How to Install Claude Desktop on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide

📘Introduction

Claude, the conversational AI from Anthropic, is gaining popularity. While many users access Claude through their browsers, installing the Claude desktop app on your Mac can significantly streamline your workflow. This guide walks you through exactly how to do it—step-by-step.

🤖 What is Claude?

Claude is an AI assistant developed by Anthropic, powered by large language models from the Claude 4 family. The current model, Claude Sonnet 4, is designed to be smart and efficient for everyday tasks like answering questions, writing, coding, and analysis. Claude is available via web apps, mobile apps, desktop applications, and an API for developers. The Claude 4 family currently includes Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, with Sonnet optimized for general-purpose use while maintaining high performance across a wide range of tasks.

💻 What is Claude Desktop?

Claude Desktop is a dedicated desktop application that brings the Claude AI experience out of the browser and into an installable app on your computer. It provides a native desktop interface for interacting with Claude, offering the same AI capabilities as the web version but in a standalone application format. The desktop app allows users to access Claude's features like answering questions, writing assistance, coding help, and data analysis without needing to use a web browser.

📥1️⃣ Download Claude from the Official Website

To get started, open your web browser and visit claude.ai. Once there, look for the download link specifically for macOS.

Clicking it will download a .dmg file—this is the installer you'll use to set up Claude on your Mac.

📦2️⃣ Install the App

Once the download is complete, double-click the .dmg file to open the installer window.

You’ll see an icon for Claude alongside a shortcut to your Applications folder. Simply drag the Claude icon into the Applications folder to install it.