FEATURE: Multi-window support in Claude Code Desktop
Open 💬 60 comments Opened Mar 2, 2026 by rysupaudio-lab
Feature Request
Claude Code Desktop should support opening multiple windows within a single app instance.
Current Behavior
- Desktop is a single-window app with a sidebar-based session manager
- You can create multiple sessions, but can only view one at a time by clicking between them in the sidebar
- The only way to view two sessions side by side is to launch a second app instance via
open -n -a "Claude", which doubles memory usage
Requested Behavior
- Ability to open a new window (e.g., Cmd+N or File > New Window) within the same app instance
- Each window can display a different session
- This allows users to view and work on two sessions side by side without the overhead of running multiple app instances
Why This Matters
- Side-by-side comparison of sessions is a common workflow (e.g., referencing one session's output while working in another)
- Running two full app instances just to see two sessions is wasteful on memory
- Every major productivity app (browsers, editors, terminals, Finder) supports multiple windows — this is table stakes UX
- The sidebar session switcher works for managing sessions, but forcing single-window view limits productivity
Workarounds (all suboptimal)
open -n -a "Claude"— works but doubles memory usage- Desktop + CLI terminal side by side — inconsistent experience
- Desktop + claude.ai/code in browser — fragmented workflow
- Rapidly clicking between sidebar sessions — defeats the purpose of parallel work
Environment
- macOS (Darwin 25.3.0)
- Claude Code Desktop (latest)
This feels like a no-brainer feature for a desktop app that already supports multiple parallel sessions. The infrastructure is there — just need the ability to pop a session into its own window.
60 Comments
Found 1 possible duplicate issue:
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🤖 Generated with Claude Code
This would be fantastic!
+1 on this feature request. I want to expand on why parallel operation is so critical, not just convenient.
The core ask: true parallel multi-window + split-pane
Beyond split-pane view, I want to be able to launch multiple independent windows simultaneously — each running different tasks in parallel at the same time. Use cases include:
Parallel operation is a game-changer — and Claude Code CLI already does it
This is not a nice-to-have. Parallel operation dramatically expands what is possible with Claude. The ability to run multiple agents or conversations simultaneously is one of the most powerful productivity multipliers available.
Here is what makes this frustrating: Claude Code (CLI) already supports this. You can run multiple
claudeprocesses in separate tmux panes or terminal windows and work on completely different tasks in parallel. That capability exists today in the terminal.But Claude Desktop — the GUI product aimed at broader audiences — cannot do this. That is a significant regression in capability. Power users who rely on Claude daily are being pushed back to the CLI just to get parallel workflows.
The gap should not exist
Claude Desktop is Electron-based, so multi-window support is technically straightforward. The infrastructure for multiple sessions already exists. This feature would close a real gap between what Claude can do in the terminal vs. what it can do in the desktop GUI — and for many users, that gap is the difference between a tool that transforms their workflow and one that merely assists it.
Parallel execution is not just a UX improvement. It is a fundamental capability unlock. Please prioritize this.
Yes please- tabs, windows, whatever. Claude is powerful and now that it actually does agentic work, I find I want to work on parallel streams of different tasks instead of just sitting waiting on one. And I work across the Chat, Cowork, and Code modes in the same sitting session, so I'd love to have tabs or windows or a faster way to navigate between them (can't help but mention the performance of the macOS app is quite laggy navigating around on my M4 Pro with 48 GB RAM)
Yes please!
I would love this, just went searching to see if this was available already. As much as I love Boris, I do not want to be running multiple TMUX windows haha
+1 — and I'd like to extend this request specifically to Cowork (not just Claude Code sessions).
As a non-developer power user on the Max plan, I rely heavily on Cowork for multi-step tasks like file organization, document generation, and research synthesis. My main pain point: I cannot run multiple Cowork tasks in parallel.
