Hello, Claude.

What's Claude Code, and why install it?

Claude Code is Claude that runs in a small terminal window on your computer. Same Claude as the chat at claude.ai — but with new abilities. The web chat can answer questions. Claude Code can also read and write files on your machine, run commands, work step-by-step on real tasks across many turns, and remember context. If you've ever wanted Claude to do something, not just describe how to do it, this is the version that does that.

You don't need to be a programmer. People use Claude Code to organize folders, edit documents, clean up photo libraries, manage receipts, write blog posts that span multiple files, automate repeating chores. The terminal looks intimidating; the experience is just chat.

The six steps

Each step is one thing to download, click, or paste. If something fails, the troubleshooting section below has the fix.

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

1. Install Node.js ~3 min

   Node.js is the engine that runs Claude Code. You install it once and never think about it again.

   1. Click the green button below. It opens nodejs.org in a new tab.
   2. The page shows two big download buttons side by side. Click the LEFT one — the one labeled LTS, with the words "Recommended For Most Users" underneath. (The right one is the newest version, which is fine for power users but isn't what we want here.)
   3. Run the file you just downloaded. Click Next through every screen and accept all defaults.
   4. Late in the installer, you may see a checkbox labeled "Automatically install the necessary tools…" — leave it unchecked. You don't need it. Click Next, Install, then Finish.
   Open nodejs.org →

2. Install Git for Windows ~5 min

   Git for Windows comes bundled with a terminal program called Git Bash. That's the window where Claude Code will live. We're installing Git mostly to get Git Bash — you don't need to learn Git itself.

   1. Click the green button below. It opens git-scm.com in a new tab.
   2. The site shows a download for your system. Click it.
   3. Run the installer. Heads-up: this installer has roughly a dozen screens with technical-looking choices (default editor, branch name, line endings, terminal emulator, etc.). Don't change anything — keep clicking Next. Every default is correct for what we're doing.
   4. At the end, click Install, wait for the progress bar, then Finish. You can uncheck "View Release Notes" before clicking Finish.
   Open git-scm.com →

3. Open Git Bash ~30 sec

   Time to meet the terminal. Don't worry — it's just a window where you paste things.

   1. Press the Win key on your keyboard. The Start menu opens.
   2. Type git bash.
   3. Click the Git Bash result. A small black-or-dark window opens with a blinking cursor. Leave this window open for the rest of the steps.
   Make the text bigger first. Right-click the title bar of the Git Bash window → Properties → Font. Pick a font size around 16 or 18. Click OK. Much easier on the eyes.

4. Install Claude Code ~2 min

   ⚠ Quick check before pasting The npm command in this step comes bundled inside the Node.js installer from step 1 — there is no separate npm download, and you cannot skip step 1. If you did skip it, you'll see bash: npm: command not found.
   
   Verify in Git Bash: type npm --version and press Enter. If it prints a number (like 10.8.2), continue below. If it says "command not found", go back and finish step 1, then close and reopen Git Bash — PATH won't refresh in an existing window.

   Copy the line below, paste it into your Git Bash window, press Enter. To paste in Git Bash, right-click anywhere inside the window — or use Shift+Insert. Plain Ctrl+V doesn't work in Git Bash.

   npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

   What you'll see next, in order:

   • A pause of 5–30 seconds where nothing seems to happen. That's normal. npm is contacting the package server.
   • A wave of yellow npm warn lines about deprecated packages. These warnings are normal. Nothing is broken. They scroll past quickly.
   • Some lines about "added" and "audited" packages.
   • The $ prompt comes back on a fresh line. That means the install finished. The result will look something like this:
   MINGW64:/c/Users/you

   $ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code npm warn deprecated @some-package@1.2.3: this version is deprecated npm warn deprecated other-thing@4.5.6: please upgrade ...several more lines like this... added 287 packages in 1m 23s 42 packages are looking for funding run `npm fund` for details $ █

   If the prompt comes back without the word error in red anywhere, you're done with this step. If you DO see "error" in red, jump to the troubleshooting section below.

5. Sign in ~3 min

   Type the word below into Git Bash and press Enter:

   claude

   On your first run, Claude Code shows a few setup screens before the chat opens. Roughly in this order:

   1. Theme picker. Pick the colors you want. Use ↑ and ↓ arrow keys to highlight a choice, then Enter. (Dark Mode is a safe default.)
   2. Sign-in method. Choose the option labeled "Claude account" or "Anthropic Console". Do NOT pick "API key" — you don't have one and don't need one.
   3. Browser opens. A web page loads automatically. Sign in with Google, email, or whichever sign-in you prefer. The page will say "you can return to your terminal."
   4. Switch back to Git Bash. Click its icon in your taskbar. It was waiting for you. Now you'll see a welcome message and a prompt where you can type to Claude.
   How to navigate these setup screens: arrow keys (↑ ↓) move the highlight, Enter picks. Don't try to type the option name — it won't work. There's no mouse in the terminal.

   After all the setup, the screen settles into something like this:

   MINGW64:/c/Users/you

   ╭───────────────────────────────────╮ │ ✻ Welcome to Claude Code │ │ Type your message and press Enter │ ╰───────────────────────────────────╯ > █
   You only do all of this once. From now on, just type claude in any Git Bash window and you're straight back in.

6. Try your first prompt ~3 min

   Claude Code is now waiting for input. Type something normal — not a "prompt," just a sentence — and press Enter:

   What can you do that the chat at claude.ai can't?

