Claude Code on Windows: Install and Setup for Beginners

Originally published on khadim.tech.

In short: To install Claude Code on Windows, open PowerShell (no admin rights needed), run irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex, then open a new terminal and type claude --version. You need Windows 10 version 1809 or later, 4 GB of RAM and a paid Claude plan: the free plan doesn't include Claude Code, and Pro costs $20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly. If Windows says claude is not recognized, add %USERPROFILE%.local\bin to your user PATH and open a new terminal.

Claude Code on Windows takes one command to install, and you don't need to know how to code to use it. I filmed the whole setup on a fresh Windows 11 install for my YouTube channel, Khadim Labs: the install, the PATH warning the installer gave me, the sign-in, and two real jobs done in plain English. This page has every command from the video, plus the fixes Anthropic's documentation lists for the errors beginners run into. Steps and prices are as of 27 October 2026.

Video: Claude Code on Windows: Full Beginner Setup (No Coding Needed)

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is Anthropic's AI assistant that works on the files on your computer. The official overview calls it "an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and integrates with your development tools."

A chatbot like ChatGPT answers in a browser tab. Claude Code runs in the terminal, the window where you type commands, inside a folder you choose, where it can read, create and change files and run commands. You describe the result, it works out the steps, and you check what it did. Developers use it to write software, but the two jobs in my video were a messy folder and a bakery website. It also runs in the Claude desktop app, in VS Code and on the web.

Is Claude Code free? What does it cost?

No. Claude Code needs a paid plan, and the free Claude plan doesn't include it. These are the individual plans on claude.com/pricing as of 27 October 2026, in US dollars and before tax:

Plan	Price	Claude Code	Usage per 5-hour session
Free	$0	No	Everyday questions
Pro	$20/month, or $17/month billed yearly ($200 up front)	Yes	At least 5x Free
Max 5x	$100/month	Yes	5x Pro
Max 20x	$200/month	Yes	20x Pro

Limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, paid plans add weekly limits on top, and the Claude app and Claude Code share one pool. There's no fixed message count: usage depends on how long and complex the work is and which model you pick. At a limit you can wait, upgrade, or turn on usage credits billed at API rates. Type /usage in Claude Code to see where you stand.

Start with Pro. Anthropic's help article for Pro and Max suggests Max 5x if you "consistently hit limits." To pay per use instead, a Claude Console account with prepaid API credits works too. One trap: if an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable is set on your PC and you approve it when Claude Code asks, it bills that API account instead of your plan.

What do you need to run Claude Code on Windows?

From Anthropic's system requirements:

• Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows Server 2019 or later, 64-bit
• 4 GB of RAM or more, with an x64 or ARM64 processor
• An internet connection, in a supported country
• A Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account

You don't need admin rights, Node.js or WSL. Git for Windows is optional: it adds Git Bash, which Claude Code uses for its Bash tool, and without it Claude Code runs commands through PowerShell. Choose WSL 2 only if you want Linux tools or Claude Code's sandbox, which native Windows doesn't support.

How do I install Claude Code on Windows?

1. Right-click the Start button (or press Win + X) and choose Terminal or Windows PowerShell. Check that the prompt starts with PS. Without PS you're in Command Prompt, which needs a different command (below).
2. Paste this line and press Enter:

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

irm downloads the installer and iex runs it. It shows no progress while it downloads, and it took a few minutes for me. Anthropic's terminal guide says it ends with "Claude Code successfully installed!" Read the last lines anyway: mine also said the install folder wasn't on my PATH, which the next section fixes.

1. Close the terminal, open a new one, and check the install:

   claude --version

A working install prints a version number followed by (Claude Code). For a fuller check, claude doctor prints read-only diagnostics without starting a session.

The installer puts claude.exe in %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin and keeps it updated in the background. If you're in Command Prompt instead of PowerShell, use the CMD installer:

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

WinGet works too (winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode), but it doesn't update itself, so run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode now and then. To skip the terminal entirely, the Claude desktop app for Windows (x64 and ARM64) has a Code tab that runs Claude Code in a normal window.

Why does Windows say 'claude' is not recognized?