What I've tried:
• Switching between tasks in the sidebar → previous task gets interrupted
• Launching a second instance via
open -n -a "Claude"→ active Cowork session immediately exits ("Finishing up... Cowork is taking a moment to cleanly exit")What I'd like:
• Ability to run 2-3 independent Cowork tasks simultaneously, each in its own window or tab
• Tasks should continue running in the background when I navigate to another task
This would be a major productivity unlock for business users who use Cowork as their primary agentic workflow tool. The in-task queue is helpful but doesn't solve the problem of genuinely independent workstreams.
this is exactly my use case, at any given time i have 3-4 unrelated workstreams and i'm using MacOS desktops to maintain these different contexts isolated. Codex is really good at splitting out windows which is what I'm finding myself using more and more.
bump :)
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Give this to us!!
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please, i am now running 7 separate claudes on my M1 MAcbook simultaneously, but that's a disaster for my ram and cpu. I nee d this very badly, that would be a major upgrade
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I'm unsubscribing from this. someone @ me if they added it.
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please release thiss!
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agreed. critical feature and seems easy to implement.
e
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Yes, please, for Windows too!
I want to be able to use different windows for different Claude accounts under the same email. With one instance I am unable to perform both work and personal tasks without interrupting one or the other.
I have both plans under the same email, but if I want to switch between the two, I have to interrupt tasks in order to proceed.
<img width="299" height="538" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/70a2a277-8659-41b2-ab8a-4941d5f4f25d" />
I would love to have this as well!
Bump
+1 (working around by asking it to create artefact that i open with code editor)
+1 I want to segment my work by multiple desktops on Windows 11; one per client, plus an 'admin' one for things like time tracking and internal work. When I swap desktops, I want my Claude Desktop (not Claude Code) to be open on that desktop and in the proper context for that client / admin work. I won't be running Claude commands simultaneously; I just want a clean context switch when I change focus.
I'm not sure if this is helpful, but I made a small solution using Claude:
https://github.com/LewisIsWorking/ComeOnOverDesktopLauncher
It does what I was looking for from this issue request in the first place.
You can launch multiple Claude Desktop instances on your windows machine.
Feel free to give it a go and lemme know if this helps.
Supports up to 100 Claude Desktop windows.
+1 — adding a concrete real-world use case where this is biting hard.
I'm a solo dev maintaining a backend for a construction/contracting company (PostgreSQL on GCP, ~10 Cloud Functions, multiple third-party integrations: Plaid, Bouncie, two state 811 systems, Glide app, etc).
On any given day I'll have 3+ parallel work streams: a long-running backfill script in one session, an investigation in another, and quick ad-hoc Glide/SQL questions in a third.
The CLI handles this perfectly via terminal tabs (one
claudeper tab, each with its own working directory and history). The Desktop app forces serial work —/resumeswaps the active session instead of opening a parallel one, and (per #43919) "new session" actions seem to cancel the current one rather than spawn alongside it.Workarounds I've tried, all suboptimal:
/resume→ serial, not parallel; defeats the pointThe CLI already proves the multi-session infrastructure exists. The Desktop UI just needs to expose it — either as tabs (browser-style) or as multiple windows (per the OP). Either pattern would unblock this.
Bonus ask: whatever the final UX, please make sessions clearly labeled by working directory so it's obvious which session is which when you have 3+ open. Tying in with #44628 (auto-assign session colors).
+1
This is the single biggest reason why I do not use the Claude Code desktop interface. I organize chats into windows on desktops for different purposes. Switching via the left sidebar is useless to me as I don't know what is "active".
confused. Hasn't been solved? You can have 4 active sessions in the desktop right now
Can you describe how so we can call this solved?
Indeed. I run 4 active sessions and sometimes 10+ if i'm doing a lot of small stuff. I now have to click back and forth to sessions. Let me have 4 individual screens where i can track what's happening. And the sidebar isn't always accurate on what is waiting on approval, so I loop through them again and again
Split View
What if you have different Anthropic accounts you want to work with? like a personal account and a work account?
+1 for this feature.
I currently use VSCode purely because I can do multiple windows, but would love to switch to the Claude Code Desktop app if it had multiple window support
Yes yes yes. And here's another vital use case not yet mentioned:
I constantly work on multiple virtual desktops. Either in fully separate projects and/or in multiple working trees in the same project. Without the ability to have a window for each such workspace open I'm forced to constantly switch first virtual desktop, and then find the correct session in the desktop app.
