Installing Claude Code (It Takes Five Minutes)

This is the part most guides overcomplicate. Install this runtime, configure that setting, add something to your PATH (whatever that means), restart twice, pray.

We're not doing that. You're going to install a couple of prerequisites, paste one command, wait a minute, and Claude Code will be ready.

Before You Start

You need two things:

1. A Claude Pro or Max subscription - That's $20/month (Pro) or $100/month (Max) at claude.ai. If you already use claude.ai in your browser and you're paying for it, you're set. Claude Code uses the same subscription.

2. Node.js and Git installed - Claude Code needs these to run. If you're not sure whether you have them, we'll check in a moment.

For the full official setup guide, see the Claude Code documentation.

Check Your Prerequisites

Open your terminal.

Check if Node.js is installed:

node --version

Check if Git is installed:

git --version

If both show version numbers (like v20.10.0 and git version 2.43.0), you're good to go. Skip to the next section.

If either says "not recognized" or "command not found," you need to install them:

• Node.js: Download from nodejs.org - get the LTS (Long Term Support) version
• Git: Download from git-scm.com

Browser download tip: Some browsers may warn you about these installers because they're executable files. That's normal security behavior. If you downloaded from the official sites above, click "Keep" or "Allow" to save the file.

Install both, then close and reopen your terminal before continuing. The terminal needs to restart to "see" the new programs.

After restarting, verify the installation worked by running those same commands again:

PS C:\Users\You> node --version
v24.13.0
PS C:\Users\You> git --version
git version 2.52.0.windows.1

If you see version numbers for both, you're ready to install Claude Code.

The Install Command

Windows (PowerShell):

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

Mac or Linux:

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

Paste the command for your system. Press Enter. Wait.

You'll see some text scroll by. That's the installer downloading Claude Code and putting it in the right place. When it finishes, you'll see something like:

Setting up Claude Code...
✅ Installation complete!

That's it. Claude Code is installed.

If the Install Says PATH Isn't Set (Windows)

On Windows, you might see a message like this even though the installation succeeded:

‼ Setup notes:
  • Native installation exists but C:\Users\User\.local\bin is not in your PATH.

This means Claude Code is installed, but your terminal can't find it yet. You need to add its location to your system PATH:

1. Press Windows + S and search for "Environment Variables"
2. Click "Edit the system environment variables"
3. Click "Environment Variables..." button
4. Under User variables, find and select Path, then click Edit
5. Click New and add: C:\Users\YourUsername\.local\bin (replace YourUsername with your actual Windows username)
6. Click OK on all windows
7. Close and reopen your terminal - this is crucial, the terminal won't see the change until you restart it

Alternatively, run this PowerShell command to add it automatically:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $env:Path + ";$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", "User")

Then close and reopen your terminal.

If the Install Shows a Git Warning

On Windows, you might see a message about git-bash:

Claude Code on Windows requires git-bash (https://git-scm.com/downloads/win).
If installed but not in PATH, set environment variable pointing to your bash.exe

This usually means Git isn't installed, or your terminal can't find it. Go back and install Git from git-scm.com, restart your terminal, and run the install command again.

Pro tip: If you hit any error you don't understand, copy the exact message and paste it into claude.ai with "I'm trying to install Claude Code and got this error." The web chat is great for troubleshooting installation issues.

Verify It Worked

Close your terminal completely. Open a new one. This is important because your terminal needs to "see" the newly installed program.

Type:

claude --version

You should see something like:

claude-code 1.x.x

The exact number doesn't matter. If you see a version number, Claude Code is installed and your terminal knows where to find it.

Connect Your Account

Now let's connect Claude Code to your Claude subscription. Type:

claude

The first time you run this, Claude Code will walk you through initial setup. First, it asks you to pick a theme:

Pick whichever looks best on your terminal. Dark mode is the default. You can change this later with the /theme command.

Next, it asks how you want to authenticate:

Choose Claude account with subscription (option 1). A browser window opens. Log in with your Claude account (the same one you use at claude.ai). Approve the connection.

Back in the terminal, you'll see the welcome screen:

You're in. Notice it shows your current directory at the bottom left (like C:\Users\User). This matters because Claude Code works within whatever folder you launch it from.

For now, type /exit to close Claude Code. We'll restart it in the right folder in a moment. The next guide covers how to navigate to your project folders before starting Claude Code.

Quick tip about folders: Claude Code sees and works with files in your current directory. If you want to work on a specific project, navigate to that folder first (cd path\to\project), then run claude. We'll cover this more in the next guide, but for now just know that where you start Claude Code determines what files it can access.

Common Problems

Most installs work on the first try. But if yours doesn't:

Remember: copy any error message to claude.ai and ask for help. It's surprisingly good at diagnosing installation problems.

What Just Happened (Plain English)

The install command did three things:

1. Downloaded Claude Code from Anthropic's servers
2. Put it in a place your terminal can find it (usually ~/.local/bin)
3. Set it up so typing claude launches the program

No settings to configure. No files to edit. The prerequisites (Node.js and Git) do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

How I Keep It Updated

Claude Code updates itself. When Anthropic releases a new version, Claude Code will tell you and offer to update. Just say yes. You don't need to re-run the install command or do anything manual.

If you ever want to force an update, type:

claude update

But honestly, just let it handle itself.

Next up: your first real conversation with Claude Code. You're about to talk to your computer and watch it do things.