How to Log In to Claude AI and Claude Cowork on Every Platform

Claude.ai received 823.5 million visits in April 2026, roughly 27 million daily sessions that all begin at the same screen: a login prompt. Anthropic supports five distinct authentication methods across four platforms, and picking the right one depends on whether you're a casual user, a developer, or part of an enterprise team.

The good news: one Claude account works everywhere. Sign up on the web, and the same credentials get you into the desktop app, mobile apps, and API console. Features like Claude Cowork, which lets Claude work autonomously on your desktop, use the same login with no separate authentication step.

Claude doesn't use traditional passwords. Every login method relies on either Google's OAuth or a time-limited email link, which means there's no password to forget or reset. What changes across plans is usage limits, access to features like Claude Cowork, and whether your organization manages authentication through SSO.

Claude offers free, Pro ($20/month), Max ($100 or $200/month), Team ($30/seat/month), and Enterprise tiers. Your login method stays the same regardless of plan. This guide covers every path in the order most people encounter them: web first, then desktop, mobile, API console, and finally enterprise SSO. If you're already stuck, jump to the troubleshooting section at the end.

The fastest way to start using Claude is through the browser at claude.ai. You'll see two buttons on the login page: "Continue with Google" and "Continue with email." Both paths create the same account type with identical features. The only difference is speed: Google sign-in finishes in one click if you're already logged into Google, while email verification adds a 15-to-60-second wait for the login link to arrive.

One thing worth knowing upfront: Claude doesn't use passwords at all. There's no "forgot password" flow because there's no password to forget. Every session is authenticated through either Google's OAuth handshake or a single-use email link. This eliminates credential stuffing as a risk, but it also means you need reliable access to your Google account or email inbox every time you sign in.

The Claude desktop app is available for macOS 11 and later (both Intel and Apple Silicon) and Windows x64 (ARM64 support arrived in March 2026). Download it free from claude.com/download.

Sign-in works the same as the web: click "Continue with Google" or "Continue with email." Your account, conversation history, and plan all carry over. If you're already signed into claude.ai in your browser, the desktop app may use that existing session.

The desktop app adds several features the browser version can't match. Quick Entry lets you pull up Claude with a keyboard shortcut from inside any application, so you can ask a question without switching windows. MCP extensions connect Claude to external tools and data sources through one-click installs.

The biggest desktop-exclusive feature is Claude Cowork, which lets Claude work autonomously on your behalf. Cowork can browse files, run code, and complete multi-step tasks without constant guidance. It requires a paid plan (Pro or higher) and has platform requirements: Apple Silicon on macOS, or Windows Pro/Enterprise/Education edition.

For teams that rely on Claude Cowork for file-heavy tasks, persistent storage matters. Claude conversations don't carry files between sessions by default. Connecting a workspace like Fast.io through MCP gives Claude a place to read, write, and organize files that persist after the conversation ends. The Fast.io MCP server supports Streamable HTTP and legacy SSE, and the free tier includes 50GB with no credit card.

Give Claude a persistent workspace

Fast.io provides 50GB of free storage with an MCP-ready endpoint. Your Claude sessions get a workspace that persists after the conversation closes, with no credit card required.

Sign Up Free

Claude's mobile app launched on iOS in May 2024 and Android in July 2024. By May 2026, the app had reached 7.38 million monthly active users, more than doubling from 2.9 million in January 2025.

The mobile app and the API console serve different audiences, but both use the same underlying authentication. Your Google or email login works on both. The key difference is what you're logging into: the mobile app gives you the same chat experience as the web, while the API console at platform.claude.com is a separate developer tool with its own billing and usage dashboards.

Organizations on Claude Enterprise or Claude for Government can configure SAML-based single sign-on. Claude for Government requires SSO for all users except the Primary Owner. Enterprise plans offer SSO as an optional feature alongside standard email login.

Anthropic acts as the Service Provider in the SAML flow, while your identity provider (Okta, Entra ID, or similar) handles authentication. Setting it up takes five steps:

1. Sign in as the Primary Owner using a magic link
2. Verify your domain by adding a TXT DNS record
3. Configure your identity provider with Anthropic's SP metadata (Entity ID and ACS URL)
4. Send your IdP details to Anthropic: X.509 signing certificate, IdP Entity ID, and SAML sign-on endpoint
5. Test SSO login before disabling magic link authentication

The critical rule: do not disable magic link login until SSO is confirmed working. If SSO has a configuration error and magic link is already off, the Primary Owner will need to contact Anthropic support to regain access.

SSO attribute mappings require username and email claims. Coordinate with your identity team to configure these in your IdP before starting the Anthropic-side setup.

The most frequent login issue is a missing verification email. If you chose "Continue with email" and nothing arrives within a few minutes, work through these steps:

1. Check your spam or junk folder for messages from @mail.anthropic.com
2. Look for server-level quarantine (common with business, government, and .edu accounts)
3. Add @mail.anthropic.com to your safe sender list or whitelist
4. Wait a few minutes and retry. Delivery delays happen during high-traffic periods
5. Ask your IT department to check server-side filtering if you're on a managed email system

If you received the email but clicking the link does nothing, check the Claude status page at status.claude.com for service disruptions. The status page shows real-time information about every Claude service.