How to install Claude Code on Windows

You can install Claude Code on Windows with a single PowerShell command, no administrator rights, and no programming tools. This guide walks through it on Windows 10 and 11, then covers the errors that trip people up — almost all of which come down to typing the right command into the wrong window.

Budget ten minutes. You will need 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. If you are not sure which plan you need, read Claude Code pricing explained first.

Before you install: check your Windows version

Anthropic's documentation lists Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows Server 2019 or later, with at least 4 GB of RAM on an x64 or ARM64 processor. Any Windows 11 machine qualifies, as does any Windows 10 machine that has taken updates since 2019.

To check: press Win+R, type winver, and press Enter.

Native Windows or WSL?

Claude Code runs either directly on Windows or inside WSL, the Windows Subsystem for Linux. For a beginner, the answer is simple: install it natively. WSL is worth it only if your projects already live in a Linux environment, or if you specifically want the sandboxing feature, which the documentation says is supported under WSL 2 but not on native Windows.

Option	Needs	Best for
Native Windows	Nothing extra	Documents, spreadsheets, folders, Windows projects — most beginners
WSL 2	WSL 2 enabled	Linux toolchains, sandboxed command execution

Step 1: Open PowerShell

Press Win+X and choose Terminal or Windows PowerShell. You do not need "Terminal (Admin)" — the documentation is explicit that you do not need to run as Administrator.

Look at the start of the line where the cursor blinks. If it begins with PS, as in PS C:\Users\YourName>, you are in PowerShell. If it shows C:\Users\YourName> with no PS, you are in the older Command Prompt (CMD). This distinction is the cause of most failed installs, so it is worth the five seconds.

Step 2: Run the installer

In PowerShell, paste this and press Enter:

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

In Command Prompt (CMD), use this one instead:

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

The installer downloads Claude Code and places it at %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe. Native installations update themselves in the background, so this is the only time you run it.

Alternative: WinGet

If you prefer Windows' own package manager:

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

The trade-off: WinGet installs do not update automatically. You would need to run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode from time to time to get fixes. For most people the native installer is the better choice.

Sources: Claude Code documentation — Advanced setup, "Set up on Windows".

Step 3: Close the window and open a new one

This step is not in most tutorials and it prevents the most common error. A terminal window reads the list of places to look for programs — the PATH — when it opens. The window you installed from does not know Claude Code exists yet. Close it, open a fresh PowerShell window, and check:

claude --version

You should see a version number followed by "(Claude Code)". If you do, the installation is finished.

Step 4: Sign in and run it

Make a practice folder, move into it, and start Claude Code. Copy a few unimportant files into the folder first — that is where your first sessions should happen:

mkdir $HOME\Documents\claude-practice
cd $HOME\Documents\claude-practice
claude

The first run opens your browser so you can log in with your Claude account. Approve it, return to the terminal, and you are in. From here, the Claude Code beginner's guide walks through a first task that cannot go wrong.

Should you install Git for Windows?

It is optional, and it changes one thing. Without Git for Windows, Claude Code runs its shell commands through PowerShell. With it installed, Claude Code can also use Git Bash, which is the shell most online examples assume. The documentation recommends Git for Windows on native installs; it is a free download from git-scm.com, and nothing breaks if you skip it.

If you install Git in an unusual location and Claude Code cannot find Git Bash, the fix is a one-line setting (CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH) described in the official setup page.

Fixing the common errors

You see	What it means	Fix
'irm' is not recognized	You are in CMD, not PowerShell	Use the CMD command above, or open PowerShell
The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator	You pasted the CMD command into PowerShell	Use the irm command instead
'claude' is not recognized	The terminal cannot find the program	Open a new window; if it persists, fix PATH (below)
Install finishes but an old version runs	A second, older copy is found first	Fix PATH, then remove the older copy

Fixing PATH

If a new window still says 'claude' is not recognized, the install folder is missing from your PATH. In PowerShell, check:

$env:PATH -split ';' | Select-String '\.local\\bin'

No output means it is missing. The official troubleshooting page gives this command to add it to your user PATH:

$currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', 'User')
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', "$currentPath;$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", 'User')

Close every terminal window, open a new one, and run claude --version again.

Still stuck?

Run claude doctor. It prints a read-only report on your installation and settings, with suggested fixes, without starting a session. It is the fastest way to find out which of several possible problems you actually have.

Sources: Claude Code documentation — Troubleshoot installation and login.

Prefer not to use the terminal at all?

The Claude desktop app for Windows includes Claude Code with an ordinary graphical window. It is the same engine, and a reasonable place to start if the command line is what is holding you back. You can always add the terminal version later — many people end up using both.

What to do next

Installing is the easy part. What makes the difference is the first hour: choosing a small folder, asking for a plan before any change, and learning what the permission prompts are telling you. Our guide to whether Claude Code is safe explains those prompts, and these beginner prompts give you something useful to type on day one.

If you want the whole path in one place, Claude Code for Beginners starts exactly where this article ends: a guided first session on Windows or Mac, then the habits and features — CLAUDE.md, Skills, MCP, custom agents — that turn it into a daily tool.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need administrator rights to install Claude Code on Windows?

No. The installer writes to your own user folder, so a standard account is enough.

Does Claude Code work on Windows 11?

Yes. Windows 11 meets every listed requirement, on both x64 and ARM64 processors.

Do I need Node.js?

Not for the native installer or WinGet. Node.js only matters if you choose the npm installation method, which beginners have no reason to use.

How do I uninstall it?

For a native install, delete %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe and the %USERPROFILE%\.local\share\claude folder. For WinGet, run winget uninstall Anthropic.ClaudeCode. Your settings live separately in %USERPROFILE%\.claude; remove that too if you want a completely clean slate. The quick-reference appendix in Claude Code for Beginners lists where those settings files live on Windows, Mac and Linux.