Install Claude Code on Windows

Claude Code is a terminal-based AI coding assistant. It lives in your command line and can read, write, and edit code in your projects.

What you need

A Claude account (paid plan recommended)

Claude Code is free to install, but you'll need a Claude Max subscription or Anthropic API credits to actually use it. Max is usually cheaper for heavy use.

Windows 10 or 11 (any architecture)

ARM64 laptops are fully supported. No WSL (Linux subsystem) required — Claude Code runs natively on Windows since 2025.

Choose your installation method

Claude Desktop App Claude Code (CLI)First Steps

Install Claude Desktop on Windows

This is the easiest way to get started. No terminal needed — just download and sign in.

Go to the download page

Open your browser and visit claude.ai/download. Click the Windows button to download the installer.

Run the installer

Open the downloaded file (it will be a .exe or .msix installer). Click through the install screens — all defaults are fine.

No administrator rights needed. The app installs per-user by default.

Launch Claude

Find Claude in your Start menu and open it. It will ask you to sign in with your claude.ai account.

Sign in and you're done

After logging in, you'll see the main chat interface. You can start chatting right away — just like the web version, but running locally on your computer.

Bonus feature: Cowork

Cowork — let Claude work on your files

If you have a paid plan (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise), look for the Cowork tab inside the app. It lets Claude access your local files, organize folders, write documents, build spreadsheets, and handle long tasks — all without you lifting a finger. It runs in an isolated virtual machine for safety.

Cowork is in research preview — expect it to get even better over time.

Install Claude Code on Windows

The command-line version gives you full power — ideal for developers and power users.

Step 1 — Install Git for Windows

Download and install Git

Claude Code needs Git (and its built-in Bash terminal) to run on Windows. Go to git-scm.com/download/win and run the installer. Click "Next" on every screen — all default options are fine.

After installing Git, you'll have "Git Bash" available — this is the terminal you'll use for Claude Code.

Step 2 — Install Claude Code

Open PowerShell as Administrator

Press the Windows key, type "Terminal" or "PowerShell", right-click the result, and choose Run as administrator.

Run the official installer command

Paste this command and press Enter. It downloads and installs Claude Code automatically — no Node.js needed.

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

If you see an error like "running scripts is disabled", run this first, then retry: Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Close PowerShell and open Git Bash

Important: you must open a new terminal window for the installation to take effect. Search for "Git Bash" in the Start menu and open it.

Verify the installation

Type this and press Enter:

claude --version

If you see a version number (like 1.x.x), you're good to go!

If you see "claude is not recognized", make sure you opened Git Bash (not regular Command Prompt), or open a brand new terminal window.

Step 3 — Sign in

Run Claude for the first time

In Git Bash, type:

claude

A browser window will open asking you to log in with your Anthropic account. Complete the login — this is a one-time step.

No API key management needed. Claude Code uses OAuth — just log in like a normal app.

Use Your First Playbook

Now that Claude is installed, here's how to use any playbook from this site.

Pick a playbook

Browse the playbooks and find one that matches what you need. Each playbook has a difficulty level and estimated setup time.

Create a project folder

Create a new folder on your computer for the project. For example, right-click on your Desktop → New → Folder → name it something like my-project.

Download the CLAUDE.md template

On the playbook page, click the Download button. This saves a file called CLAUDE.md. Move this file into the project folder you just created.

The CLAUDE.md file is like an instruction manual for Claude. When Claude sees this file in a folder, it knows exactly what to do.

Open Claude and point it to your folder

Desktop app: Open Claude Desktop, go to the Cowork tab, and select your project folder.

CLI (terminal): In Git Bash, navigate to your folder and run Claude:

cd ~/Desktop/my-project

claude

Start working!

Claude will automatically read the CLAUDE.md file and understand your workflow. Just tell it what you need in plain English — for example:

"Organize all my tax documents in this folder"

That's it! Claude reads your CLAUDE.md, understands the playbook, and gets to work.

Ready to go?

Browse Playbooks