How to Install Claude Code — Complete Setup Guide 2026

Originally published at claudeguide.io/how-to-install-claude-code

Installing Claude Code takes under 5 minutes: run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, set your API key, and type claude in any project directory. This guide covers every platform and the most common install errors.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Version	Check
Node.js	18.0+	node --version
npm	8.0+	npm --version
Anthropic API key	—	console.anthropic.com

If you don't have Node.js yet, install it first:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install node

# Windows
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS

# Ubuntu/Debian
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Step 1: Install Claude Code

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

Verify the install:

claude --version
# claude-code/x.x.x linux-x64 node-v20.x.x