Claude Desktop

Prerequisites

• Ollama. Windows support coming soon.
• To use a local model, download it before setup.
• To use a cloud model, sign in to Ollama and enable cloud models. Some models require a paid plan.

If Claude is not installed, Ollama offers to download it during setup.

Set up Claude

1. Open Ollama and select Apps.
2. Toggle Claude to On.
3. If Claude is not installed, Ollama will download and finish the installation.

Switch models

Open Ollama Settings. Under Apps, choose a model you want to use, then select Restart Claude. You can assign the same Ollama model to more than one option.

Supported features

• Subagents - Split larger tasks across agents
• Web search - Supported by default through Ollama's web search
• Cowork - Complete difficult tasks with Claude Cowork
• Auto mode - Let the agent decide when to ask before making changes

Disconnect Claude

Open Ollama Apps and turn Claude off. Ollama restores Claude's previous configuration. If Claude is open, Ollama asks to restart it so the change takes effect.

You can also restore Claude from the terminal:

ollama launch claude-desktop --restore

Quitting Ollama while Claude is connected also restores Claude's usual configuration.