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How to Use Claude Cowork for Admin Work

Published by 3Gen Internet Corporation, maker of OpenAssistant, Skej and AGNT. Comparisons use public documentation, without hands-on testing.

A tidy administrative desk where loose document cards are organized into labeled-by-symbol folders and checked workflows, a fountain pen and small gear tool beside the completed stack.

The steps below are taken from each vendor’s help pages. We have not run them.

Claude Cowork is Anthropic’s mode for handing Claude a piece of work rather than a question. You describe the result you want, it plans the steps, works through them, and leaves you finished files: a sorted folder, an expense report, a spreadsheet, a slide deck. Anthropic’s own examples are admin chores: organizing a Downloads folder by type and date, turning a folder of receipts into an expense report, batch renaming files with dates, pulling action items out of meeting transcripts. (Anthropic)

This guide covers how to start, how to give it files safely, how to set up a weekly chore, and how Microsoft’s similarly named Copilot Cowork compares. If your admin work is mostly email, calendar and follow-ups rather than files, OpenAssistant (made by 3Gen, which publishes this site) takes tasks by email, text or its dashboard and runs recurring tasks you describe in plain English.

First, a naming change

Anthropic is folding Cowork into regular Claude. Its help articles now carry the note “Claude Cowork is now just Claude”: Claude decides on its own whether your message needs a quick answer or a full task. This is rolling out gradually to Pro and Max, and is a beta for Enterprise when an admin turns it on. (Anthropic) Anthropic’s September 16, 2026 announcement says Team and Free will follow. (Anthropic blog)

How to tell which version you have: if your message box no longer shows separate “Chat” and “Cowork” options, you have the new one. Anthropic says you can’t switch back once moved. (Anthropic) The steps below cover both.

Before you start

One change to know about: since October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max run in the cloud. The old “Only on your computer” setting is gone. For work that must stay on your machine, Anthropic points to Claude Code in the desktop app instead. (Anthropic)

Step 1: Start a task

  1. Open Claude on claude.ai, in Claude Desktop, or in the mobile app. On the web, look for the Home tab. (Anthropic)
  2. Classic version: in the message box, select Cowork in the bottom left corner. New version: skip this. Just describe the task. (Anthropic)
  3. Describe the task: the outcome, the format you want, and where the inputs are.
  4. Review Claude’s approach, then let it run.

(Anthropic)

A prompt that covers outcome, format and inputs (our example):

Make an expense report from the receipts in my “October receipts” folder. One row per receipt with date, vendor, category, amount and currency. Total by category at the bottom. Save it as an Excel file in the same folder. Don’t move or delete any receipts.

Anthropic’s safety advice is to keep sensitive files such as financial documents away from Claude, yet its own examples include processing receipts. If you try this, use copies with card numbers blacked out, in your dedicated working folder.

To keep a task out of Claude’s memory, turn Memory off in the + menu before your first message. You can’t change it later in that task. (Anthropic)

Step 2: Give it access to files, and only those files

On desktop, Claude can read and write files on your computer without you uploading them, but only in folders you’ve connected. Connected folders appear under Trusted folders in Settings. If you used Cowork before the merge, its earlier output folder appears as Storage folder in Settings. (Anthropic, Anthropic)

A cloud task can only reach a local folder while the desktop app is open, only for folders you connected, and only if the task was started on desktop or is a scheduled task. (Anthropic)

The documented route for connecting a folder is through a Project, which needs the latest Claude Desktop on Mac or Windows:

  1. In the left navigation, open Projects and click +.
  2. Choose Use an existing folder (or Start from scratch, or Import from project).
  3. Name it, choose where it saves, add instructions, and click Create.

Each project keeps its own instructions, scheduled tasks, context and memory. (Anthropic)

Step 3: Connect the apps your admin work lives in

Turn connectors on or off from the + menu in the chat box or under Customize > Connectors. Anthropic names Google Drive, Gmail, Microsoft 365 and Slack among them. (Anthropic, Anthropic)

Anthropic’s Cowork docs list three permission states for each connector tool: Always allow, Needs approval, and Blocked. For anything that sends or writes, choose Needs approval. (Anthropic) Anthropic’s general connectors article puts this under Customize > Connectors, then the connector, then Tool permissions. (Anthropic)

Step 4: Pick how much it does without asking

The mode selector has three settings: Manually approve, Automatically approve, and Skip all approvals. The new unified version shows only Auto and Manual, with Manual as the default. Auto mode checks each action for safety and uses more of your usage limit. (Anthropic, Anthropic)

Whatever mode you pick, Claude asks you to select Allow before it permanently deletes files. (Anthropic)

On Team and Enterprise, admins can turn Auto mode off for everyone, and “Always allow” for connector tools that write is off by default. (Anthropic)

Anthropic’s own advice: use Manual for anything with consequences, and remember you’re responsible for what Claude does on your behalf. (Anthropic)

Step 5: Turn a chore into a scheduled task

Scheduled tasks are on all paid plans and run in the cloud, so your computer doesn’t need to be on, unless the task needs files or apps on your computer. Then your computer must be on and Claude Desktop open when it runs. (Anthropic)

New version: describe the task and how often in any conversation, answer its questions, review the name, schedule and instructions, then click Schedule.

