Wellty • Beyond Chat Workshop

Cowork Won't Open on Windows? Try This Quick Fix

If Cowork shows a virtualisation error in Claude Desktop, start with the official Windows requirement below. Most people only need to enable one Windows feature and restart.

Windows only About 15 minutes for most laptops Usually a one-time setup Restart required

Why this happens (30-second read)

Cowork needs Windows virtualisation services before it can start its workspace.

Cowork runs code inside an isolated virtual machine on your laptop. On Windows, Claude Desktop requires the Virtual Machine Platform feature and hardware virtualisation. If either is unavailable or disabled, Cowork may show an error such as:

Example error:
Virtualization is not enabled
Cowork can't start its workspace.
GOOD NEWS
This is usually a one-time fix. Start with Step 1. If your device meets the requirements, Cowork should work normally after the feature is enabled and Windows restarts.

Before you start

A quick checklist.
  • A laptop running Windows 10 or later with the latest Claude Desktop installed and a Claude plan that includes Cowork.
  • Permission to restart your laptop once during the process (save any open work first).
  • Administrator access for individual setup so Claude Desktop can install with full Cowork support and Windows can enable the feature. If it is a work laptop with settings controlled by IT, see the limitations section below.
DO THIS FIRST
Try Step 1 on its own before touching anything else. For most laptops, Step 1 alone fixes it. Only move to Step 2 if Cowork still won't open after Step 1.

Turn on Virtual Machine Platform

This is the Windows feature Anthropic specifies for Cowork.
  1. Open "Turn Windows features on or off".
    • Press the Windows key on your keyboard (bottom-left, with the Windows logo).
    • Type Windows features
    • Click Turn Windows features on or off in the results. A small window with a list of tick-boxes opens.
  2. Tick Virtual Machine Platform. Scroll to that exact entry and click its empty box so a tick appears. You do not need to enable the full Hyper-V role for this guide.
  3. Click OK. Approve the administrator prompt if one appears. Windows installs the component; let it finish.
  4. Restart your laptop when prompted. Click Restart now. (Save any open work first.) The change only takes effect after the restart.
THEN
After the restart, jump to Step 3 and try opening Cowork. If it works, you're done and can ignore Step 2 entirely.
CAN'T FIND OR ENABLE THE FEATURE?
Stop here rather than changing unrelated settings. If the device is managed by your employer, lacks administrator access or does not support the required virtualisation stack, use another compatible laptop.

Only if Step 1 didn't work: check hardware virtualisation

Some laptops have this switched off in BIOS or UEFI firmware.

First, check whether it's actually off

  1. Open Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc together.
  2. Open Performance, then select CPU. In Windows 11, click Performance in the left-hand sidebar. In Windows 10, click the Performance tab along the top (click More details first if you only see a short window). Then select CPU.
  3. Look for the "Virtualization" status.
    • If it says Virtualization: Enabled, good. Do not change BIOS settings; skip to Step 3 and use the troubleshooting section if Cowork still fails.
    • If it says Virtualization: Disabled, continue below to switch it on.
    • If no Virtualization status is shown, do not guess or change firmware settings. Skip to Step 3 and use the troubleshooting section.

Switch it on in BIOS / UEFI

"BIOS" (also called UEFI) is a settings screen that appears before Windows loads. You get to it in a special way at startup.

READ FIRST
Before entering BIOS or UEFI, make sure you can retrieve your BitLocker recovery key. Firmware changes can sometimes trigger a recovery prompt at the next start-up. Check your Microsoft account. If you cannot retrieve the key, stop and use another compatible device.
CHANGE ONE SETTING
In BIOS or UEFI, change only the virtualisation setting. Do not change Secure Boot, TPM, boot order or any other option. If you are unsure, exit without saving and consult your laptop manufacturer's support instructions.

If you have a Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer or another Windows laptop

  • Use the Windows route in the box below to open UEFI, or follow your manufacturer's official instructions.
  • Look under a menu named Advanced, Security or System Configuration.
  • Find Virtualization Technology, Intel VT-x, AMD-V or SVM Mode, and set it to Enabled.
  • Choose Save & Exit. The laptop restarts.

If you have a Microsoft Surface

  • Surface devices normally have hardware virtualisation enabled and may not show a virtualisation switch in Surface UEFI.
  • If Task Manager reports it as disabled, do not change unrelated Surface UEFI settings. Install pending firmware updates once; if it remains disabled, use another compatible device.
NOT SURE WHICH KEY?
Easy alternative for most laptops: in Windows 11, go to Settings → System → Recovery. In Windows 10, go to Settings → Update & Security → Recovery. Save and close any open work, then next to "Advanced startup" click Restart now; this restarts immediately. Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options → UEFI Firmware Settings → Restart.

Relaunch Claude Desktop and open Cowork

The moment of truth.
  1. Close Claude Desktop completely, then open it again.
  2. Click the Cowork tab. Remember: Cowork is a separate tab from the normal Chat tab.
  3. Wait for the workspace to start. If the virtualisation error is gone and Cowork initialises its workspace, you are all set.
DONE
If Cowork opens, the setup is complete. You should not need to repeat these steps unless Windows later changes the relevant settings.

When the fix still won't work

Some device configurations cannot run Cowork locally.

The processor type is not the simple dividing line: Anthropic provides Claude Desktop packages for both Windows x64 and Windows arm64. Cowork may still be unavailable when:

  • your Claude plan does not include Cowork;
  • you do not have administrator rights or your organisation blocks the required Windows feature;
  • you are using a virtual machine or VDI environment without nested virtualisation; or
  • the laptop's hardware or firmware cannot provide the required virtualisation support.
ONLY PRACTICAL FIX
Use another compatible laptop. Wellty cannot override hardware limits, organisation policies, missing administrator rights or unsupported virtualisation on a participant’s device.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

The common bumps, solved.
Is it safe to turn on Virtual Machine Platform?

It is an official Windows feature used for virtualised workloads. Do not change this setting on a managed work laptop; use another compatible device instead.

I use VirtualBox or VMware. Will this affect them?

It can. Windows virtualisation features may change how other hypervisors operate. If you rely on VirtualBox or VMware for work, use another compatible device for the workshop rather than changing your work setup.

It's a work laptop and settings are locked / greyed out

Use another compatible device. There is no participant-side fix for organisation-managed settings, and you should not try to bypass them.

I ticked the box but there was no "Restart" prompt

Restart the laptop manually anyway (Start → Power → Restart). The feature only activates after a restart.

Cowork still reports an error after Step 1

Check Task Manager as described in Step 2. If virtualisation is enabled, update or reinstall the latest Claude Desktop once. If Cowork still fails, use another compatible device.

Do Mac users need to do any of this?

No. See below.

Mac users: no virtualisation setup needed

MAC
You do not need to change virtualisation settings on a Mac. Install or update the latest Claude Desktop, sign in with a Claude plan that includes Cowork and open the Cowork tab.

Technical references

Current official guidance used for this page.