Don’t want to use the terminal? The Claude Code desktop app lets you skip the terminal entirely. Download it for macOS or Windows, then see the Desktop quickstart to get started.
macOS and Linux
Follow these steps to install and start Claude Code from a macOS or Linux terminal. Claude Code requires macOS 13.0 or later. See the system requirements for supported Linux distributions.1
Open a terminal
macOS: Press
Cmd + Space to open Spotlight Search, type Terminal, and press Enter.Linux: Open your terminal app. On most distributions, press Ctrl + Alt + T or search for “Terminal” in your application menu.A window will appear with a blinking cursor. This is your terminal, where you type commands.2
Install Claude Code
Copy this line, paste it into your terminal (This downloads and runs the Claude Code installer from claude.ai. You’ll see text scrolling as it works. When it’s done, you’ll see “Claude Code successfully installed!” If you see an error instead, check the troubleshooting section below.
Cmd + V on macOS, Ctrl + Shift + V on Linux), and press Enter:curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
3
Start Claude Code
Type You’ll be prompted to log in with your Claude account. Follow the on-screen instructions. A browser window will open for you to sign in.
claude and press Enter:claude
4
Start using Claude Code
Once logged in, you can start asking Claude questions about your code or anything else. Claude Code runs entirely in text. You type messages and press
Enter to send them. A few things to know:- You can’t click on things in the terminal. Use the arrow keys to move around.
- Press
Escto interrupt Claude if it’s running. - Type
exitor pressCtrl + Dto leave Claude Code. - Type
/helpto see available commands.
Windows
Follow these steps to optionally install Git for Windows, set up PowerShell, and start Claude Code on Windows. Claude Code requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later. See the system requirements for full details.1
Install Git for Windows (optional)
Git for Windows provides Git Bash, which enables the Bash tool. Without it, Claude Code uses PowerShell instead. You won’t need to learn Git yourself.If you don’t already have it:
- Go to git-scm.com/downloads/win and download the installer
- Run the installer. Click Next on each screen to accept the defaults. The installer has many screens, but you don’t need to change anything.
- If it asks you to choose an editor, keep the default and click Next.
- When you see “Adjusting your PATH environment,” keep the recommended option selected.
Already have Git? You can skip this step. If you’re not sure, install it anyway. Reinstalling won’t cause problems.
2
Open PowerShell
PowerShell is Windows’ built-in terminal for typing commands. It comes pre-installed on every Windows computer.Press
Win + X and select Windows PowerShell (or Terminal) from the menu. A window with a blinking cursor will appear. This is where you’ll type commands.Windows has two command-line programs: PowerShell and CMD. They look similar but use different commands. Make sure you’re in PowerShell for the next step.How to tell which one you’re in:
- PowerShell: shows
PS C:\Users\YourName>at the start of each line - CMD: shows
C:\Users\YourName>without thePS
3
Install Claude Code
Copy this line, paste it into PowerShell with This downloads and runs the Claude Code installer.
Ctrl + V or right-click, and press Enter:irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
irm fetches the file and iex runs it. You’ll see text scrolling as it works. When it’s done, you’ll see “Claude Code successfully installed!” If you see an error instead, check the troubleshooting section below.If you’re in CMD instead of PowerShell, use this command:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
4
Start Claude Code
Close PowerShell and open a new PowerShell window so it recognizes the newly installed You’ll be prompted to log in with your Claude account. Follow the on-screen instructions. A browser window will open for you to sign in.
claude command. Then type:claude
5
Start using Claude Code
Once logged in, you can start asking Claude questions about your code or anything else. Claude Code runs entirely in text. You type messages and press
Enter to send them. A few things to know:- You can’t click on things in the terminal. Use the arrow keys to move around.
- Press
Escto interrupt Claude if it’s running. - Type
exitor pressCtrl + Dto leave Claude Code. - Type
/helpto see available commands.
What’s next?
Once you see the Claude Code welcome screen, you’re ready to go. You don’t need to know how to code. Describe what you want in plain English, and Claude writes the code for you.Build something
Claude can create projects from a description:make me a simple webpage that says hello world
Work with files on your computer
Claude can read and organize files you already have:look at the screenshots on my Desktop and rename them based on what's in each image
Ask questions
Claude can explain things, help you learn, or plan out a project:I want to build a personal budget tracker. What would I need?
Other ways to use Claude Code
You don’t have to use the terminal. Claude Code is also available in:- VS Code and JetBrains IDEs as editor extensions
- The desktop app, with no terminal required
- The web at claude.ai/code for cloud sessions
- GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD for automation
Learn more
- Quickstart: a guided walkthrough of your first project with Claude Code
- How Claude Code works: understand how Claude reads your files, runs commands, and makes edits
- Best practices: get better results with effective prompting and project setup
- Common workflows: step-by-step guides for debugging, testing, refactoring, and more
- Terminal configuration: customize your terminal for the best Claude Code experience