What a project holds
Each project bundles the following, and you can change any of it after creation.| Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Description | What the project is for; Dispatch reads it when choosing a project for a task |
| Folders | One or more local folders Claude can read and write inside this project’s sessions |
| Instructions | Standing guidance applied to every session in the project |
| Links | Reference URLs (documents, dashboards, repositories) Claude can consult |
| Projects from Chat | Projects you made in Chat (claude.ai) whose knowledge this Cowork project can draw on |
| Memory | A project-scoped memory store that persists across sessions |
Create a project
Open Projects in the left navigation and choose the + button to start. You’re offered three starting points.Choose a starting point
Select Start from scratch to create an empty project with a new folder,
Import a project to bring an existing claude.ai project into Cowork, or
Use an existing folder to point at a folder you already work from.
Name and describe it
Give the project a name and a short description so you can tell it apart in
the sidebar.
Work inside a project
Select a project in the sidebar to start a new Cowork session with that project’s folders mounted and instructions applied. Files Claude creates land in the project’s folders; what Claude learns during the session is saved to the project’s memory for next time. Dispatch can also route background tasks into a project, so long-running work picks up the same folders, instructions, and memory. When you drag files or folders into a project, individual files are copied into the project’s first folder and folders are mounted as additional project folders. Claude reads individual files up to 50 MB.Cowork projects and claude.ai projects
A Cowork project is not the same thing as a project on claude.ai. They’re stored separately and have different capabilities.| Cowork project | claude.ai project | |
|---|---|---|
| Lives | On your computer only | In your Claude account |
| Holds local folders | Yes | No |
| Shareable with teammates | No | Yes, on Team and Enterprise |
Archive a project
Archiving removes the project from your list and deletes its metadata (name, instructions, links, memory). It does not touch the local folders you attached; your files stay exactly where they are on disk. To archive, open the project’s menu in the sidebar and choose Archive.Related
- Run tasks in the background with Dispatch to run work inside a project without watching each step
- Install plugins to extend what Claude can do in a project’s sessions
- Cowork overview for how projects relate to sessions and Dispatch