How to install Claude Code on macOS, Linux and Windows

Claude Code how to install, in short: open a terminal and run one command: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash on macOS, Linux and WSL, or irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex in Windows PowerShell. Then run claude --version to check it worked. This guide follows Anthropic's advanced setup page and quickstart, as of October 27, 2026. We did not run the commands ourselves; every step below comes from those pages.

By the end you will have Claude Code installed, signed in, and kept up to date, and you will know what to try if the install fails.

What you need before you install

• Operating system: macOS 13.0 or later, Windows 10 1809 or later (or Windows Server 2019 or later), Ubuntu 20.04 or later, Debian 10 or later, or Alpine Linux 3.19 or later.
• Hardware: 4 GB of RAM or more, and an x64 or ARM64 processor.
• Network: an internet connection, and a location in a country Anthropic supports.
• Shell: Bash, Zsh, PowerShell or CMD.
• An account: a Claude Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise subscription, a Claude Console account, or access through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry. The docs say the free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code. Our guide on whether Claude is free covers what the free plan does include.

On native Windows, Git for Windows is optional. With it, Claude Code uses Git Bash for its Bash tool. Without it, Claude Code uses PowerShell instead. WSL setups do not need it.

How to install Claude Code on macOS, Linux and WSL

The docs recommend the native installer. Run this in a terminal:

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

The command shows no progress while it downloads. When it finishes, open a new terminal window.

If you use Homebrew on macOS, you can run this instead:

brew install --cask claude-code

Homebrew has two casks. claude-code follows the stable channel, which is typically about a week behind and skips releases with major regressions. claude-code@latest gets new versions as soon as they ship.

On Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL and Alpine you can also install from signed apt, dnf or apk repositories. The setup page gives the exact commands for each, including how to check the signing key.

How to install Claude Code on Windows

Run the command for the shell you are in. You do not need Administrator rights. Your prompt shows PS C:\ in PowerShell and C:\ without the PS in CMD.

PowerShell:

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

CMD:

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

WinGet is the alternative:

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Windows has a second route: WSL. Open your WSL distribution and run the Linux command there, then launch claude from the WSL terminal, not from PowerShell or CMD. The docs say WSL 2 supports sandboxing, while native Windows and WSL 1 do not.

Alpine Linux needs extra packages

Alpine does not include bash or curl, so the install command fails with a not found error until you add them. The docs also list libgcc, libstdc++ and ripgrep as runtime requirements:

apk add bash curl libgcc libstdc++ ripgrep

Then set USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP to 0 under env in your settings.json file.

How to install Claude Code with npm

You can also use npm, which needs Node.js 22 or later:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

The docs say the npm package installs the same native binary as the standalone installer. Do not use sudo npm install -g; it can cause permission problems.

How to check that Claude Code installed

Run:

claude --version

A working install prints a version number followed by (Claude Code), such as 2.1.211 (Claude Code). For a fuller check, run claude doctor. It prints read-only diagnostics without starting a session, including install health, settings errors and suggested fixes.

How to sign in and start your first session

Open a terminal in your project folder and run:

cd /path/to/your/project
claude

On first use, Claude Code asks you to log in. Follow the prompts in your browser. If you set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable and approve the key when asked, Claude Code skips the login prompt. Your credentials are stored, so you log in once. To switch accounts later, type /login inside a session.

Once you are in, try what does this project do? as a first prompt. Type /help to see the available commands.

How to update Claude Code

Native installs update themselves in the background. Claude Code checks on startup and periodically while running, and a new version takes effect the next time you start it. To update right away:

claude update

It reports Successfully updated from <old version> to version <new version>, or Claude Code is up to date if you are current.

Other install methods do not update themselves by default:

You can choose a release channel. The default, latest, gives you new features as soon as they ship. stable uses a version typically about a week old. Set it in /config under Auto-update channel, or in settings.json:

{
  "autoUpdatesChannel": "stable"
}

To turn off background updates, set DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER to "1" under env in settings.json. That still allows claude update. To block every update path, use DISABLE_UPDATES instead.

Common installation problems

Anthropic's installation troubleshooting page matches each error message to a fix. These are the most common ones.

claude: command not found after installing

The install directory is not on your PATH yet. The installer puts claude at ~/.local/bin/claude on macOS and Linux, and at %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe on Windows. First open a new terminal window. If that does not help, add the folder to your PATH. For Zsh:

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

For Bash on Linux, use ~/.bashrc in place of ~/.zshrc. For Bash on macOS, use ~/.bash_profile. On Windows PowerShell:

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

Restart the terminal afterward. A terminal inside an editor takes its PATH from the editor, so quit and reopen the editor.

The install script returns HTML or a 403

Errors such as syntax error near unexpected token '<' or curl: (22) The requested URL returned error: 403 mean the URL returned a web page or an error instead of the script. If the output says "App unavailable in region", Claude Code is not available in your country. Otherwise, retry after a few minutes, check that you can reach downloads.claude.ai, or use Homebrew or WinGet instead.

Wrong command for your Windows shell

If PowerShell says The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator, you ran the CMD command in PowerShell. If CMD says 'irm' is not recognized, you ran the PowerShell command in CMD.

Permission errors

On macOS and Linux the installer writes to ~/.local/bin, ~/.local/share/claude and a few other folders under your home directory. If one is not writable, the docs suggest:

sudo mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.local

Auto-update failed

If the footer shows Auto-update failed · Run claude doctor, run claude update from your shell.

Two copies of Claude Code

Several installs can cause version mismatches. Run which -a claude (or where.exe claude on Windows) to list them, and keep only the native one. To remove an npm copy, run npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.

Your subscription is not offered at login

Anthropic's help center article on using Claude Code with Pro or Max lists these steps: run /logout, run claude update, restart the terminal fully, then run claude and pick the right account. It also warns that an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable overrides your subscription, so usage is billed as API usage instead of counting against your plan.

How to uninstall Claude Code

For a native install on macOS, Linux or WSL:

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

Homebrew users run brew uninstall --cask claude-code, WinGet users run winget uninstall Anthropic.ClaudeCode, and npm users run npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. Settings and session history live in ~/.claude, and removing that folder deletes them.

Where to go next

Anthropic's quickstart walks through asking questions about your code, making a first change and using Git from the session. If you prefer a graphical interface, the docs also point to a Desktop app that runs Claude Code without the terminal.