Classic version, set up by hand:

  1. Click Scheduled in the left sidebar, then New task, then Set up manually.
  2. In the Create scheduled task window, enter a task name, the prompt, the approval mode, how often (hourly, daily, weekly, on weekdays, or manually), and optionally a model and a folder.
  3. Click Save.

(Anthropic)

You can also type /schedule inside a Cowork task. (Anthropic) From the task list you can review runs, edit, pause, resume, delete, or run a task on demand.

Good admin chores to schedule (our suggestions): a Monday summary of last week’s receipts, a Friday list of unpaid invoices in a shared folder, a monthly rename and archive of scanned documents. Anthropic advises against scheduled tasks that send messages, make purchases or touch sensitive data, and suggests reviewing each run. (Anthropic)

The alternative: Microsoft Copilot Cowork

Microsoft has its own product called Cowork inside Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft’s FAQ says it can use Anthropic’s Claude models as a subprocessor, alongside OpenAI models you can pick. (Microsoft)

Who can use it: generally available for work and school accounts with a Microsoft Copilot license, Cowork turned on, and usage-based billing turned on by the admin. In preview for personal accounts with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. (Microsoft)

Start a task:

  1. Open Microsoft Copilot and select Cowork.
  2. Describe the task, or pick a suggested prompt such as “Organize my inbox” or “Prep for a meeting.”
  3. Attach files through Add attachments, which offers Add work context, Upload images and files, or Attach cloud files and folders.
  4. Send, and follow the step-by-step updates.

(Microsoft FAQ, Microsoft: use Cowork)

Approvals: before sensitive actions such as sending an email or posting in Teams, it shows an approval card with a risk level. You can approve, Cancel, Show parameters, or use Approve All. “Always allow” choices last only for the current session. Pause, Resume and Cancel control a running task. (Microsoft)

Repeat chores: describe the schedule in your message, then manage it from Automations (Microsoft’s pages place it either in the left navigation or as a tab under Tasks), or from the Schedule section of the side panel. Up to 25 scheduled prompts. (Microsoft FAQ, Microsoft)

The big difference: Microsoft says Copilot Cowork “can’t access or edit files stored locally on your device.” It works with OneDrive and SharePoint, and saves its output there. (Microsoft FAQ)

Which one to use

Claude Cowork Microsoft Copilot Cowork
Plans Claude Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise Work accounts with Copilot license and usage billing; personal accounts in preview
Files on your computer Yes, in connected folders, with the desktop app open No, OneDrive and SharePoint only
Approval choices Manual, Auto, Skip all (new version: Manual or Auto) Per-action approval cards, session-only “Always allow”
Scheduled tasks Yes, all paid plans Yes, under Automations
Deletes Asks before permanent deletion Can’t delete OneDrive or SharePoint files

(Sources linked above)

If your admin work is files on your own computer, Claude Cowork is the one of the two that can reach them. If your company already lives in Microsoft 365 and your files sit in OneDrive and SharePoint, Copilot Cowork keeps everything inside that system and its admin controls.

Check it yourself

This section is advice for you. We have not run these checks.

If you try either tool, give it these three chores and judge each result:

  1. Sort: “Sort the files in this folder into subfolders by year and type. Don’t delete anything.” Good sign: every file is still there and in the right place.
  2. Summarize: “Pull the action items from these three meeting notes into one table with owner and due date.” Good sign: no action item is missing or invented.
  3. Report: the expense report prompt in Step 1. Good sign: every row and total matches the receipts.

FAQ

Is Claude Cowork still a separate product?

Anthropic is folding Cowork into regular Claude. Its help articles now say “Claude Cowork is now just Claude”: Claude decides whether your message needs a quick answer or a full task. It is rolling out gradually to Pro and Max.

Which plans can use it?

A paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise.

Does it run when my computer is off?

Scheduled tasks run in the cloud, so your computer does not need to be on, unless the task needs files or apps on your computer. Then your computer must be on and Claude Desktop open.

How do I keep it from changing things without asking?

Use Manual mode for anything with consequences, and set connector tools that send or write to Needs approval. Whatever mode you pick, Claude asks you to select Allow before it permanently deletes files.

How is Microsoft Copilot Cowork different?

Microsoft says Copilot Cowork cannot access or edit files stored locally on your device. It works with OneDrive and SharePoint and saves its output there.

Try OpenAssistant

If your admin work is mostly inbox, scheduling and follow-ups, Try OpenAssistant and describe the chore once as a recurring task. See plans on the pricing page.

Sources