Installing Claude Code is the least interesting part of this course, so let us make it short and un-scary.
What the install actually does
It puts one program on your machine, called claude, into a folder that your shell searches — on macOS and Linux the native installer uses ~/.local/bin. That is the whole story.
It does not run in the background. It does not watch your files. It does nothing at all until you type claude and press Enter — and then it only sees the folder you started it in.
Install it
Open a terminal and run the command for your system. These are the commands from Anthropic’s official setup page; if one ever stops working, that page is the one to trust.
macOS, Linux or WSL — the native installer:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows PowerShell:
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Windows CMD:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
Not sure which Windows shell you are in? PowerShell’s prompt starts with PS, as in PS C:\Users\you>; CMD’s does not.
Prefer a package manager? On macOS, brew install --cask claude-code; on Windows, winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode. One difference matters: the native install updates itself in the background, while Homebrew and WinGet installs do not. You upgrade those yourself with brew upgrade claude-code or winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode.
Then open a new terminal window and check it worked:
claude --version
A version number means you are done. command not found (or “not recognized” on Windows) means the next section is for you.
Windows: native or WSL?
Both work. Pick by where your projects live:
| Native Windows | WSL 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you run the installer | PowerShell or CMD | Inside your WSL distribution, with the Linux command |
| Sandboxing | Not supported | Supported |
| Fits | Windows-native projects and tools | Linux toolchains |
On native Windows, installing Git for Windows is recommended: it gives Claude Code a Bash shell to run commands in. Without it, Claude Code runs commands through PowerShell instead.
Try the PATH idea for yourself
Your shell does not search your whole disk when you type a command. It looks in a specific list of folders, in order. That list is the PATH variable, and you can print it.
Run echo $PATH in the terminal below, then start the agent with claude.
Quick check
You type `claude` and get `command not found`. What is the first thing to try?
The first run: signing in
The first time you start it, Claude Code needs to know how you are paying for the model, which runs on Anthropic’s servers rather than your machine. There are two normal answers:
- A paid Claude plan — Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. You sign in through the browser, and your usage counts against the plan. The free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code.
- An Anthropic Console account. You are billed for API usage instead.
Both work. Which one is better for you depends on how much you will use it, and the current prices live on Anthropic’s pricing page — not here, where they would be out of date within weeks.
Keys are secrets
If you go the API-key route, that key is a password with a credit card attached. It belongs in your environment or a that Git ignores — never pasted into a source file, and never committed.
Two commands worth knowing on day one
claude doctor checks your installation and settings, prints what it found with suggested fixes, and exits without starting a session. When something feels wrong before you have written a single prompt, it is the right first move.
claude update installs the newest version right away instead of waiting for the background update.
And when you want to see everything else the command can do, claude --help lists it. That habit — --help first, tutorial second — will serve you for the rest of this course.
Do I need a paid plan to start?
Yes, for the real tool: Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan, or an Anthropic Console account. The free claude.ai plan does not include it. Compare the current options on Anthropic's pricing page at claude.com/pricing before you commit to one. The lessons on this site run in a browser simulator and need neither.
Does it work on Windows?
Yes. Run the installer from PowerShell or CMD for native Windows, or inside WSL if you work with Linux tools. The official setup page at code.claude.com/docs/en/setup lists every supported path.