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How to install the Claude desktop app

Claude runs in a browser, but the desktop app adds a keyboard shortcut to reach it from any app on a Mac and lets you install extensions that connect Claude to tools on your computer. Here is how to install it on each system and set those up.

Updated 30 October 2026

Steps and menu names were checked against Anthropic's Help Center as of October 2026.

Check your system first

Install on Mac or Windows

1. Open claude.ai/download in your browser.
2. Choose the macOS or Windows download.
3. Open the downloaded file and follow the installer.
4. Start Claude from your Applications folder (Mac) or the Start menu (Windows).
5. Sign in with the same account you use on claude.ai. Your chats and projects are there.

Install on Linux (beta)

Anthropic recommends its apt repository, because that keeps the app updated with the rest of your system.

1. Add Anthropic's signing key and apt source as shown on the Help Center page.
2. Run sudo apt update && sudo apt install claude-desktop.
3. Launch Claude from your applications menu, or run claude-desktop, and sign in.

You can install a downloaded .deb instead, but then updates are up to you. On Linux, computer use and dictation aren't available yet.

Set up quick entry on a Mac

Quick entry opens a small Claude box over whatever you're doing, while the app keeps running in the background. It needs macOS 12 or later and is on every plan.

1. Accept the prompt to turn on the shortcut the first time you open the app, or go to Settings > Desktop app later. In the older settings layout, it's under Settings > System, in This computer.
2. Pick the shortcut: Double-tap Option (the default), Option + Space, or your own.
3. In macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security, allow Claude under Accessibility. Quick entry needs this to work.
4. For screenshots and sharing a window, also allow Screen recording.

From the quick entry box you can drag to take a screenshot, click a window to attach what's in it, or, on macOS 14 or later, dictate by pressing Caps Lock. Voice dictation is off by default because it takes over Caps Lock, and it needs the Speech recognition permission.

Add desktop extensions

Desktop extensions are installable packages for local MCP servers, the standard Claude uses to talk to tools and data on your computer. They spare you from editing configuration files.

1. Go to Settings > Desktop app and click Manage next to Extensions.
2. Click Browse extensions and choose one from the Anthropic-reviewed directory.
3. Click Install and fill in any settings it asks for, such as an API key.
4. Start a chat. The extension's tools are now available to Claude.

A developer may give you an extension as a .mcpb file. Install it from the same Extensions screen: open Advanced settings, then click Install Extension… in the Extension Developer section. If you mostly want cloud services such as Google Drive, see how to connect Claude to Google Drive.

Good to know

• Plans: chatting in the desktop app works on every plan. Cowork needs Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise.
• Extension updates: extensions from the official directory update themselves. Ones you installed from a file must be updated by hand.
• Secrets: settings an extension marks as sensitive, such as API keys, are stored encrypted in your operating system's secure storage.
• Organizations: Owners of Team and Enterprise plans can control which extensions their team may use, including an allowlist and custom uploads.

If it doesn't work

• The installer won't run: check your system version against the table above.
• Double-tap Option does nothing: make sure Claude is running and has the Accessibility permission, and check the shortcut in Settings > Desktop app.
• Screenshots come out blank or fail: grant Screen recording in System Settings, then reopen Claude.
• No Extensions option, or an extension is blocked: on a work account, your organization's Owner may have restricted extensions. Ask them.

Sources

• Install Claude Desktop (Claude Help Center, checked 2026-10-30)
• Use quick entry with Claude Desktop on Mac (Claude Help Center, checked 2026-10-30)
• Getting Started with Local MCP Servers on Claude Desktop (Claude Help Center, checked 2026-10-30)

Frequently asked questions