[BUG] Folder selection/connection completely missing on Windows
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
What's Wrong?
Environment:
OS: Windows 10
Claude Desktop: v1.1.3189 (latest as of Feb 14, 2026)
Installation: Microsoft Store version
Subscription: [your plan]
Description:
Cowork lacks any mechanism to select or connect a local folder on Windows. The "folder connection" feature appears to be completely missing from the UI, forcing users to work only in temporary workspace with manual file upload/download.
Issue:
When using Cowork on Windows, there is no visible UI element or option to:
Select a working folder
Connect to a local directory
Grant Cowork access to files on the computer
Current behavior:
Cowork status shows: "Status: ❌ Not connected"
No folder selection button/icon in side panel
No "Work in a Folder" checkbox
No folder picker dialog available
No menu option or setting to enable folder access
Impact: Cannot use Cowork's primary feature (working with local files)
Forced to manually upload files one by one
Must manually download all created files
Cannot organize, batch process, or work with existing folder structures
Makes Cowork significantly less useful than advertised
What Should Happen?
Expected Behavior:
Based on documentation and macOS version:
A folder selection UI should be present (button, checkbox, or menu option)
Clicking it should open a folder picker dialog
Selecting a folder should grant Cowork read/write access to that location
Files created in Cowork should save directly to the selected folder
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
Steps to Reproduce:
Install Claude Desktop v1.1.3189 on Windows 10
Open Cowork tab
Look for folder selection UI
Observe: No button, icon, checkbox, or menu option exists
Check Cowork status: Shows "Not connected" with no way to connect
Claude Model
Not sure / Multiple models
Is this a regression?
No, this never worked
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
Claude Desktop: v1.1.3189 (latest as of Feb 14, 2026)
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
Windows Terminal
Additional Information
Suggested Actions:
Add folder selection UI to Windows version (button/checkbox/menu)
Fix underlying folder mounting (virtiofs/plan9 issues from v1.1.2998.0)
Document Windows limitations if folder access isn't supported yet
Communicate timeline for when folder access will work on Windows
Additional Context:
This is a core feature gap on Windows. Users installing Cowork expect the folder access functionality shown in documentation and macOS version. The current Windows experience is severely limited without it.
6 Comments
Found 3 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
This is NOT a duplicate of #25516, #25142, or #25325.
Distinctions:
#25516 - My other issue about VPN incompatibility (separate problem)
#25142 - Generic "folder doesn't work" without version-specific detail or progression tracking
#25325 - About entire Cowork tab being hidden. My Cowork tab is visible and fully functional.
This issue:
Cowork UI is present and functional (connects to API, executes tasks), but lacks any folder selection mechanism across ALL Windows versions tested:
The problem: There is no visible UI element (button, icon, checkbox, menu option) to select or connect a local folder. Cowork status shows "Not connected" but provides no way to connect.
This is distinct from:
Folder access is a core advertised Cowork feature that is completely non-functional on Windows due to missing UI.
Community Workaround Tool
I've created a repair utility to help with common Cowork service and VM issues on Windows:
🔧 CoworkRepair Tool: https://github.com/AlbertSteptoe/cowork-repair-tool
What it does:
Note: This doesn't fix the folder selection bug documented in this report, but it helps recover from service/VM failures that may occur while testing or troubleshooting.
May be useful for other Windows users experiencing Cowork instability.
Update: v1.1.3363 (Feb 14, 2026) - Folder selection still completely missing. No UI element to connect a folder.
Update - v1.1.3363 (Feb 14, 2026):
Folder selection now works (see #25808 - resolved), but VPN incompatibility persists.
Current status:
Note: Issue #25944 provides deep technical analysis suggesting API path uses Hyper-V sockets (hvsock), not TCP NAT, which may explain why routing/NAT configuration had inconsistent results.
VPN incompatibility remains a blocking issue for users with corporate/security VPN requirements.
This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.