How to install Claude Code: a step-by-step guide

You can get Claude Code running in minutes, no programming experience or terminal knowledge required. This guide walks you through every step, from download to first launch.

Claude Code is a program from Anthropic (the company behind the Claude models) where instead of just chatting with AI, you let it touch files on your own computer. It can write and edit text, process spreadsheets, build a simple page, prepare a report. It was built for developers, but today anyone who wants AI to work with their own data and files uses it.

There are two ways to install it, and we’ll cover both:

What you’ll need

Before you start, you need three things:

• A paid Claude plan. Claude Code isn’t in the free claude.ai. You need Claude Pro or Max (enough for everyday work), a business Team/Enterprise plan, or an Anthropic Console account with credits. Plans are at claude.com/pricing.
• A Mac or Windows computer. The desktop app runs on Mac and Windows. On Linux there’s no desktop app — you go through the terminal (which works everywhere).
• About 10 minutes.

Path A: Desktop app (easiest)

If you’ve never touched a command line and don’t want to, go this route.

1. Download the app. Open claude.com/download and download the version for your system (Mac or Windows).

2. Install and launch. Open the downloaded file and click through the installation like any other app. Then launch the app — from the Applications folder on Mac, or the Start menu on Windows.

3. Sign in. On first launch the app asks you to sign in with a Claude account. Use the one with your paid plan.

4. Click the “Code” tab. There are three tabs at the top: Chat, Cowork, and Code. Click Code. If it prompts you to upgrade, that means your account doesn’t have a paid plan (see above).

5. Select a project. Choose Local (running directly on your computer) and use Select folder to pick a folder to work in. Feel free to create an empty folder on your desktop first to have somewhere to start. On Windows, you’ll need Git installed for local runs — the app will guide you. On Mac, Git is usually already there.

6. Give it a task. Select a model at the bottom and type what you want Claude to do in plain language. Before changing anything it will show you a proposal and wait for your approval (Accept/Reject buttons). Your files won’t change until you confirm.

Done. Claude Code is running and you can give it your first task.

Path B: Terminal (CLI)

A terminal is a window where you type commands instead of clicking. It looks more technical, but installing Claude Code is one line you copy and paste.

How to open a terminal

Launch it like this:

• Mac: press Cmd+Space (Spotlight), type “Terminal” and hit Enter. A window opens where you’ll paste commands (right-click or Cmd+V).
• Windows: in the Start menu (Windows icon bottom left) type “PowerShell” and click it. The alternative is “Command Prompt” (CMD) — it works too, just needs a different install command, which you’ll see below.

Always copy the command, paste it into the terminal, and press Enter. No need to type anything by hand.

Install Claude Code

Anthropic recommends their native installer. It requires nothing extra and updates itself. Copy the command for your system, paste it into the terminal, and press Enter.

Mac / Linux:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows - PowerShell:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Windows - Command Prompt (CMD):

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

On Windows, check whether you’re in PowerShell or CMD — each needs a different command. You can tell by the start of the line: PS C:\ is PowerShell, C:\ without “PS” is CMD. Pasting the wrong one will produce an error (fix in the troubleshooting section below).

Windows: also install Git

On Windows you’ll also need to install Git from git-scm.com/downloads/win. During installation, leave “Add to PATH” checked and click through the rest with the default settings. Claude Code uses Git to work with files and commands, so it can do more with it on Windows. The package also includes “Git Bash” — a terminal window you can use instead of PowerShell or CMD.

On Mac you don’t need to deal with Git. The first time you need it, the system will offer to install it for you.

Verify the installation

Type:

claude --version

If it prints a version number, you’re installed.

Launch and sign in

In the terminal, switch to your project folder and launch Claude:

claude

On first launch it sends you to a browser to sign in with your Claude account. After that, you won’t need to sign in again.

There are other ways to install (on Mac via Homebrew with brew install --cask claude-code, or via npm), but the native installer is the least hassle for most people. If you have Claude Code via npm and something’s going wrong, switching to the native installer often fixes it.

Common problems (and how to fix them)

Most installation problems aren’t in Claude Code itself — they’re in your computer’s environment. Here are the ones people run into most.

“command not found: claude” or “claude is not recognized”. The installation went through but the terminal can’t see Claude yet. First close and reopen the terminal — it’ll reload the PATH the installer added, and that usually does it. If it still doesn’t work, the folder containing Claude isn’t in your PATH and you need to add it manually:

• Mac: paste echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc, press Enter, then close and reopen the terminal.
• Windows: add %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin to your user PATH variable (Start → “Edit the system environment variables” → Environment Variables) and restart the terminal.

Then verify with claude --version. If it shows a version, you’re done. The full step-by-step for each system is in the official troubleshooting guide.

Windows error “irm is not recognized” or “token && is not valid”. You pasted a command meant for a different shell. “irm not recognized” means you’re in CMD — use the CMD command. ”&& is not valid” means you’re in PowerShell — use the PowerShell command.

“Upgrade” prompt or 403 error on sign-in. Claude Code requires a paid plan. A free claude.ai account isn’t enough. Check that you have an active Pro or Max plan at claude.ai/settings.

Browser sign-in doesn’t complete (typically in WSL or over SSH). The browser opens somewhere other than expected. In the terminal press c — it copies the sign-in link, which you then open manually in a browser.

When claude is running but something’s off (can’t sign in or update), run claude doctor. It checks the installation, sign-in, and settings and tells you where the problem is. But don’t use it for “command not found” — if the terminal can’t find claude, it can’t find claude doctor either. Fix that first using the step above.

What’s next: re:LLMO automations

Claude Code on its own can work with text and files in general, but it knows nothing about your marketing practice. re:LLMO automations give it specific workflows — ready-made guides for things you’d otherwise do manually: research, comparisons, audits, rewrites.

They install with one command and work in both versions of Claude Code — the app and the terminal. Only have the desktop app right now? No problem — the install command runs in the terminal (on Windows in PowerShell) and the CLI installs itself if it’s missing. No need to set it up in advance; the automations then work fine in the desktop app. The full walkthrough is in a separate guide: How to run re:LLMO automations in Claude Code.