64, Linux beta (apt or .deb, Ubuntu and Debian)
Plans	Any paid plan; not Free (as of Nov 6, 2026)
CLI needed	No, the app includes Claude Code
Session types	Local, Cloud, SSH, WSL (Windows)
New session	+ New, or `Cmd+N` / `Ctrl+N`
Parallel work	Optional Git worktree per session, in `.claude/worktrees/`
Hand off from the terminal	`/desktop`

Sources: Desktop application, Overview, read Nov 6, 2026.

How do I start a Claude Code session in the desktop app?

Download the Claude app from claude.com and sign in with a Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise account.
Click the Code tab.
In the row under the prompt box, choose the environment (Local, a Cloud environment, SSH or WSL), the project folder, the permission mode and the model.
Optionally turn on Worktree so the session works in its own copy of the repository.
Type the task and press Enter. Start more sessions with + New or Cmd+N (Ctrl+N on Windows) to run them in parallel.

Source: Desktop application, read Nov 6, 2026.

A terminal session moves to the app with /desktop, on macOS and x64 Windows with a claude.ai subscription (Overview), and the app's Open in menu can send a local session to the cloud.

Sessions, environments and worktrees

2:31 Each session keeps its own chat and folder. Local sessions run on your computer; Cloud sessions run on Anthropic's machines and keep going after you close the app (Claude Code on the Web); SSH sessions run on a remote machine you add under New environment > SSH; and on Windows, WSL sessions run in a WSL 2 distribution (Desktop application). The app also creates up to eight environments by itself from folders you used in the past month.

The Worktree toggle, off by default and requiring Git, gives a session its own Git worktree, so two sessions can edit the same repository without colliding. Worktrees live in <project-root>/.claude/worktrees/ unless you change Worktree location in Settings > Code, where a Branch prefix for their branches is also set. Files Git ignores, such as .env, are not copied unless a .worktreeinclude file in the project root lists them. Archiving a session can discard its worktree's uncommitted changes, so commit first. Since Sep 17, 2026, related sessions can be grouped into Projects (Claude Code product page).

Reviewing and shipping changes

The session details panel has a Changes card with the line counts (for example +12 -1); clicking them opens a visual diff where you hover a line, click +, write a comment and send all comments to Claude with Cmd+Enter or Ctrl+Enter (Desktop application). /code-review shows its findings in a Code review card with Walk through in diff and Apply fixes. For a pull request, the ⋮ menu in the Changes card turns on Auto-fix, where Claude fixes failing checks and answers review comments, or Merge when ready, which uses GitHub's auto-merge; both need GitHub's gh tool installed and signed in.

Terminal, files, preview and side chats

Terminal: click Terminal in the title bar or press Ctrl+` ; it opens in the session's folder.
Files: local sessions can edit files in a pane with auto save; cloud, SSH and WSL file panes are read-only.
Browser preview: Claude starts your dev server from .claude/launch.json and opens it in the Browser pane (Cmd+Shift+B or Ctrl+Shift+B), checking its own changes there ("Auto-verify changes", on by default). It is a separate, clean browser that asks before visiting each new site; for your signed-in browser, use Claude in Chrome.
Side chats: Cmd+; or Ctrl+;, or /btw, asks a question that reads the session but adds nothing to it; side chats are not saved.
Panes: drag them to rearrange, pop them out into windows, and close the focused one with Cmd+\ or Ctrl+\. Ctrl+O cycles Normal, Thinking and Verbose views.

Source: Desktop application, read Nov 6, 2026.

Computer use, Dispatch and scheduled tasks

Computer use lets Claude operate other apps on your screen, in research preview on macOS 14 or later and Windows, for Pro, Max and Ultra only; it is off until you turn it on under Settings > This computer (Desktop application). It arrived in the desktop app in the week of Mar 23, 2026 (Computer Use). Dispatch is a standing Cowork conversation you message from your phone; it can start Code sessions on the computer and sends a push notification when one finishes or needs approval (Pro, Max and Ultra). Desktop scheduled tasks run a prompt on a timer with access to your local files, but only while the app is open and the computer awake (Desktop scheduled tasks). On macOS an iOS Simulator pane shows a running iPhone app.

How is the desktop app different from the CLI?

The desktop app adds the visual diff and comments, the Browser pane, computer use, Dispatch, the iOS Simulator pane and movable panes. It lacks a few CLI behaviors: there is no dontAsk permission mode, and Shift+Tab does not cycle permission modes; you pick a mode from the menu instead (Desktop application). Local sessions set a 15-minute API timeout of their own, and the app sees only its own sessions, not CLI or cloud ones. Permission modes are Manual, Accept edits, Plan, Auto and Bypass permissions, with only the middle three in cloud sessions; on Pro, Max and Ultra, Bypass must first be allowed in Settings > Code (Claude Code Permissions and Modes). Connectors and plugins work in local and SSH sessions but not in WSL, and plugins not in cloud sessions.

For people who prefer an editor, the extensions on Claude Code in VS Code and JetBrains give similar diffs inside the IDE.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install Claude Code separately for the desktop app? No. The Claude desktop app includes Claude Code in its Code tab, so the terminal version is only needed for the command line or the JetBrains plugin.

Is Claude Code Desktop free? No. Claude Code in the desktop app needs a paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise.

Does Claude Code Desktop work on Linux? Yes, in beta. Claude Code Desktop has a Linux build for Ubuntu and Debian, installed with apt or a .deb file, since the week of Jun 29, 2026.

Where does Claude Code Desktop put worktrees? By default in .claude/worktrees/ inside the project; the location and a branch prefix are set in Settings > Code.

Can Claude Code Desktop run sessions in parallel? Yes. Each Claude Code Desktop session has its own chat and folder, and turning on Worktree keeps parallel sessions in one repository from overwriting each other.