How to Install Claude Code on Mac and Windows (2026)

To install Claude Code, open Terminal on a Mac or PowerShell on Windows, paste Anthropic's one-line installer, then type claude and sign in with a paid Claude account in your browser. It takes a few minutes and you don't need to know how to code. If you would rather never touch a terminal, install the Claude desktop app instead: Claude Code is built into its Code tab.

This walkthrough follows Anthropic's official setup docs as of October 2026. If you are still deciding whether you need Claude Code at all, start with what Claude Code is.

Before you start

Run through this checklist first. Most failed installs come from one of these five points:

Then pick your method:

Option 1: the desktop app, no terminal needed

1. Download the app. Get it from Anthropic's desktop quickstart page. The Mac version runs on Intel and Apple silicon, Windows has x64 and ARM64 versions, and a beta for Ubuntu and Debian installs with apt.
2. Install and sign in. Open Claude and log in with the account that has your paid plan.
3. Open the Code tab. If it asks you to upgrade, the account you used is on the free plan.
4. Pick a folder. Choose Local, click Select folder and select an empty folder you made for testing.
5. Ask for something. Type a request in the box and press Enter.

The app keeps its own copy of Claude Code up to date through Claude > Check for Updates on a Mac or Help > Check for Updates on Windows. If you read Hebrew, ai school also offers a free one-click installer for Mac and Windows that sets up the desktop app for you.

Option 2: install Claude Code on a Mac

Step 1: open Terminal

Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal and press Enter. A window with a blinking cursor appears, and that is where you type commands.

Step 2: run the official installer

Copy this line, paste it with Cmd + V and press Enter:

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

It downloads and runs Anthropic's installer from claude.ai. Nothing seems to happen for a while because it shows no progress, so leave the window alone until you see Claude Code successfully installed!

Step 3: check that it worked

Close the window, open a new Terminal window so it picks up the new program, and run:

$ claude --version
$ 

A version number followed by (Claude Code) means you are ready. If you see command not found: claude instead, jump to the troubleshooting table below.

Option 3: install Claude Code on Windows

Step 1 (optional): install Git for Windows

Git for Windows gives Claude Code a Bash shell to run commands in. Without it, Claude Code uses PowerShell instead, which is fine for most beginners. If you install it, click Next on every screen: the defaults, including the recommended PATH option, are what you need.

Step 2: open PowerShell

Press Win + X and choose Windows PowerShell or Terminal. Check that each line starts with PS C:\; if it starts with C:\ without the PS, you are in Command Prompt, which needs a different command.

Step 3: run the official installer

Paste this with Ctrl + V or a right-click and press Enter:

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

irm downloads the installer and iex runs it. You don't need to run PowerShell as an administrator, and you are done when you see Claude Code successfully installed!

If you are in Command Prompt instead, use this version:

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

Step 4: check that it worked

Open a new PowerShell window and run claude --version. A version number means you are ready.

Sign in for the first time

Make a test folder and start Claude Code inside it. A dedicated folder matters, because Claude Code can read everything in the folder you start it in.

On a Mac:

$ mkdir -p ~/claude-projects/first-test
$ cd ~/claude-projects/first-test
$ claude
$ 

On Windows, in PowerShell:

PS> mkdir -Force "$HOME\claude-projects\first-test"
PS> cd "$HOME\claude-projects\first-test"
PS> claude
PS> 

Here is what happens next:

1. Setup and browser. Claude Code runs a short first-launch setup and opens your browser to sign in.
2. Sign in. Use the account that has your paid plan. If the browser doesn't open, press c to copy the login link and paste it into the browser yourself.
3. Confirm. When the terminal shows Login successful, press Enter.
4. Trust the folder. Claude Code asks whether you trust this folder; you just created it, so accept.
5. Start working. The Claude Code prompt appears with the version, the model and the folder shown above it. Type /help to see the commands.

Run a safe first task

Start with a question that changes nothing:

What files are in this folder, and what kinds of tasks could you help me with here? Don't create or change anything yet.

Then a tiny change you can see:

Create a file called hello.html: a simple page with a heading that says "My first Claude Code page" and one short paragraph explaining what you just did. Then tell me how to open it.

Current versions start terminal sessions in auto mode, where a background safety check reviews each action instead of asking you. While you are learning, press Shift+Tab until the line under the prompt reads manual mode on, so Claude Code asks before every file it creates and every command it runs.

Read each request and choose Yes if it matches what you asked for. When it finishes, double-click hello.html in Finder or File Explorer to open it in your browser.

Keep Claude Code up to date

• Native installs update themselves in the background, and the new version applies the next time you start Claude Code.
• claude update installs the newest version right away.
• claude doctor runs a read-only health check of your install and settings, without starting a session.
• Homebrew and WinGet installs don't update themselves. Use the upgrade commands from the method table.

Troubleshooting: the errors people actually hit

Match the message you see to a fix. These come from Anthropic's installation troubleshooting page, which also lists rarer cases.

To fix the PATH on a Mac, which uses the Zsh shell by default, run these two lines and then open a new window:

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

To fix the PATH on Windows, run these two lines in PowerShell, then close and reopen PowerShell:

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

If claude --version works but something else misbehaves, run claude doctor and read its warnings, since each one comes with a suggested fix.

What to do next

Spend your first hour on small, safe tasks so you learn the controls before you point Claude Code at anything important. The beginner tutorial walks you through a complete first project, and the guide to the CLAUDE.md file shows how to save your preferences so you stop repeating them. Keep the Claude Code cheat sheet open in a tab for commands and shortcuts, and if you want the whole path in one place, the Claude Code course starts with installation and ends with projects you can use in your business.