Claude Desktop got Hebrew. No announcement.
Mac version 1.24012.1 added Hebrew and Arabic files for the first time. I checked it on my Mac: Hebrew now displays correctly, right to left. Here's how to update, how to verify it, and what to do separately in VS Code.
What you get
What changed in Claude Desktop, a one-minute check on your Mac, and the separate VS Code fix from the workshop guide
Who it is for
For anyone working in Hebrew with the Claude Desktop app on a Mac, and anyone who wants to understand why the VS Code fix is a separate issue.
1. The real news: Claude Desktop got Hebrew
On July 21, 2026, Claude Desktop 1.24012.1 shipped for Mac. With no announcement and no line in the release notes, the app gained two language packs it didn't have before: Hebrew and Arabic.
- Inside the app, the folders he.lproj and ar.lproj appeared for the first time. These are the folders a Mac app uses to declare which languages it supports.
- In the earlier versions I checked, these folders didn't exist.
- I checked the new version on my Mac. In practice, Hebrew inside Claude Desktop now displays correctly, right to left.
- This is progress in the desktop app itself. Not an external extension, not a change you need to install manually.
2. How to update and verify it in a minute
These steps are for the Claude Desktop app on Mac:
- Open Claude Desktop. In the Mac's top menu bar, click Claude, then Check for Updates…
- After the update, go back to the Claude menu and click About Claude. Look for version 1.24012.1 or newer.
- Quit the app completely and reopen it.
- Open a new chat and run the check in the box below.
Check: type one short Hebrew sentence that includes the word Claude, and confirm it reads right to left.3. How to know it's actually working
You don't need to open files or run commands. Just look at the chat itself:
- The letters inside each word appear in the right order, not reversed.
- The Hebrew sentence reads right to left.
- The word Claude stays readable inside the Hebrew sentence.
- Claude's reply in Hebrew should be readable the same way.
4. What still isn't fixed
The new update doesn't mean every Anthropic product now has full Hebrew support.
- VS Code and Cursor are separate code editors. The Claude Desktop update doesn't change them.
- I only checked this update on Mac. There's no promise here about Windows or Linux.
- The official request for RTL support in the desktop app and in Cowork is still open on GitHub.
- Anthropic still hasn't published an official announcement about Hebrew. So I'm separating what I checked myself from what the company has announced.
5. Using VS Code? That's a separate fix
In my workshop guide the fix is simpler: give Claude Code one prompt, and it installs the Claude Code RTL Support extension itself. No need to manually download a file from GitHub.
- Copy the prompt from the box below and paste it into the Claude Code chat.
- Press Enter and wait for the install to finish.
- At the bottom of VS Code, click the RTL: Auto button.
- In the menu that opens, choose Activate RTL (Auto).
- The full video walkthrough is available to workshop students after logging in. The prompt and the key steps also appear here.
Install the Claude Code RTL Support extension for me in VS Code. The ID is yechielby.claude-code-rtl. Run in the terminal: code --install-extension yechielby.claude-code-rtl6. The evidence and sources
This part is for anyone who wants to check the technical evidence behind the update.
- Version checked: Claude Desktop for Mac, version 1.24012.1.
- The app's resources folder now has he.lproj and ar.lproj alongside en.lproj.
- The official release notes page didn't mention Hebrew or RTL at the time of checking.
- The open RTL request for the desktop app and Cowork: anthropics/claude-code#38005.
Claude.app/Contents/Resources/
he.lproj/ ← added in version 1.24012.1
ar.lproj/ ← added in version 1.24012.1
en.lproj/
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/38005How to use this now
The news is in Claude Desktop: update the Mac app and check Hebrew in the chat. If you work inside VS Code, that's a different track. Use the install prompt or the workshop's video walkthrough.