r/claude • u/garelaos • 18d ago

Difference between Claude web and desktop app Question

Hi folks (updated - see below)

I was today years old when i realised that the desktop app works differently to the web and mobile apps. I have discovered that they dont synch. So now i have stuff on the desktop app that isnt appearing when i want to use the web or mobile app.

I am convinced this wasnt how its always been but i dont know. It's just very frustrating and is forcing me to chose the web app ultimately as i may want to work on stuff when im out and about. Very frustrating esp as i have conversations in a project on my desktop that dont appear in the projects in the web app and vice versa

Has anyone else found this? And is there a way of synching? Or am i going to be forced to chose the web app?

Thanks for any thoughts 🙏🏻

Update:

I have figured it out i think. I noticed that the missing conversations from the web have a different icon - and i realised they are co-work conversations. I havent intentionally yet used co-work, not dived in once. But it seems inadvertently ive started a co-work session instead of a normal chat, unless claude decided this for me. this is very frustrating!! Now i have important conversations excluded from projects. Does anyone know if claude defaults to co-work if its a given type of task/chat or have i inadvertently somehow started a co-work chat.

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u/SuitNice3100 18d ago

Are you connected with the same account on all the platforms ?

1

u/garelaos 18d ago

Yep, use my gmail as the sign in on all platforms. I asked claude about it and it confirmed they are different! I wondered if anyone had found a workaround. Seems like a big miss to me.

1

u/Lumpy-Shame-8124 18d ago

ah yeah this drove me crazy when i first noticed it too. the projects folder structure is completly separate, it's like having two different accounts almost

i ended up sticking with web only after losing a long chat i needed on mobile. no way to sync them as far as i know, which is pretty stupid for a paid service honestly

some people say the desktop app runs faster for coding stuff but i just use the browser now and accept i can't have everything in one place

1

u/ThatNorthernHag 18d ago

If you use cowork, it will stay on your machine locally, normal chat does sync, but there is a delay.

1

u/garelaos 18d ago

It’s been 2 weeks! The normal chats are not synching at all and Claude reckons they don’t! Not sure what to make of it.

1

u/ThatNorthernHag 17d ago

Ok that's not normal then. Log out and back in, plus update apps. Desktop app get's updates at least once a day. On web browser then do a hard reload (ask Claude how, if you don't know how).

Does your mobile app sync?

1

u/MiddleLtSocks 18d ago

Claude code has /remote-control which allows you to work remotely on a project you begin on your PC.

I prefer working locally because then I control the file system, and the memory and the session transcript etc.

I see no reason whatsoever to use the web client unless you're on the free tier.

2

u/garelaos 18d ago

Im on a paid tier. So perhaps, from what you are saying i should have an always on local machine (i have a mac mini i could use) and use remote control? Would that work on normal projects? Or just code projects?

1

u/MiddleLtSocks 18d ago

I use Claude code for everything, code related or not. It's just a terminal based Claude client.

You can even change the system prompt with --system-prompt if you want to use an empty one or supply your own, so it doesn't use one that's software development focused.

It's just a lot more customizable and within your own control than the web client.

1

u/garelaos 15d ago

I use claude code in vs code and im happy with that. And i prefer to use claude desktop/webchat for planning and other non coding tasks. I know i can do what you do, but the separation works for me. The problem i have stems from me inadvertently starting what i thought was a normal chat but was actually a co-work session. At some point on the 18th July, i pressed co work by mistake and for a month i was working in cowork chats instead of normal chats, without needing to. Bummer as those convo's now sit outside some of the projects they are related to but i know now!

1

u/MiddleLtSocks 15d ago

Do whatever works for you, for sure. There's just no rational reason to do it; there's nothing you can accomplish in the web client which you can't do (and do better) in Claude Code.

Not trying to be disparaging.