You can install Claude Code on a Mac with one line typed into Terminal. It takes about five minutes, needs no developer tools, and updates itself afterwards. This guide covers that method, the Homebrew alternative, signing in, and the one error most Mac users meet.

You will need macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, an internet connection, and a paid Claude plan — Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise — or an Anthropic Console account. The free plan does not include Claude Code; our Claude Code pricing guide explains the options.

Check your macOS version

Click the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. If the version is 13 or higher — Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia or later — you are fine. Both Apple silicon (M-series) and Intel Macs are supported.

Step 1: Open Terminal

Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight, type Terminal, and press Return. A window with a blinking cursor appears. That is all a terminal is: a place to type instructions instead of clicking.

Step 2: Run the installer

Paste this line and press Return:

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

This is Anthropic's recommended native installer. It downloads Claude Code and places it at ~/.local/bin/claude in your home folder. Native installations update automatically in the background, so you will not need to repeat this.

Alternative: Homebrew

If you already use Homebrew, you can install it as a cask instead:

brew install --cask claude-code

Two differences are worth knowing. The claude-code cask follows the stable channel, which the documentation says is typically about a week behind and skips releases with major regressions (claude-code@latest follows new releases immediately). And Homebrew installs do not update themselves: run brew upgrade claude-code now and then.

If you have never heard of Homebrew, ignore this section and use the native installer.

Sources: Claude Code documentation — Advanced setup.

Step 3: Check it worked

Open a new Terminal window (Cmd+N) and type:

claude --version

A version number followed by "(Claude Code)" means you are done. The new window matters: the window you installed from may not yet know where the program is.

Step 4: Sign in and start

Make a practice folder with copies of a few unimportant files — that is where your first sessions should happen. Then move into it and start Claude Code:

mkdir -p ~/Documents/claude-practice
cd ~/Documents/claude-practice
claude

The first run opens your browser to sign in with your Claude account. Approve it, return to Terminal, and confirm that you trust the folder. You are in.

A handy shortcut: type cd (with a space) and drag any folder from Finder onto the Terminal window. Its full path appears, and you press Return.

Fixing "command not found: claude"

If a new window still says zsh: command not found: claude, the install folder is missing from your PATH — the list of places your Mac looks for programs. Check with:

echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | grep -Fx "$HOME/.local/bin"

No output means it is missing. The official troubleshooting page gives this fix for the default Mac shell, zsh:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Then run claude --version again. For anything else, claude doctor prints a read-only health report with suggested fixes.

Source: Claude Code documentation — Troubleshoot installation and login.

Other common questions during setup

"Should I use sudo?"

No. The installer writes to your own home folder and needs no administrator password. The documentation specifically warns against using sudo with the npm install method, which beginners have no reason to use anyway.

"Do I need Xcode or Node.js?"

No. The native installer and Homebrew install a self-contained program.

Prefer an app to Terminal?

The Claude desktop app for macOS includes Claude Code in a normal window, and there is a web version at claude.ai/code that needs no installation. Same engine, same account. Many people start there and add the Terminal version later, once the command line feels less foreign.

Your first ten minutes

  1. Press Shift+Tab until the status line reads "manual mode on", so Claude Code asks before every change while you learn.
  2. Ask: "What is in this folder? Summarise each file in one line."
  3. Ask for one small change and read the proposal before approving it.
  4. Try /rewind to undo it, so you know the escape hatch works.
  5. Type /exit.

The Claude Code beginner's guide explains each of those steps, and our list of beginner prompts gives you useful things to try next.

For the complete path, Claude Code for Beginners covers installation on Mac and Windows, then the working modes, CLAUDE.md, context management, Skills, MCP and custom agents, with five worked projects written for people who do not code. Its free Prompt Toolkit, on the book's page, includes a first-hour starter pack designed to be safe and reversible.

How to uninstall

For a native install, run:

rm -f ~/.local/bin/claude
rm -rf ~/.local/share/claude

For Homebrew: brew uninstall --cask claude-code. Your settings and history live separately in ~/.claude and ~/.claude.json; delete those too only if you want to remove everything, including your saved preferences.

Frequently asked questions

Does Claude Code work on Apple silicon Macs?

Yes. It supports both ARM64 (M-series) and x64 (Intel) processors.

Does it work on older macOS versions?

The documented minimum is macOS 13. Older versions are not supported.

How do I update it?

Native installs update themselves. To update immediately, run claude update. Homebrew installs need brew upgrade claude-code.