Where does Claude save files on my Mac?

Which Claude made my file, and where did it go?

Each kind of Claude saves files in a different place, so start by working out which Claude made your file. This table shows where each one puts files and how to open them. Find the Claude you used, then jump to its section if you need more.

~ means your home folder, the one with your name on it. So ~/Downloads is /Users/yourname/Downloads.

chat means downloads. claude code means wherever you started it.

For ChatGPT, Cursor and other tools, see where AI tools save files on your Mac. This guide goes deeper on Claude only.

Where do files from Claude.ai chat go?

Files from a Claude.ai chat go nowhere on your Mac until you download them. When Claude makes a Word file, spreadsheet or .md file in a chat, it builds it in a sandboxed computer on Anthropic's side, "separate from your systems" (Anthropic help).

You get the file one of two ways: download it, or save it straight to Google Drive (Anthropic help). This works the same on the web and in the Claude desktop app.

A download goes wherever your browser or the app saves downloads. On most Macs that's the Downloads folder. In Safari you can change it under Safari › Settings › General, in the File download location menu (Apple Support).

Why does the path Claude gave me not exist?

The path Claude gave you doesn't exist on your Mac because it's on Claude's computer. If Claude says it saved /mnt/user-data/outputs/report.md, that folder is inside its sandbox. Your Mac has no /mnt/user-data folder, and searching for one will find nothing.

The rule is simple:

• Paths starting with /mnt/ or /home/ are on Claude's side. Download the file from the chat.
• Paths starting with ~/ or /Users/ are on your Mac. Paste them into Finder with ⇧⌘G.

One more trap: downloading twice makes copies. You end up with plan.md, plan (1).md and plan (2).md. Sort Downloads by Date Added and open the newest.

Where does Claude Cowork save files?

Claude Cowork saves files in the task, unless you gave it a folder. Cowork runs your work in an isolated environment on Anthropic's servers and "delivers finished outputs to your session, where you can preview and download them" (Anthropic help). Your sessions and files are saved to your Claude account, so the same task opens on desktop, web and phone.

Cowork can also write to your Mac, but only in two conditions: you connected a folder, and the Claude desktop app is open. Claude "can only read and write files in folders you've connected" (Anthropic help). If the desktop app is closed, a session keeps running but can't reach your local files (Anthropic help).

Anthropic's help pages don't name a default output folder for Cowork. So don't go looking for a fixed path. Check these instead.

How do I find the file after Cowork says it's done?

1. Open the finished task. The file should appear in the session, where you can preview and download it.
2. Read Claude's last message. Anthropic's own troubleshooting advice is to "review the output location Claude specified when completing the task" (Anthropic help).
3. Ask for the full path. Type: What is the full path of the file you just saved? If it starts with /Users/, paste it into Finder with ⇧⌘G.
4. Check the folder was connected. If you never connected a folder, the file lives in the task only. Download it from there.

To stop hunting next time, give Cowork one home. Anthropic suggests "creating a dedicated working folder for Claude rather than granting broad access" (Anthropic help). Connect something like ~/Documents/Claude, and start tasks with Save the finished file in the connected folder.

Where does Claude Code save files?

Claude Code saves files in the folder you started it in. Claude Code runs on your Mac and writes real files to your disk. Ask it for notes.md and it appears in the folder where you typed claude. Ask for docs/notes.md and it goes in a docs folder inside that one.

Lost track of the folder? In the same Terminal window:

• pwd prints the full path of where Claude Code is working.
• open . opens that folder in Finder. The dot means "this folder".

In the Claude desktop app's Code tab, you choose Local and then Select folder before you start (Claude Code docs). Files land in the folder you picked.

A cloud session (claude.ai/code, or Cloud in the desktop app) runs on Anthropic's machines and works on your GitHub repository (Claude Code docs). Its changes reach your Mac when you pull that branch.

Where does Claude Code store plan files?

Claude Code stores plan files in ~/.claude/plans by default. When you use plan mode, Claude Code writes the plan as a Markdown file, and the plansDirectory setting is unset, "so Claude Code uses ~/.claude/plans" (Claude Code docs).

Three things worth knowing:

• Every project shares that one folder. Sort it by Date Modified to find the plan you just got.
• You can move plans into your project. Set plansDirectory in the project's settings, for example "./plans". The path is relative to the project folder (Claude Code docs).
• Old plans get deleted. Claude Code clears files in ~/.claude/plans once they're older than the cleanupPeriodDays setting, which is 30 days by default (Claude Code docs). Copy any plan you want to keep somewhere else.

To read a plan properly before you say yes, see how to review a Claude Code plan before approving it.

What is Claude Code doing in /tmp?

Claude Code uses /tmp for its own scratch files. On a Mac, Claude Code puts its internal temporary files under /tmp, in a folder named claude- followed by your user number (Claude Code docs). If Claude decides to write a quick file to /tmp itself, it lands there too.

Treat anything in /tmp as temporary. If you want to keep it, move it to Documents or ask Claude to save a copy in your project.

Where is ~/.claude, and how do I see hidden files on a Mac?

The ~/.claude folder is in your home folder, hidden. Any folder whose name starts with a dot is hidden in Finder, so you won't see .claude by browsing.

The fastest way in skips the hiding altogether:

1. Click anywhere in Finder.
2. Press ⇧⌘G (or choose Go › Go to Folder).
3. Type ~/.claude and press Return.

Apple's guide confirms Go to Folder takes ~ for your home folder and accepts a pasted path (Apple Support). It works even when every folder on the way is hidden.

If you'd rather see hidden items while you browse, press ⇧⌘. (Shift, Command, period) in a Finder window. Hidden files appear faded. Press it again to hide them.

This table compares the two different .claude folders, which often confuse people.

Claude says it created a file, but it's not showing. What now?

When Claude says it created a file but you can't see it, check the start of the path first. Then work down this list, top to bottom.

if it starts with /mnt, stop searching your Mac.

How do I open Claude's file once I've found it?

To read Claude's .md file as a formatted page, open it in a Markdown reader. Double-clicking a .md file usually opens it in TextEdit or Xcode as raw text full of # and **. Here's how to open a .md file on a Mac so it's readable.

One Clear Reader saves the Finder trip. Its welcome screen has a Latest from your AI list: documents changed in the last 24 hours, newest first. It also checks ~/.claude/plans and the temp folders, which normal search skips.

You can also press ⌘L and paste the path Claude gave you. It cleans up quotes, backticks and a ~ at the start, then opens the file formatted. Typing part of a name searches with Spotlight, which covers your home folder but not /tmp. All of this is in the free version. Download One Clear Reader if you want to try it.

Questions people ask