Guide

How to use Claude Code in the Claude desktop app

You don't need a terminal to use Claude Code. The Claude desktop app has it built in, under the Code tab. This guide shows how to start a session on a folder, control what Claude may change, review its edits and run several sessions at once.

Updated 30 October 2026

Quick answer: install the Claude desktop app, sign in, and click the Code tab at the top of the sidebar. Under the prompt box, choose a Local environment, click the folder control and pick Open folder…, then type your task and press Enter. It needs a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan.

Before you start

The Code tab runs the same Claude Code engine as the terminal version, wrapped in windows and buttons instead of typed commands. You point it at a folder, give it a task and check its edits on screen. Claude Code ships inside the app, so you don't install anything extra.

Plan: the Code tab requires a paid subscription (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise). On Free, clicking Code shows an upgrade prompt.
System: macOS (one build for Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows x64 or ARM64, and Linux in beta (Ubuntu and Debian, via apt or a .deb).

If the app isn't installed yet, our guide to installing the Claude desktop app covers each system.

Start your first session

Open Claude and sign in with your Anthropic account.
Click Code at the top of the sidebar. If the tabs show only icons, hover over them to find it.
Look at the row of controls under the prompt box. Click the first one, the environment selector, and choose the top entry under Local.
Click the folder control next to it, choose Open folder… and select the folder you want Claude to work in. A small project you know well is the best first test.
Optionally choose a model from the model picker toward the right of that row.
Describe the task in plain words, for example "Explain what this project does" or "Create a CLAUDE.md with instructions for this folder", and press Enter.

Each conversation in the Code tab is a session, with its own history, folder and changes. To stop Claude, click the stop button or press Esc. To change direction without stopping, type a correction and press Enter; Claude reads it once its current action finishes.

To point Claude at one file, type @ followed by the file name in the prompt box. Type / to browse built-in commands and skills.

Choose how much Claude may do on its own

The mode selector, also under the prompt box, sets when Claude stops to ask you. As of October 2026 the options are:

Mode	What happens
Manual	Claude asks before every edit and command; you approve or decline each change.
Accept edits	File edits and simple file commands go through; other commands still need your approval.
Plan	Claude looks around and proposes a plan without editing anything.
Auto	No routine prompts; a background classifier checks actions and blocks risky ones.
Bypass permissions	No prompts at all apart from safety checks. Anthropic advises it only inside sandboxed containers or virtual machines.

A good habit from Anthropic's docs: start a bigger task in Plan, read the plan, then switch to Manual or Accept edits to carry it out. You can change mode mid-session with Cmd+Shift+M on Mac or Ctrl+Shift+M on Windows. The app remembers the mode you pick for each folder, except Plan, which lasts only for that session.

Review what Claude changed

After Claude edits files, a counter such as +12 -1 appears. Click it, or click Changes in the title bar, to open the diff view.
Go through the changes file by file. To comment on a line, hover over it, click the + beside the line number, type your note and press Enter.
Send all your comments with Cmd+Enter (Ctrl+Enter on Windows). Claude reads them and revises.

To have Claude check its own work, type /code-review in the prompt box. In local sessions the result appears as a card with Walk through in diff and Apply fixes buttons.

Run several sessions at once

New session: click + New in the sidebar or press Cmd+N (Ctrl+N on Windows). Move between sessions with Ctrl+Tab.
Side by side: Option-click (Alt-click on Windows) a session, or right-click it and choose Open in > Split view.
Keep parallel work apart: in a Git project, turn on Worktree under the prompt box before you start, and each session gets its own isolated copy of the project.
Quick question: press Cmd+; (Ctrl+; on Windows) for a side chat that sees the session but doesn't add to it. Side chats aren't kept after you close the app.
Tidy up: hover over a finished session, open its menu and choose Archive.

Good to know

Other places to run: the environment selector also offers Cloud (runs on Anthropic's servers and keeps going after you close the app), SSH (a remote machine) and, on Windows, WSL.
Usage: on Pro and Max, Claude Code and regular Claude chats draw on the same usage limits, and cloud sessions count toward them too.
A terminal is there if you want it: press Ctrl+` to open one inside the session, but you never have to.
Extras: the + button next to the prompt box adds connectors and plugins; manage them under Customize in the sidebar.
Same settings everywhere: a folder's CLAUDE.md, settings and MCP servers apply in the desktop app, the terminal and the web.

If it doesn't work

Clicking Code shows an upgrade prompt: your account is on Free. Claude Code needs a paid plan.
It asks you to sign in online: finish the sign-in in your browser, then restart the app.
A 403 or authentication error: sign out and back in; Anthropic's desktop docs have a troubleshooting section for this error.
No environment control under the prompt box: you have an older layout of the app. Update the app; Anthropic's docs explain how to check which layout you have.
Local is greyed out: on a work account, your organization may have turned off local sessions. Ask your admin.

Keep track of what each session decided

With several sessions running, it's easy to lose the decisions and open items. The Workbranch Claude Code plugin shows what's still open when a session starts in a folder linked to a Workbranch project, and "save this to Workbranch" files the session's tasks and decisions by topic. See Workbranch for Claude.

Sources

Use Claude Code with your Pro or Max plan (Claude Help Center, checked 2026-10-30)
Get started with the desktop app (Claude Code Docs, checked 2026-10-30)
Use Claude Code Desktop (Claude Code Docs, checked 2026-10-30)
Claude Code overview (Claude Code Docs, checked 2026-10-30)

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install Node.js or the Claude Code CLI first?

No. The desktop app ships with Claude Code, so the Code tab works on its own. Install the CLI only if you also want to run claude in a terminal.

Can I move a terminal session into the desktop app?

Yes. Run /desktop in a terminal session to continue it in the app, where the diff is easier to review. Anthropic says this needs a claude.ai subscription and works on macOS and x64 Windows.

Can a session keep running if I close the app?

Local sessions need the app open. Pick a Cloud environment instead and the session runs on Anthropic's infrastructure, continuing after you close the app; cloud sessions count toward your plan's limits.