Introduction to Claude Cowork

Delegate multi-step work to Claude in Cowork: set up workspaces, give context, run task loops, and use plugins for research, documents, and browser tasks.

14 lessons2.5 hr1 quizCompletion badge

Start course Sign in to save progress

What you’ll learnBy the end of this course, you’ll be able to

Explain what Claude Cowork is and the kind of work it is for
Set up a working folder, connectors, and permission mode, and apply safe-working habits as Cowork acts on your behalf
Delegate a multi-step task end to end: write the prompt, answer clarifying questions, steer mid-task, and review the deliverable
Run recurring work with scheduled tasks, and start or check on a task from your phone or any browser
Give Cowork standing context through global instructions and projects
Build skills for your recurring processes and install, customize, or bundle them into plugins
Extend Cowork to browser-based tools with Claude in Chrome and to Office documents with Claude for Microsoft 365
Validate a skill with evals and share team plugins through your organization's marketplace

Who it’s for

Knowledge workers whose day is spent moving information between files, apps, and tools and want Claude to take on real, multi-step work.

Before you start

A paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise); the Claude desktop app for the lessons that work on folders on your computer
Comfort with everyday desktop apps — no coding or command-line experience needed

Cowork is Claude working directly with your files, folders, and apps — reading, editing, and producing real outputs. It turns a conversation with Claude into a working session: you describe the task, Claude plans and executes it, and you steer along the way.

This course gets you from first launch to confident daily use. You'll run your first end-to-end task, give Claude standing context with projects, skills, and plugins, bring Claude into Chrome, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and learn the habits that keep multi-step work safe to share with your team.

Inside the course

Meet Claude Cowork

4 lessons

What Cowork is, how to set it up, and your first end-to-end task: describe it, watch Claude plan and execute, and steer along the way.

Make Claude Cowork yours

4 lessons

Give Claude standing context with global instructions and projects, then build skills and install plugins so Claude knows your vocabulary, your steps, and the outputs you expect.

Use Claude wherever you work

2 lessons

Drive web apps with Claude in Chrome, and work inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook with the Claude add-ins for each.

Sharing and safety in Claude Cowork

4 lessons

Work safely by reviewing plans and outputs, validate skills before you rely on them, and share plugins and workflows with your team.