PowerShell shows claude : The term 'claude' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, and Command Prompt shows 'claude' is not recognized as an internal or external command. Both mean claude.exe is installed but its folder isn't on your PATH, the list of folders Windows searches for programs. The installer prints this under Setup notes: as Native installation exists but C:\Users\you\.local\bin is not in your PATH. and leaves PATH alone.

This is the fix I used in the video. It takes about 30 seconds, once:

1. Open Start and search for "environment variables for your account". Open it.
2. Under the user variables, select Path and click Edit.
3. Click New and type %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin.
4. Click OK, then OK again.
5. Close the terminal, open a new one, and run claude --version.

Or paste these two lines into PowerShell, from Anthropic's PATH troubleshooting, then open a new terminal:

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

Still not recognized in a new window? A terminal inside an editor such as VS Code takes its PATH from the editor, so quit and reopen the editor. If the error started right after an update, the docs explain how to restore claude.exe from its backup.

Other Claude Code install errors on Windows, and their fixes

These are the Windows errors in Anthropic's installation troubleshooting page.

What you see	What it means	Fix
'irm' is not recognized	You're in Command Prompt	Open PowerShell, or use the CMD installer above
The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator	You ran the CMD command in PowerShell	Use the irm command
A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'fsSL' or 'bash' is not recognized	You ran the macOS/Linux command	Use the irm command
The script's text prints and nothing installs	You ran irm without `\	iex`
Claude Code does not support 32-bit Windows	You opened Windows PowerShell (x86)	Open the Start entry without "(x86)"
The process cannot access the file ... because it is being used by another process	An earlier install is still running, or antivirus is scanning the download	Close other installer windows, delete %USERPROFILE%\.claude\downloads, run the installer again
Could not create SSL/TLS secure channel	Usually an older Windows 10	Run the TLS line below, then the installer
Typing claude opens the desktop app	An older Claude Desktop registered its own Claude.exe	Update Claude Desktop
App unavailable in region	Claude Code isn't offered in your country	No workaround

The TLS fix for older Windows 10:

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

How do I start Claude Code for the first time?

Claude Code works inside a folder, so make one for your first project, move into it, and start Claude Code:

mkdir Documents\my-first-project
cd Documents\my-first-project
claude

The first time, it asks you to pick a text style, then how to sign in: pick your Claude subscription. Your browser opens, you sign in with the account that has your plan and approve, and the terminal shows "Login successful" and asks you to press Enter. If the browser doesn't open, press c to copy the login link. If it shows a code instead of sending you back, paste it at "Paste code here if prompted."

Next it asks whether you trust this folder. The highlighted answer was "No, exit", so I pressed the down arrow, then Enter. Say yes only for folders you made. Avoid starting it in your user folder itself: the security docs say trust given there isn't saved, so the question comes back every launch.

Then you're in. You type in the box at the bottom, and the welcome screen shows the version, the model and your folder. The line under the box says auto mode is on, the starting mode for terminal sessions since Claude Code 2.1.283. In auto mode, reads and file edits inside your folder just happen. Everything else goes to a second AI model, the classifier, which blocks risky actions such as downloading and running code or permanently destroying files that existed before the session. After 3 blocks in a row, or 20 in a session, it pauses and Claude Code asks you instead.

How to use Claude Code with no coding: two tasks I ran

I recorded on Claude Code 2.1.310. For the first task I put 16 files in the project folder, photos, PDFs, spreadsheets and a voice memo all mixed together, and typed:

Sort these files into folders by type, and don't delete anything.

It looked at the files, made the folders and moved each file. About two minutes later it was done: six folders, with all 16 files still there. It also offered to put the screenshots in a folder of their own.

For the second task I asked for a website:

Make a simple one-page website for a bakery called Sunrise Bakery, with a menu, prices, opening hours and a contact section. Open it in my browser when it's done.

It took a couple of minutes to write the page, then opened it in Edge: a menu with prices, the opening hours and a contact section. The address and phone number were placeholders, so you'd swap in real ones. Changes are one more sentence:

Make the colors warmer and add a photo gallery.

