Installing Claude Code on Windows

A beginner-friendly guide to get Claude Code running on your Windows machine.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (version 1809+) or Windows 11
• Internet connection
• That's it!

Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator

1. Click the Start menu
2. Type PowerShell
3. Right-click Windows PowerShell
4. Select Run as administrator
5. Click Yes when prompted

Step 2: Run the Installer

Copy and paste this command into PowerShell:

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

Wait for the installation to complete.

Alternative: Using Command Prompt

If you prefer CMD, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

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

Alternative: Using WinGet

If you have WinGet (comes with Windows 11):

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Step 3: Fix PATH (if needed)

If you see an error like 'claude' is not recognized as an internal or external command after installation, you need to add Claude Code to your PATH. This tells Windows where to find the claude command.

Open System Properties:

1. Close PowerShell for now
2. Press Win + R on your keyboard (hold the Windows key and tap R) - this opens the "Run" dialog
3. Type sysdm.cpl and press Enter
4. This opens the System Properties window

Add to PATH:

5. Click the Advanced tab at the top
6. Click the Environment Variables button near the bottom
7. In the top section labeled "User variables for [your username]", find and select Path, then click Edit
8. In the new window, click New
9. Type: %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin
10. Click OK to close the Edit window
11. Click OK to close the Environment Variables window
12. Click OK to close System Properties

Verify the fix:

13. Open a new PowerShell window (the old one won't have the updated PATH)
14. Type claude --version to confirm it works

Step 4: Authenticate

Open a new terminal and run:

claude

This opens your browser to sign in with your Anthropic account (Claude Pro, Max, or Team recommended).

Step 5: Verify Installation

claude --version

You can also run this to check everything is working:

claude doctor

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
claude not recognized	Restart your terminal, or check the PATH fix above
Installation seems stuck	Check your internet connection and try again
Permission errors	Make sure you ran PowerShell as Administrator

Quick Reference

Command	What it does
claude	Start Claude Code
claude --help	Show available options
claude --version	Check installed version
claude doctor	Diagnose installation issues
claude update	Manually update (auto-updates are on by default)

Source: Official Claude Code Setup Docs