Install Claude Code on Windows.
The other Claude Code guides on this site start from the point where it is already installed and you are signed in. This page gets you there, using the official installers.
What you need
A Windows PC with an internet connection, and a paid Claude subscription. The desktop app needs a paid subscription. The terminal version also accepts an Anthropic Console account.
Which one to pick
Both options run the same Claude Code, so your files, settings and plugins are shared between them. The desktop app is the easier start because you click instead of typing. The PowerShell version is the one the commands in my guides are written for. If you are not sure, pick the desktop app, and you can add the other later.
Option A: the desktop app
Claude Code comes inside the Claude desktop app, so there is nothing else to install.
Open the Claude Code overview, choose the Desktop app tab and download the Windows installer (the page lists "Windows (x64)"). Run it, open Claude, sign in, and click the Code tab.
Option B: from PowerShell
This is the way the other guides on this site type their commands.
Press the Windows key, type PowerShell and press Enter, then run this line:
Type this in PowerShell
$ winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode
When it finishes, close PowerShell and open a new window, because the new program is only found by a fresh window. Then check it:
Type this in PowerShell
$ claude --version
Start it inside a folder
Claude Code works on the files in one folder, so you start it from inside that folder. If you do not have one yet, make it now: in File Explorer, open Documents and create a new folder called my-first-project.
The easiest way to open PowerShell inside a folder:
- Open the folder in File Explorer.
- Click the empty part of the address bar at the top. The path turns into plain text.
- Type powershell and press Enter.
Now type this and press Enter:
Type this in PowerShell
$ claude
Next time, do the same three steps: open the folder, type powershell in the address bar, then type claude.
The other way, with a command: in any PowerShell window, type cd, a space and the path of your folder, then press Enter. If the path has spaces in it, put it in quotes, like this:
Type this in PowerShell
$ cd "C:\Users\you\Documents\my-first-project"
To get the path of a folder, open it in File Explorer, click the address bar and copy the text with Ctrl+C, then paste it after cd with a right-click.
To update it later, run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode.
If something fails
It says: "claude" is not recognized
The new program is not visible to this window yet. Close PowerShell, open a new one and try again. If that does not help, the folder it was installed to is missing from your PATH, and the official page "Troubleshoot installation" shows how to fix it.
It says: winget is not recognized
Your Windows is missing the App Installer. Use Option A, the desktop app, instead.
Claude Code works, but some commands seem to run in the wrong shell
Install Git for Windows. Claude Code uses it for its Bash tool, and some plugins, like superpowers, look for it. Without it, Claude Code uses PowerShell instead.
How to get the best result
Start Claude Code in a folder that holds only the files of one project, so it works on the right things. Begin with a small request such as "show me what is in this folder", then ask for the real task. If a step looks different on your screen, the official page always has the latest version.
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