Anthropic has moved Cowork’s VM to the cloud, so data now leaves the device by default for Pro and Max users.

CLOUD SHIFT Anthropic has moved Cowork’s execution environment entirely to the cloud. As of October 6, every new task for Pro and Max users runs in a cloud sandbox, not on the local machine. The desktop app now acts only as a local agent for file access, forwarding copies of requested files to the cloud session. The session deletes the copy when done, but the data has left the device. WHAT CHANGES Tasks keep running when the laptop closes. Scheduled tasks no longer require the device to be online. Sessions sync across desktop, web, and mobile. The old on-device-only toggle is gone for Pro and Max. Team and Enterprise timelines are not yet public. WHAT DOES NOT Local file access still requires the desktop app. The cloud session only receives a copy of the file, not the original. For companies with compliance requirements, this is a material change: data now transits to Anthropic’s cloud by default, and endpoint security tools lose visibility into what happens inside the sandbox. THE NETWORK POSITION This is a shift from local containment to cloud trust. For Nordic builders with strict data residency or security policies, the new default may not be acceptable. The network must decide whether to treat this as a new baseline or a regression for controlled environments. COMPLIANCE GAP Anthropic has not clarified how this affects usage limits, cost, or compliance for Team and Enterprise. Self-hosted sandboxes were offered in May, but the new architecture’s fit with that option is undocumented.

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6 Octreaches everyone