About two minutes later it opened the new version, in oranges and creams, with a gallery that has empty spaces ready for your own photos. Sorting the files and building the site raised no permission prompts in auto mode.

How to get better results from Claude Code

1. Describe the result you want, not the steps, and add your rules, like "don't delete anything." Both tasks above were one sentence of this kind.
2. Use plan mode for bigger jobs. Shift+Tab cycles the modes, from auto to manual, accept edits, then plan, so press it three times until the line under the box says plan mode, or type /plan before one request. Claude then reads and proposes but doesn't edit. When I asked it to "Add an online order form to the website," it asked clarifying questions with suggested answers first, then showed the plan and waited for my okay. The docs list the choices as "Yes, and use auto mode", "Yes, manually approve edits" and "No, keep planning."
3. Give it a memory. /init writes a CLAUDE.md file with notes about your project, which Claude reads at the start of every session. Add your own rules there, and keep it under 200 lines, as the memory docs advise.
4. Rewind when it goes wrong. Press Esc twice with an empty input box, or type /rewind, to restore your files, the conversation, or both to an earlier point. Rewind only tracks changes made with Claude's own file-editing tool, so files moved or deleted by commands may not come back. Keep backups.
5. Type /clear when you switch tasks. It starts a fresh conversation, and the cost docs note that stale context "wastes tokens on every subsequent message."

Also useful: Esc once stops Claude mid-task, Shift+Enter adds a new line in Windows Terminal, Alt+V pastes an image, and @ picks a file by name. A procedure you repeat can become a Claude Code skill.

Is Claude Code safe to use on Windows?

It's safe enough to learn on if you start it in a folder you made and read what it does. Auto mode approves file edits in your folder without asking, and Anthropic's own warning is that it "reduces permission prompts but does not guarantee safety." To approve every step yourself, press Shift+Tab once from auto to reach manual mode: Claude Code then asks before it edits files or runs commands, apart from read-only ones such as ls and git status. The security docs put it plainly: "You're responsible for reviewing proposed code and commands for safety before approval."

Native Windows also lacks Claude Code's sandbox, which only WSL 2 supports, so never start it in your whole user folder, and never paste passwords or API keys into it.

If you want Claude Code set up for your team's real work, that's part of my AI agent consulting.

FAQ

Is Claude Code free?

No. The free Claude plan doesn't include Claude Code. The cheapest plan that does is Pro, at $20 a month or $17 a month billed yearly, and its usage limits are shared with the Claude app on web, desktop and mobile.

Do I need to know how to code to use Claude Code?

No. You type what you want in plain English. In my beginner video it sorted a folder of 16 files and built a one-page bakery website, and I didn't write any code. You still need to read what it does and check the result.

Do I need admin rights to install Claude Code on Windows?

No. Anthropic's setup guide says you don't need to run the installer as Administrator. It puts claude.exe in %USERPROFILE%.local\bin, inside your own user folder.

Do I need WSL or Git to use Claude Code on Windows?

Neither. Claude Code runs natively on Windows 10 version 1809 or later. Git for Windows is optional: it adds Git Bash, and without it Claude Code runs commands through PowerShell. WSL 2 matters only if you want Claude Code's sandbox, which native Windows doesn't support.

Can I use Claude Code without the terminal?

Yes. The Claude desktop app for Windows has a Code tab that runs Claude Code with a graphical interface, and it needs the same paid plan. Anthropic's help center now lists it as the recommended way for Pro and Max subscribers to open Claude Code.

How do I update or uninstall Claude Code on Windows?

The PowerShell install updates itself in the background, and claude update applies an update right away. A WinGet install doesn't update itself, so run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode. To remove the PowerShell install, delete %USERPROFILE%.local\bin\claude.exe and the %USERPROFILE%.local\share\claude folder.

Why is Claude Code using API credits instead of my Pro plan?

An ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable is set on your PC and you approved it when Claude Code asked. Claude Code then bills that key's API account instead of your subscription. Turn the key off with the Use custom API key toggle in /config, or remove the variable, and check /status to see which login is active.

Disclosure: written with AI assistance, from my own recording and notes.