Desktop and filesystem access changedthird-party/claude-desktop/local-access
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33> How Claude Desktop on 3P reads and writes files on the user's machine, and how to constrain it
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5Like [Cowork](/docs/cowork/overview) in standard Claude Desktop, Claude Desktop on third-party (3P) works directly with files on the user's computer. Users attach one or more **workspace folders** to a session; the agent can then read, create, and modify files anywhere inside those folders, and run code against them inside the sandbox VM.
5Like [Cowork](/docs/cowork/overview.md) in standard Claude Desktop, Claude Desktop on third-party (3P) works directly with files on the user's computer. Users attach one or more **workspace folders** to a session; the agent can then read, create, and modify files anywhere inside those folders, and run code against them inside the sandbox VM.
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77In Claude Desktop on 3P, administrators can constrain which folders users are allowed to attach.
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99## Workspace folder allowlist
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11Set [`allowedWorkspaceFolders`](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration#allowedworkspacefolders) in the managed configuration to restrict which paths users may attach as workspace folders. The [Configuration reference](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration) covers where the managed configuration lives on each platform and how to deploy it.
11Set [`allowedWorkspaceFolders`](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration#allowedworkspacefolders) in the managed configuration to restrict which paths users may attach as workspace folders. The [Configuration reference](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration.md) covers where the managed configuration lives on each platform and how to deploy it.
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1313| Value | Behavior |
1414| - | - |
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1616| `["~/Documents/Claude", "/Volumes/Shared/Projects"]` | Users may attach only folders **inside** one of the listed roots. |
1717| `[]` | No folders may be attached. The agent can still create files in its own sandbox scratch space, but cannot read or write the user's filesystem. |
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19A leading `~` expands to the user's home directory, so a single profile can express per-user roots like `~/Documents/Claude` across the fleet. A path may also reference one of a fixed set of environment-variable tokens, such as `%OneDrive%` or `%USERNAME%`, listed in the [configuration reference](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration#allowedworkspacefolders). An entry that references any other `%VAR%`, or one that is unset on the device, is ignored.
19A leading `~` expands to the user's home directory, so a single profile can express per-user roots like `~/Documents/Claude` across the fleet. A path may also reference one of a fixed set of environment-variable tokens, such as `%OneDrive%` or `%USERNAME%`, listed in the [configuration reference](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration.md#allowedworkspacefolders). An entry that references any other `%VAR%`, or one that is unset on the device, is ignored.
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2121Each entry is either a plain path string or an object with these fields:
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2323| Field | Description |
2424| - | - |
2525| `path` | The folder path (required). Subfolders are included. |
26| `mode` | `rw` (the default) or `ro`. The agent can view and search a read-only folder but cannot modify it in Cowork. In Code sessions other than SSH remote sessions, read-only applies to Claude's file tools only, and shell commands don't enforce it. For SSH remote sessions, see [Read-only folders on the remote host](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/ssh-remote-sessions#read-only-folders-on-the-remote-host). |
26| `mode` | `rw` (the default) or `ro`. The agent can view and search a read-only folder but cannot modify it in Cowork. In Code sessions other than SSH remote sessions, read-only applies to Claude's file tools only, and shell commands don't enforce it. For SSH remote sessions, see [Read-only folders on the remote host](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/ssh-remote-sessions.md#read-only-folders-on-the-remote-host). |
2727| `isDefaultSelected` | When `true`, the folder appears already selected on the new-task page and skips the trust prompt. Users can remove it. |
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2929For example, `[{"path": "~/Documents/Claude"}, {"path": "/Volumes/Shared/Reference", "mode": "ro"}]` lets users work in their own folder and consult the shared reference folder without changing it.
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3232
3333> [!NOTE]
3434>
35> The allowlist controls what users can **attach**. Within an attached read/write folder, the agent can read and write every file the user's OS account can reach. Data outside the allowed roots cannot be attached in Cowork and is out of reach of Claude's file tools in Code sessions. A Code session's shell commands are confined only by the sandbox described under [Code](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/code#applied-as-managed-policy): where it applies they can change files only inside the roots and temporary locations but can still read outside them unless you also set [`blockReadsOutsideWorkingDirectories`](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration#blockreadsoutsideworkingdirectories), and where it does not apply (Windows devices, hosts without the sandbox dependencies) the allowlist does not confine them and that key can only turn such reads into approval prompts. To let the agent read data in Cowork without changing it, list the folder with `mode` set to `ro`.
35> The allowlist controls what users can **attach**. Within an attached read/write folder, the agent can read and write every file the user's OS account can reach. Data outside the allowed roots cannot be attached in Cowork and is out of reach of Claude's file tools in Code sessions. A Code session's shell commands are confined only by the sandbox described under [Code](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/code.md#applied-as-managed-policy): where it applies they can change files only inside the roots and temporary locations but can still read outside them unless you also set [`blockReadsOutsideWorkingDirectories`](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration#blockreadsoutsideworkingdirectories), and where it does not apply (Windows devices, hosts without the sandbox dependencies) the allowlist does not confine them and that key can only turn such reads into approval prompts. To let the agent read data in Cowork without changing it, list the folder with `mode` set to `ro`.
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3737## Network drives on Windows
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5555
5656## WSL
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58You do not need Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to run Claude Desktop or Cowork. On Windows, Cowork's sandbox runs on the operating system's built-in virtualization, which the [readiness check](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/installation#check-device-readiness) verifies. Install the macOS or Windows package (see [System requirements](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/installation#system-requirements)); there is no installation path inside WSL. Run the Windows app and work with WSL files from there.
58You do not need Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to run Claude Desktop or Cowork. On Windows, Cowork's sandbox runs on the operating system's built-in virtualization, which the [readiness check](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/installation.md#check-device-readiness) verifies. Install the macOS or Windows package (see [System requirements](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/installation.md#system-requirements)); there is no installation path inside WSL. Run the Windows app and work with WSL files from there.
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6060Windows exposes a WSL distribution's filesystem as a UNC path (`\\wsl$\<distro>` or `\\wsl.localhost\<distro>`). Like any other raw UNC path, these cannot be attached as workspace folders directly. To attach files that live inside WSL as a workspace folder, map the share to a drive letter and attach the mapped drive, or copy the files to a local Windows folder. [Network drives on Windows](#network-drives-on-windows) describes what the agent can do on a mapped drive.
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