When two continuing tasks need different instructions and reference material, give each its own Claude Cowork Project. The useful result is more than two project names: each should contain the right sources, a deliberate memory setting, and a first output you have checked against your own work. This guide uses the documented Claude Desktop setup path. BIG CHANGE checked the documentation on October 25, 2026; we did not create projects or run the tasks in a reader's account.

The big change

  • What changed: Cowork Projects can hold instructions, context and memory for related tasks. You can start fresh, import one existing Claude project, or connect a local folder.
  • Why it matters: A separate project for each ongoing task gives you a place to keep its working rules and references together. Checking a first output in each project shows whether those settings support your actual work.
  • What to watch: Project memory can still use account memory unless you turn that option off. Uploaded files and connected local files also have different storage and access requirements. Inspect both before relying on a project.

Prepare the two tasks and their references

You need a paid Claude plan, the latest Claude Desktop for this documented Projects setup, an active internet connection, and permission to use every file or link you will provide. Cowork availability differs by plan and device. An organization may need to enable it, and the combined Chat and Cowork interface is still rolling out. If your screen differs, check the current controls and your administrator's settings before proceeding.

Choose two real, different ongoing tasks that you already own. For each, write down its intended output, the person who will check it, and the allowed references. Use material that can safely be accessed through your Claude account or the selected local folder. Keep the working original outside the project so you can compare the result and deliberately refresh any uploaded reference that changes. Set aside a small, bounded first job for each task: one output you can verify against those references. Do not use a model-generated answer as evidence that a source is correct.

Set up and finish the first project

  1. In Claude Desktop, find Projects in the left navigation and select + > Start from scratch. Give the first project a recognizable name that does not reveal private information, then finish the on-screen creation flow. Return to Projects and reopen the saved project to check its name and intended scope before adding instructions. If you already have a Claude project for this same task, Import from project is an alternative; the documented flow imports one project at a time, with no bulk import. Use an existing folder is another option when you intend to connect a permitted folder on your computer. Check the exact folder you select. These are Cowork Projects, not Claude Code projects.

Expected result: The saved project appears in Projects and reopens with the name and source scope you intended. If Projects is absent, confirm the Desktop version, paid-plan access and any organizational enablement. Do not assume that the same creation controls appear on web or mobile during the rollout.

  1. Save instructions for the first task. Copy the template below, replacing every bracketed field with your own actual task details. Put the output format and source boundary in the instructions, then reopen the saved text and read it back. If your task permits edits, set a precise approval boundary for them; the template keeps them behind a request.
Prompt
This project is for [name of my first real ongoing task].
The output I need is [specific deliverable and format].
Use these approved references for factual claims: [exact files, folder scope, or URLs I approved].
For each material claim, point to the supporting reference and its relevant section or page.
If a needed fact is missing, mark it unknown and ask me which source to use. Do not fill the gap from memory.
Keep [name of my original working file or source] as the source of truth.
Before editing an original file, sharing material, sending a message, or publishing anything, ask me to review the proposed action and target.
End the draft with [the checks I will use to accept this task's output].

Expected result: The saved instructions name this task and its allowed sources. They should not mention the second task's files or output. Replace the template for the second project later; do not reuse its first-task values.

  1. Add the current, approved references to the project context and inspect the visible list. A file uploaded to a project's Files section is a persistent reference across its conversations. Anthropic documents a 30 MB limit per Project File; the combined content must fit the available context window, and extra limits can apply to extracted text. A connected local folder is different: its files stay on your computer, and Claude Desktop must remain open and connected when Cowork needs them. Check the selected scope before giving access. If an uploaded source changes later, refresh that reference deliberately and confirm the project shows the intended version. Do not assume an upload follows changes to your original file.
  2. Open the project's Memory section and inspect Use account memory. Decide whether this project should use memory from outside the project. If the two contexts should not share account memory, turn the option off. Reopen Memory and confirm the saved state. This setting addresses memory flow; it does not replace file permissions, sharing controls or a review of what you provide to Cowork.
  3. In this first project, request your bounded first output. Name the intended deliverable, approved references, and the check you will perform. Before accepting the answer, compare each important claim with the original reference, inspect citations or file paths, and check the output against the format in your saved instructions. Correct a missing or outdated reference and run a revised task if needed. Keep any original file intact until you have reviewed the proposed change.

Expected result: You can point to one output for the first real task and explain which references support it, what remains unknown, and whether you accepted it. If the result crosses the source boundary, stop and inspect the project's instructions, references, memory choice and granted access before trying again.

Repeat with a genuinely separate task

  1. Only after checking the first output, create the second project through Projects > + > Start from scratch. Give it the second task's own name and finish the on-screen creation flow. Return to Projects, reopen the saved second project, and check its name and intended scope before configuring it. Save a new copy of the instruction template with that task's deliverable, allowed references, original file and acceptance checks. Add only its approved context. Inspect the saved instructions and reference list, then choose and read back Memory > Use account memory for this project as well. The two selections may differ; record what you actually chose.
  2. Ask for one bounded output for the second real task. Check its factual claims, source paths and format against the second task's originals. Reopen both projects for a final comparison:
  • Can you identify the distinct task and required output from each project's name and saved instructions?
  • Does each reference list contain only material approved for that task, with the current version where you uploaded a file?
  • What does Memory > Use account memory show in each project after reopening it?
  • Can you find one human-checked output in each project, and verify its key claims against that project's original references?

If any answer is unclear, repair that project's instructions or context and check another bounded output there. The comparison, not the mere presence of two project cards, completes the setup.

Access, usage and recovery

Cowork tasks use your Claude plan allowance. Multi-step work and file processing can use more allowance than a short question, so check Settings > Usage for your account rather than assuming a fixed cost. This guide does not require a separate paid API, and no cost or time saving was measured here.

For local references, keep Claude Desktop open and connected while the task uses them. If a file cannot be reached, first check whether it was uploaded to Project Files or merely connected from a local folder, then verify the selected folder and connection. If you import or move an older local project into your Claude account, inspect the resulting account project and the original local files before changing either. Anthropic says the local folders and files stay on the computer during that move. On Team and Enterprise plans, review project sharing and recipients separately; the account-memory switch does not grant or revoke their access.

If you need a more specialized Cowork procedure after the two contexts are working, our checked film production office guide covers a different output and its own source checks.

Sources & further reading

  • Anthropic, “Organize your tasks with projects in Claude Cowork”. Checked October 25, 2026. Establishes the current Desktop setup path, creation options, project instructions and context, memory control, sharing, account migration and the Cowork versus Claude Code boundary. Interface availability varies with plan and rollout.
  • Anthropic, “Get started with Claude Cowork”. Checked October 25, 2026. Explains paid access, connected Desktop requirements for local files, task permissions and usage. It does not verify how any reader's account is configured.
  • Anthropic, “Upload files to Claude”. Checked October 25, 2026. Documents persistent Project Files and their 30 MB per-file, context and extracted-token limits. Those limits concern uploaded project references, not the connected local-folder path.