Desktop version of Claude app arrives for Windows and macOS

Anthropic recently released their desktop app for macOS and Windows. Users were able to visit the loan page and download the file. It appears that the app is built using Electron and essentially relies on the web application as its core. So far, the only notable differentiation feature on the desktop app is an alt-space shortcut that opens the prompt bar. If the application is minimized, this shortcut launches a native prompt bar, similar to the one on ChatGPT, where users can enter a prompt and open the conversation directly.

When the application is already open, the shortcut still functions but displays a slightly different version of the prompt bar, maintaining similar functionality. While the current version of the desktop app does not showcase an extensive range of features, there is hope that more capabilities will be introduced over time.

It is already known that the option to take screenshots from the desktop exists on the web version but is currently hidden behind a feature flag, which prevents it from being enabled on both desktop and web. Additionally, traces indicate that the cloud web app may interact with various tools, although these tools remain unidentified at the moment. Speculation suggests that these tools could be linked to the recently announced computer use feature as an API. If this is true, the future feature set could be substantial.

Although the initial Claude desktop app release might not seem impressive at present, there is potential for significant updates that could greatly enhance its functionality over time.