Meta's Manus Desktop Launches: AI Agent Moves Beyond Cloud to Control Local Computers Directly

Meta's AI agent platform Manus recently launched its desktop app, Manus Desktop. Its core feature "My Computer" moves the AI agent from cloud sandbox to users' local computers for the first time, available now for macOS and Windows users. Previously, Manus only ran in the cloud and couldn't access local files or apps; now it can perform local operations via terminal commands.

The feature supports reading and editing local files, as well as launching and controlling applications. Official demos include automatically categorizing photos and building a real-time meeting translation app from scratch using Swift (completed in 20 minutes without opening Xcode). For permissions, each command requires user authorization, with options for "Always Allow" and "Only Allow Once".

Additionally, it supports using local GPUs for model inference. Users can remotely send tasks to their home computers, and integrate scheduled tasks and custom Agents to automate routine work like cleaning download folders or generating data reports.