Install Claude Code

Tier 0 · Total Beginner 8 min read

This page gets the claude command onto your computer. You don’t need to write any code yet — just install the tool. We’ll log in and run it on the next two pages.

What you need first

Two things:

A terminal. This is the text window where you type commands instead of clicking buttons. Every operating system ships with one:
- macOS: open the Terminal app (press Cmd + Space, type “Terminal”, hit Enter).
- Windows: open PowerShell (press the Start key, type “PowerShell”, hit Enter) — or, if you use WSL, your Linux terminal.
- Linux: open your usual terminal app.
A few minutes and an internet connection. The installer downloads the tool.

That’s it. You do not need to install Node.js, Python, or anything else first — the recommended installer bundles what it needs.

Install it

Pick the tab that matches your machine, copy the command into your terminal, and press Enter.

macOS, Linux, or WSL

Paste this and press Enter:
Terminal window
```
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
```
This downloads the official installer from Anthropic and runs it. Native installs update themselves in the background, so you stay on the latest version automatically.
Windows (PowerShell)
Terminal window
```
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
```
On native Windows, installing Git for Windows is recommended so Claude Code can run shell commands through Bash. Without it, Claude Code falls back to PowerShell.
Wait for it to finish

The installer prints progress and tells you when it’s done. It usually takes under a minute.

Prefer a package manager?

If you already use Homebrew (macOS/Linux) or WinGet (Windows), you can install through them instead:

# macOS / Linux with Homebrew
brew install --cask claude-code

# Windows with WinGet
winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Check that it worked

Once the installer finishes, confirm the claude command exists. Type this and press Enter:

claude --version

You should see a version number print out. If you do, the install worked.

You haven’t logged in yet — that’s expected

Installing the tool and logging into your account are two separate steps. Right now you have the claude command, but it doesn’t know who you are or which Claude account to use. That’s the next page.

Next: Authenticate — Max plan vs. API key. This is where you connect Claude Code to your account, and it’s worth understanding the two options before you pick one — they bill very differently.