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How to Install Claude Code in 60 Seconds (Mac & Windows)

AR006 · 29 Oct 2026 · 59 s · by — AI Strategist, Practitioner & Educator · Founder, AI Center of Excellence

How to install Claude Code: on a Mac, open Terminal and paste curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash. On Windows, open PowerShell and paste irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex. It shows no progress while it downloads, so wait, then open a new window and type claude. What stops most people: the free Claude plan doesn't include Claude Code. You need Pro ($20 a month), Max, Team or Enterprise, or a Claude Console (API) account. On the first start your browser opens to log in, Claude Code asks whether you trust the folder, and /init lets it learn your project.

Step-by-step guide

Install Claude Code, from nothing to your first question

Never opened a terminal? That's fine. A terminal is a window where you type a command and press Enter, and that's all you need to do here: one line to install, one login, then your first question. Pick your computer below and follow the steps in order.

▶ Watch the 60-second video first

Reading this on your phone? Open unrsnbl.ai/ar006 on your computer as well: you'll copy the commands from there.

Before you begin

  • A paid Claude plan: Pro ($20 a month, billed monthly), Max, Team or Enterprise. Or a Claude Console account, which bills by API usage. The free Claude plan doesn't include Claude Code.
  • A Mac with macOS 13 or later, or a PC with Windows 10 (version 1809) or later, with at least 4 GB of memory.
  • An internet connection.

Install it

  1. Open Terminal

    Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal and press Enter. A window with a blinking cursor opens: that's where you type commands.

  2. Paste the install line and press Enter

    Copy the line below, paste it into Terminal with Cmd + V and press Enter. It shows no progress while it downloads. That's normal: leave the window open and wait.

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

    What you should see

    Claude Code successfully installed!
…
Installation complete!

  3. Check that it worked

    Open a new Terminal window (or close Terminal and open it again) and type:

    Terminal
    claude --version

    What you should see

    2.1.312 (Claude Code)

    Any version number followed by (Claude Code) means it worked. Yours may be newer. Then go on to Your first start.

Tap or click a step’s number when you’ve done it. Your ticks stay on this device.

Your first start

The same on Mac and Windows.

  1. Go into your project folder

    Claude Code works in the folder you start it in. If you already have a project folder, type cd, a space and the folder's path. Or make a new folder and go into it:

    Mac (Terminal)
    mkdir my-project && cd my-project
    Windows (PowerShell)
    mkdir my-project; cd my-project

  2. Start Claude Code

    Terminal or PowerShell
    claude

  3. Log in (only the first time)

    Choose "Claude account with subscription" if you have Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise, or "Anthropic Console account" if you pay by API usage. Your browser opens: sign in, approve, and come back to the terminal.

    What you should see

    Login successful

    Press Enter to continue. If the browser doesn't open, press c to copy the login link and paste it into your browser. Your login is stored, so you won't need to log in again.

  4. Trust the folder

    Claude Code asks whether you trust this folder. Choose "Yes, I trust this folder", but only for folders that are yours.

  5. Let it learn your project

    Type /init and press Enter. Claude Code reads the project and writes a CLAUDE.md file: a starting guide for itself.

    Claude Code
    /init

  6. Ask your first question

    Type in plain English and press Enter. In a folder with your files, try:

    Claude Code
    what does this project do?

    In a new, empty folder, ask it to build something instead, for example "make me a simple webpage that says hello world". Type /help to see the commands, and /login to switch accounts.

If something goes wrong

  1. command not found: claude or 'claude' is not recognized

    The folder it was installed into isn't on your PATH yet. Open a new terminal window and try again. Still the same? Follow Fix your PATH in Anthropic's docs.

  2. Any other error

    Anthropic's troubleshooting page matches each error message to a fix.

Updates and other ways to install

  1. Updates: nothing to do

    The install line above (the native install) updates Claude Code by itself in the background.

  2. Prefer Homebrew (Mac) or WinGet (Windows)?

    Mac (Homebrew)
    brew install --cask claude-code
    Windows (WinGet)
    winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

    These don't update themselves. Run brew upgrade claude-code or winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode now and then.

Did it work?

The official source for every step: Claude Code Quickstart (Anthropic) ↗

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Materials

Take it with you

Sources

unPaper · slides with your work AI

Your AI at work can't make slides like Claude or ChatGPT at home?

  1. 1Pick slide type, style and format
  2. 2Copy the prompt into your approved AI at work
  3. 3Get the deck. Company data never leaves your approved environment
Try unpaper.aiFree for individual use, including at work.

You bring the AI. We bring the Craft.

Alexey presents and contributes to unPaper.

Slide made with unPaper: Proceed with a staged Westhaven siteSlide made with unPaper: How shared heat will work at Harbor LoopSlide made with unPaper: Project Atlas rollout statusSlide made with unPaper: 64% needed one partSlide made with unPaper: Aurora Night Line field report

Transcript

Read every word ↓

Claude Code built my whole video editing tool. Installing it requires just one line. On a Mac, open terminal and paste the line from Anthropic setup page. On Windows, open PowerShell and paste the Windows line. It shows no progress bar, so just wait. Then open a new terminal and type claude. But here's what stops most people. The free Claude plan doesn't include Claude Code. You need Pro, $20 a month, or an API account. On the first start, your browser opens to log in. Then it asks if you trust the folder.

Start it inside the project folder, then type slash init, and it learns your whole project. One line, one login, then tell it what to build.

Questions people ask

Is Claude Code free?
No. The free Claude plan doesn't include Claude Code. You need a paid plan, Pro ($20 a month billed monthly), Max, Team or Enterprise, or a Claude Console account billed by API usage (claude.com/pricing and Anthropic's docs, checked 28 October 2026).
Do I need administrator rights to install Claude Code on Windows?
No. Anthropic's setup page says you don't need to run the install as Administrator, from PowerShell or CMD.
Why does it say claude is not found after installing?
The install folder isn't on your PATH yet. Open a new terminal window and try again. If it still fails, follow "Fix your PATH" in Anthropic's troubleshooting docs.
Do I have to update Claude Code myself?
Not with the native install line: it updates itself in the background. Homebrew and WinGet installs don't, so you run brew upgrade claude-code or winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode yourself.

Keep going

Longer video · AS002Personal ChatGPT or Claude for Work Slides? Don't Leak Company Data
← PreviousClaude for Free: What You Really Get (No "Unlimited" Hacks)

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