Did this change alter an "option" or just a "default"?
It removed the option itself, not merely the default. Pro and Max users used to be able to choose "Only on your computer" in settings. That option is gone, and the documentation says people still on it are moved to the cloud and cannot switch back. For Pro and Max, where a new task runs is no longer a user setting but fixed plan-level behavior.
Why would Anthropic put new tasks in the cloud by default?
The documentation does not state a rationale, so what follows is a reasoned inference. Cloud sessions can continue across desktop, web and mobile, and Scheduled Tasks can keep running with the laptop closed. Running everything in the cloud means cross-device features no longer have to distinguish between local and cloud tasks. This is inference, not an official statement of motive.
If the task runs in the cloud but the files are on my computer, how does that work?
The folder itself is not uploaded wholesale. Claude can only reach folders you have connected, and only while the desktop app is open. When a task needs a particular file, Claude fetches a copy of that file into the cloud. Deleting the session deletes those copies under the data retention practices. If the desktop app is closed, the session continues but can no longer read local files.
What should I do now?
Classify your tasks first. Those that use ordinary files and cloud connectors are usually little affected. Those involving files that should not leave your machine, or relying on local connectors, browser use or computer use, need the desktop app kept open or a move to Claude Code in the desktop app. Existing tasks can be moved with "Download task data" and /port-task-data. For Scheduled Tasks, remember that new ones run in the cloud and old ones stay local.
Anthropic's own documentation is blunt: on October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro and Max plans run in the cloud. This is not a new option being added. It is an existing option, the ability to keep tasks running on your own computer, being taken away.
The "Only on your computer" option in Settings > General has been removed. Anyone still set to it is moved to the cloud the next time they open the desktop app and sees a notice; the documentation states they "can't switch back." Pro and Max plans also have no setting for choosing where a task runs.
Tasks that were already started on your computer before the change stay there, each with a banner saying it runs only on this computer. Scheduled Tasks split the same way: newly created scheduled tasks run in the cloud, while existing computer-based scheduled tasks keep running on your computer.
The documentation stresses that your folders stay on your computer. Claude reaches only the folders you have connected, and only while the desktop app is open. When a task needs a file in the cloud, Claude fetches a copy of just that file, and deleting the session deletes the fetched copies under the data retention practices. If the app is closed, the session keeps running but cannot reach local files.
Local File Access, local connectors (including plugins that use them) and local MCP servers, browser use where Claude drives a browser, and computer use all still require the desktop app. To keep work fully local, the documented route is Claude Code in the desktop app; an existing Cowork task can be moved by choosing "Download task data," unzipping it, opening the folder in Claude Code and running /port-task-data.
If your workflow assumed that Cowork always runs on your machine, for example because some files should not leave it, that assumption no longer holds for new tasks from October 6. Take inventory now: tasks that touch ordinary files and cloud connectors are barely affected, while tasks involving sensitive files deserve a decision about moving to Claude Code. Team and Enterprise plans have a separate organization-level "Run Cowork in the cloud" toggle, so this Pro/Max change does not describe them.