Where exactly does Cowork local mode keep its data?
Per the official document, in five places: the task folders under local-agent-mode-sessions in the Claude Desktop data folder (transcript, uploaded files, outputs), the rest of that folder (memory, plugins), vm_bundles (virtual machine images), the Cowork files folder (default ~/Claude), and the folders you connect to a task.
What does automatic cleanup delete and what does it leave?
Per the document, once the HIPAA configuration is applied it deletes only task folders inactive longer than cleanupPeriodDays, starred and archived included. Memory, plugins, vm_bundles, ~/Claude and the folders you connect are outside automatic deletion. It also runs only when the app is open, the member is signed in and switched to the organization, and the computer is online.
Does data disappear when a member leaves or signs out?
No. The document says removing a member does not delete Cowork data on their computer, and neither does signing out of Claude Desktop; to remove all of it, wipe the computer with a device management tool. Automatic cleanup also does not run while the member is signed out, so their tasks stay on the computer.
How should I plan cleanup?
In two layers: handle task folders with automatic cleanup or the desktop app's Storage page, and inventory and delete memory, plugins, ~/Claude and connected folders separately. The official page does not say whether ordinary accounts get automatic cleanup, so do not assume old tasks disappear by themselves. To find the Cowork files folder, read the path under Cowork files in Settings > Cowork.
Cowork local mode keeps task data on your own computer, not in the cloud. That matters when you want to clear old data, or when a compliance situation requires you to show that data has been deleted. The official HIPAA setup page lays out these locations clearly, and this piece turns them into a map. Note that the document is written for Enterprise organizations applying the HIPAA configuration, and its automatic-deletion rules belong to that context.
Most Cowork data sits in the Claude Desktop data folder: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude on macOS and %APPDATA%\Claude on Windows, or the matching path under LocalCache for the installer downloaded from Anthropic. Look for the local-agent-mode-sessions folder.
First, under local-agent-mode-sessions, one folder per task holding the transcript, uploaded files and outputs. Second, everything else in that folder, which is data Cowork keeps between tasks such as memory and plugins. Third, vm_bundles, the disk images of the virtual machine that runs shell commands. Fourth, the Cowork files folder, ~/Claude by default, holding Artifacts, Scheduled Tasks and project files. Fifth, the folders you connect to a task, which contain your own files, including any Claude created or changed.
With the HIPAA configuration applied, Claude Desktop deletes Cowork tasks inactive for longer than cleanupPeriodDays, including starred and archived ones; running or opening a task counts as activity. Without a managed value it uses the member's ~/.claude/settings.json value, or 30 days. The check runs after the app starts and every six hours while it stays open. It needs the app open, the task owner signed in and switched to the organization, the computer online, and the app able to read cleanupPeriodDays.
The document marks all other locations as not deleted automatically. Removing a member from the organization, or the member signing out, does not delete Cowork data on their computer either; to remove all of it, you can wipe the computer with your device management tool.
Since October 20 the desktop app has had Storage in Settings, which removes inactive Cowork tasks and Code sessions and opens with /storage; the changelog does not say how it divides work with the HIPAA automatic cleanup. Cloud tasks follow a different rule: the official guide says deleting a session also deletes the file copies Claude fetched. Whether ordinary accounts get any automatic cleanup is not described on these pages.
First work out whether your task is local or cloud: local task data lives on the map above. If you need to prove data is gone, know that automatic cleanup covers only the task folders; memory, plugins, ~/Claude and connected folders need separate handling. When someone leaves or you swap machines, signing out is not deletion.