The time taken goes from a fraction of a second to look over to my other screen, to several seconds just to get to the session, then much the same to get back to my IDE. This is an absolute must have feature to me.
And while you are at it, why not implement https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/61306 so that each session integrates with whatever IDE I'm working with the same way that the CLI does. Meaning that effectively the desktop app becomes a plugin for every IDE that supports /ide, starting with every Jetbrains IDE?
+1
Also, On app update or restart, restore each window to its previous virtual desktop and screen position (Chrome already does this well via session restore + IVirtualDesktopManager).
Electron exposes BrowserWindow.getBounds() for position/size, and the Win32 IVirtualDesktopManager COM API returns the desktop GUID for a window handle. Persisting {bounds, desktopGuid, sessionId} per window on shutdown and replaying on startup is the same pattern Chrome uses.
+1
Yes, yes, yes!
I'd love the ability to open multiple Claude windows simultaneously, each holding its own conversation.
Context: I've completely switched my workflow to Claude — it's now how I get all of my work done. I use a separate macOS Space (desktop) for each project I'm working on, with the relevant tools pinned to each Space. Today I can't do this with Claude because it only allows a single window — switching projects yanks the one Claude window over to whichever Space I'm in, which scrambles my workspace layout and forces me to navigate back to the right conversation manually.
Here's the thing: when I'm in the flow, the friction of shuffling windows around to get what I need disrupts me more than waiting on Claude does. The window management is now the bottleneck in my workflow, not response latency.
Ideal behavior: ⌘N opens a new window with a new conversation, and existing conversations can be opened in their own windows. Each window would stay put in whichever Space I assigned it to (standard macOS window behavior).
Most native Mac apps (Safari, Notes, Messages, Mail, VS Code, Xcode) support this, and it would be a meaningful productivity win for anyone working across multiple projects. Thanks for considering.
I could've written pretty much this whole post!
I think the Mac has been pretty good at standardizing complex/multi-window app idioms since iTunes days (and before), and so it bums me out that Claude (Code)—the superapp that I utilize in so many more ways than any other in all the years I've been using computers—doesn't take advantage of it and fit in. Really looking forward to this happening one day.
I don't know when this got added but on Claude Desktop Windows v1.9659.4, I can click and hold a session name from the left nav bar and drag it out of the main Claude Desktop Window. It creates a second window of the same session!!! I discovered this by accident. My Claude couldn't find any Anthropic documentation about this but it works!
<img width="2076" height="2922" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/de7fb135-90f2-473c-b4a4-7e2a579b60c0" />
Yes this works!
side-by-side isn't a window feature, it's a session-model one.
@hooolio I just tried that in the Mac and it works on the Mac as well!!! While it does not solve all of my use cases, it will help me a ton. Thank you so much for pointing this out.
Claude code team, please please please add support for multiple windows. For me I want window per project so that each of those windows can stay pinned on a different desktop.
This is dope, the drag and drop DOES work... BUT ONLY ON THE "code" tab! Hey Team, could you consider bringing this feature to the CHAT tab? I want to be able to Chat simultaneously while I use Code.
please add to the Cowork tab as well. thanks!
I had to come across this issue to learn about the drag-to-new-window feature.
I wonder what other features I'm missing. Consider making them easier to discover.
I built Multi Instance for Claude Desktop — a free app, available now on the Microsoft Store:
https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/9NG247TJ47P0
Windows available now. macOS version planned. Will be open-sourced on GitHub.
Built by Carlos De La Torre
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosdelatorre-ai/
### I am a non-technical user who is on board with getting up to speed, but I'm used to multiple tabs/windows to reference. It would be nice to be able to have multiple "screens" open so they can be referenced back and forth. since the 3 identities don't talk to eachother very well, it would allow copy and paste to be SIMPLE. Thank you!
+1 — this is the missing piece for me.
I run multiple long-lived sessions in parallel plus cloud Routines, and the single-window sidebar means I'm constantly clicking between them and losing my glance-view of tool output and diffs. On a multi-monitor setup that's a real drag.
Two things I'd add to the ask:
The parallel-session redesign is great. This is the one addition that would unlock the screen real estate to actually use it. Would love to see it land.