   Claude will reply right in your terminal. You can keep typing follow-up messages. Now give it a real task that touches your computer:

   Make a folder called "claude-test" on my Desktop, and put a file in it called hello.txt that says "Hello, Claude."

   The most important thing to understand: the permission prompt

   Before Claude Code touches anything — creating a file, running a command, editing your work — it pauses and asks. The screen looks something like this:

   MINGW64:/c/Users/you

   ● I'll create a folder claude-test on your Desktop and write a file hello.txt inside it. ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Allow this action? │ │ │ │ ❯ Yes │ │ Yes, and don't ask again for similar actions │ │ No, and tell Claude what to do differently │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

   Three rules for these prompts:

   1. Use arrow keys (↑ ↓) to move the highlight up and down. Don't try typing "y" or "yes" — the prompt ignores typing.
   2. Press Enter to confirm whichever option is highlighted.
   3. Read what it says first. The text above the prompt tells you exactly what Claude is about to do. Read it. If it's not what you wanted, pick the third option ("No, and tell Claude what to do differently") and explain.

   Pick Yes the first few times so you can see what happens. Switch to your Desktop. The folder and file appear. That's the part the web chat at claude.ai can't do.

   The middle option ("Yes, and don't ask again…") is a time-saver, not a free pass. Use it when you've started a clearly bounded task (e.g., "rename 200 photos") and don't want 200 separate confirmations. It only applies to the current Claude Code session — the next time you start claude, all permissions reset.

Quick install — three steps

The path Anthropic now recommends. Native installer, no Node, no npm. Self-updates in the background. Works on any Windows 10 or 11.

1. Open PowerShell ~10 sec

   PowerShell is built into every Windows 10/11 PC. Nothing to install.

   1. Press the Win key.
   2. Type powershell.
   3. Click the Windows PowerShell result. A blue-or-dark window opens with a PS C:\Users\you> prompt. Leave it open.

2. Paste the install command ~30 sec

   Right-click anywhere in the PowerShell window to paste. Then press Enter.

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

   You'll see a few lines about downloading and installing. When the PS C:\ prompt comes back, the install is done.

   Optional but recommended: install Git for Windows as well. Claude Code uses Git Bash for its shell tool when available; without it, it falls back to PowerShell, which is fine but slightly less full-featured.
   Alternative installers: if you have WinGet set up, run winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode instead. Same result.

3. Run claude ~2 min

   In the same PowerShell window, type:

   claude

   First run opens your browser to sign in (use the same Anthropic account you'd use at claude.ai). Approve, return to PowerShell, and the chat prompt appears. From now on, just type claude in any PowerShell or Git Bash window to start.

What can you actually do with this?

Anything that involves files, folders, or repetitive computer chores. A few starting ideas:

First-day commands worth knowing

Inside Claude Code, anything that starts with a slash is a command for the program (not a message to Claude). The handful below cover most of what you'll need on day one:

One terminal trick worth learning

Before you type claude, you can move into a folder you want to work in. That folder becomes Claude's "working directory" — the place it'll create and edit files unless you tell it otherwise. Example:

cd Desktop/my-book-project
claude

Now Claude operates inside that folder. To go back up one level, type cd ... To go to your home folder, just type cd by itself. That's 90% of folder navigation.

When something doesn't work

"npm: command not found" or "node: command not found"

Node.js installed but Git Bash didn't pick it up. Close Git Bash and open it again. New terminal windows see the new Node.js install; older ones don't. If that doesn't fix it, restart the computer and try once more.

The npm install line shows a long red error

Almost always a network or permission issue. Try these in order:

1. Run Git Bash as Administrator (right-click Git Bash in the Start menu → Run as administrator) and try the install line again.
2. If you're on a corporate network or VPN, that's blocking the download. Try from a home network.
3. If neither helps, copy the red text and search for it online. The error message itself usually tells you exactly what's wrong.

The browser opened the sign-in page but Git Bash seems stuck

That's normal. After you sign in on the web page, you have to switch back to the Git Bash window — it's been waiting for you. Look for it in your taskbar.

Claude Code keeps asking permission for everything

Good. That's the safety design. Each "yes/no" prompt is Claude telling you exactly what it's about to do before it does it. After you trust it for a particular task, you can pick "yes, and don't ask again for this kind of thing."

A few real-world habits worth picking up

Just talk. Don't write a "prompt."

Beginners often think there's a magic phrasing. There isn't. Talk to Claude the way you'd talk to a smart friend who's missing context. "Hey, I'm trying to figure out X. Here's what I know, here's what I'm stuck on. What would you do?" works as well as anything fancier.

Show, don't describe.

If you have a file, point at it: "Read my-essay.txt and tell me what you think." If you have an example you want imitated, paste it in. Claude is much better with concrete examples than abstract descriptions.

Course-correct freely.

"That's close, but make it shorter." "Try again, but more formal." "Actually, the situation is different: ..." Claude isn't graded on its first answer — it expects to iterate. Use that.

Start a fresh chat for unrelated tasks.

Type /clear when you switch from "edit my essay" to "sort my Downloads folder." Old context can confuse new tasks.

When you're ready for more

You don't need any of these on day one. They're here for the moment you find yourself thinking "okay, I want to go further."

That's the whole tutorial.

Install Node, install Git, paste one line, sign in, type a sentence. Welcome to Claude.