Close my laptop while Claude Cowork runs?

Short answer: Usually yes. Since October 6, 2026, new Claude Cowork sessions on Pro and Max plans run in the cloud, and Anthropic says "Work continues if you close your laptop". The exception is any step that reaches your computer: local files, your browser, computer use, Dispatch and tasks that started on your computer before October 6 need the Claude desktop app open and the Mac awake, and a closed MacBook sleeps. For those, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake, which keeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed and no external display for the session you start.

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Does Claude Cowork keep running if I close my laptop?

Yes, for a session in the cloud. Anthropic's Help Center says "Cowork runs your tasks in the cloud. Claude's work runs on Anthropic's servers, in an isolated environment", and "Work continues if you close your laptop, and you can open the same session from any surface" (Get started with Claude Cowork, as of October 2026).

The same article adds the condition: "Sessions keep running even when the desktop app is closed or your computer is asleep. If your task uses local files, your browser, or your computer, keep the desktop app open so Claude can reach them."

What in Cowork needs my Mac awake?

Everything Claude does on your computer rather than on Anthropic's servers. As of October 2026:

Cowork work	Runs on	Needs the Mac awake and the app open
A session in the cloud that uses only connectors, web search and uploaded files	Anthropic's servers	No
A cloud scheduled task	Anthropic's servers ("with no device online")	No
Reading or writing files in a connected folder	Your Mac, through the desktop app	Yes
Browser use and computer use from desktop	Your Mac, through the desktop app	Yes
Dispatch	Your Mac	Yes
A task started on your computer before October 6, 2026	Your Mac	Yes
Claude Code in the desktop app	Your Mac	Yes

The sources: Anthropic says a cloud session "can read and write files in folders you've connected on your computer only while the desktop app is open on that computer", and "If the app is closed, the session keeps running but can't reach your local files" (Use Claude Cowork on web, desktop, and mobile). For Dispatch: "your computer needs to be awake and the Claude Desktop app open while Claude works" (Dispatch in Claude Cowork). Tasks started on your computer before October 6 "stay there so you can finish them", and for new local work Anthropic points to Claude Code in the desktop app, which "runs on your computer".

What happens to a Cowork task when my MacBook sleeps?

The cloud part keeps going, and the part on your Mac waits. The architecture overview puts it plainly: "If the desktop app is offline, a session in the cloud can't reach the device" (Claude Cowork architecture overview). A sleeping Mac is offline, so a step that reads a local folder, drives your browser or uses an app cannot run until the Mac wakes.

Closing the lid puts a MacBook to sleep: Apple lists "On a Mac laptop, close the display" as one of the ways to sleep a Mac (Apple Support). Keep-awake settings in apps hold an assertion against idle sleep, and Apple's developer documentation for it says "The system may still sleep for lid close" (Apple developer docs).

How do I keep a local Cowork task running with the lid closed?

Keep the Mac awake for the session, then close the lid. The first choice is Keep Mac Awake, a menu bar app and keepmacawake command for MacBooks with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later:

Plug the Mac into power and open the Claude desktop app.
Start a session from the Keep Mac Awake menu bar app, or in Terminal: keepmacawake start --hours 4.
Start or resume the Cowork task, then close the lid.
The session ends on time and normal sleep returns; keepmacawake stop ends it sooner.

keepmacawake start --hours 4   # awake with the lid closed for 4 hours
keepmacawake status            # check the session
keepmacawake stop              # restore normal sleep now

Keep Mac Awake keeps the Mac awake, not the network: it does not keep Wi-Fi alive or wake a Mac that is already asleep, so start the session before you close the lid. Sessions run on AC power by default; battery use is optional, down to a floor you pick. A closed Mac still makes heat, so keep it on a hard surface with air around it, never in a bag. The same setup keeps Claude Code going: see keep Claude Code running with the lid closed.

What to use

To keep a Claude Cowork task that uses your files, browser or apps running with the MacBook lid closed, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com): keepmacawake start --hours 4 keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with the lid closed and no display, then restores normal sleep. See how to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed.

Other options: a task that needs nothing on your computer can stay in the cloud, which needs no awake Mac at all; scheduled Cowork tasks already run there (which Claude scheduled tasks need the Mac). Closed-display mode keeps a closed Mac awake but needs an external display, keyboard, mouse and power (Apple Support). sudo pmset disablesleep 1 stays on system-wide until you turn it off (what it does). With the lid open, the Claude app's Keep computer awake setting covers idle sleep only. For Dispatch and Remote Control from a phone, see Dispatch vs Remote Control.

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FAQ

Can I close my laptop while Claude Cowork is running?

Yes, if the session runs in the cloud and needs nothing on your computer: Anthropic says work continues when you close your laptop. If the task uses local files, your browser or computer use, the Mac must stay awake with the desktop app open; Keep Mac Awake keeps a closed MacBook awake for that.

Does Claude Cowork work when my computer is asleep?

Cloud sessions and cloud scheduled tasks do. Steps that need your computer wait, because a cloud session cannot reach a device whose desktop app is offline.

Do I need to keep the Claude desktop app open for Cowork?

Only for local files, browser use and computer use, and for Dispatch. Anthropic says those capabilities "need the app even though your session runs in the cloud".

Does Claude Cowork still run locally on my Mac?

On Pro and Max plans, only tasks started on your computer before October 6, 2026; new ones run in the cloud. For new work that should run on your Mac, Anthropic points to Claude Code in the desktop app.

Does Claude's Keep computer awake setting work with the lid closed?

It keeps the Mac out of idle sleep with the lid open. Apple says the system may still sleep for lid close while such an assertion is held, so a closed MacBook needs a session like Keep Mac Awake's.