Before You Connect Anything: Where Claude's Work Runs

Most people connect an account or upload a file during their first week with Claude and read the details afterward. This guide puts the reading first.

Where Claude's work runs

Claude's work now runs on Anthropic's servers, not on your computer. Your sessions, and the files they use, are saved to your Claude account, so you can pick the work up from another device and Claude can keep working after you close the window. The screen looks the same as before, which is why the change is easy to miss.

Here is the plain version of what that means for the folders on your own computer:

• Your originals stay where they are. Linking a folder does not move or upload the whole thing, and Claude can only use folders you deliberately connected.
• Claude works from copies. When a task needs a file, Claude fetches a copy into its cloud workspace, and the contents are processed on Anthropic's servers. Those copies are saved with the session.
• The desktop app has to stay open. Connected folders are reachable only while it is running. A cloud session keeps going if you close it, but loses access to your local files.
• Scheduled tasks follow the same rule. A scheduled task runs in the cloud and can reach a connected folder only while the desktop app is open on that computer.
• There is no local-only switch. New tasks run in the cloud, and there is no setting to keep them on your computer. If your Claude account is managed by an employer, its settings may differ.

Five things to check before you connect

1. What the connection can reach. A connector to email, a calendar, or a drive may reach more than the one folder or message you have in mind. Read the permissions screen and narrow the scope where you can.
2. What your data settings say. In Settings, open Privacy and read how your data is protected and used, and check the switch that controls whether your chats help improve Anthropic's models. Open Memory too, and confirm whether Claude is generating memory from your chats.
3. What your organization allows. If you use Claude for work, your employer's policies still apply, including rules on customer data, regulated data, and approved tools. Ask your IT or legal team when in doubt.
4. What the material contains. Look for personal details, credentials, client names, and anything covered by a confidentiality agreement. Remove or replace what Claude does not need.
5. Who else can see the result. Shared projects and shared outputs reach other people. Check the audience before you add material to them.

Keep a short "never" list

Treat the cloud the way you would treat any online service. Keep tax records, medical records, legal files, passwords, and anything covered by an NDA or an employer's data rules out of folders you link. A small, dedicated workspace folder helps, because it limits what Claude could ever fetch. Write down one folder on your computer that you will never connect.

Treat project files as cloud files

A project is a convenient place to keep reference material, and anything you add to its context lives in the cloud. If you would not upload a file to an online service, do not add it to a project.

A safe starting routine

• Begin with material that is public or low-risk, such as a draft you would be comfortable sharing.
• Delete sessions you no longer need. The copies Claude fetched are deleted with the session, but a memory entry is not, so manage memory separately.
• Connect one account at a time, and confirm what it can see before adding the next.
• Keep a short list of what you have connected, so you can review and remove access later.
• Revisit the list when your plan, your job, or your organization's policies change.

What this guide does not do

This article is general information, not legal or compliance advice. It does not replace your organization's policies or the terms of the service you use. The point is to make the questions visible before you click, so the decision is yours.

Go deeper

Claude Unlocked v3.1 covers this in section 6.3, Where the Work Actually Runs: Cloud by Default, with a plain-language list of what moves and what stays put. Module 1 carries a callout on what to read before you connect any files or apps, and Module 7 adds a tip on treating project files as cloud files. The guide has 78 prompts across 10 modules, is updated for the October 2026 interface, and costs $39.99, one time.

Read about Claude Unlocked

Next in this series: turning Claude's output into a Doc, a Deck, or a Design.