You need: Windows 10 (1809+) or 11 · PowerShell · a Claude Pro/Max account or a Claude Console (API) account. No WSL required.
1. Open PowerShell
Press Win, type PowerShell, hit Enter.
2. Install Claude Code
Native installer (easiest):
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Or with npm (needs Node.js 18+):
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
3. Restart the terminal
Close and reopen PowerShell so the claude command is on your PATH.
4. Open your project and start
cd C:\path\to\your\project
claude
5. Log in
A browser opens on first run. Sign in with your Claude Pro/Max subscription, or choose Claude Console to use an API key. Done — type a request and it starts working.
Good to know
- Install Git for Windows (optional) so Claude Code can use Bash; without it, it falls back to PowerShell.
- Update: the native install auto-updates; with npm run
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest. - Next: your first Claude Code session.