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FreeInstall Claude Code
Install Claude Code
8 min read·Lesson 1 of Install Claude Code
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Install Claude Code
2:30 · spoken companion to this lesson
0:002:30
In the next few minutes you will install Claude Code and see it print its version number. That is the whole lesson.
You need two things: a computer, and a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise). The free Claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code. If you do not have a plan yet, get one first, because everything after this page depends on it.
Nothing in this lesson can break your computer. You are going to open a window, paste one line, and press Enter.
Step 1 — Open your terminal
The terminal is a window where you type instructions instead of clicking them. It is already on your computer. You do not need to download it.
Press Win + X, then choose Terminal. On older machines the menu says Windows PowerShell instead. Either is fine.
A window opens with pale text on a dark background. The last line ends with > and a blinking block. That blinking block is the cursor. It means the computer is waiting for you.
Now look at the start of that last line. If it begins with PS, you are in PowerShell. If there is no PS, you are in CMD. You need to know which one, because the next step is different for each.
That is the terminal, and it is now open. That was the part most people never get past.
Step 2 — Paste one line
This line is Anthropic's official installer. It downloads Claude Code and puts it on your computer.
If your line starts with PS, use this one:
Use the copy button, then paste into the terminal and press Enter.
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
If your line has no PS, you are in CMD, so use this one instead:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
To paste, press Ctrl + V. Then press Enter.
Text scrolls past while it works. That is normal. Wait until it stops and the cursor is blinking again.
For this one line, copy and paste rather than typing. A single wrong character in an install command produces an error that is hard to read and harder to fix. From the next lesson on, you will type things yourself.
Step 3 — Check that it worked
Type this one yourself. It is short, and typing it is how you learn that a command is only words you type.
claude --version
You should see
2.1.211 (Claude Code)
Your number will be different from the one above. Any version number means it worked.
That number is the first thing you have made this computer do from the terminal. You installed a program, and you confirmed it is there.
If it did not work
Most people see a version number here. If you did not, find your exact error below.
If you see 'claude' is not recognized
The install worked, but this terminal window still uses the list of programs it had when it opened. Close the window completely, open a new one, and run claude --version again.
If you see command not found: claude
Same cause as above. The window is using its old list of programs. Close it, open a new one, and try again.
If you see The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator
You are in PowerShell but used the CMD line. Go back to Step 2 and use the irm line.
If you see 'irm' is not recognized
You are in CMD but used the PowerShell line. Go back to Step 2 and use the curl line.
If you see syntax error near unexpected token '<'
This usually means Claude is not available in your country yet. Check Anthropic's list of supported countries. You can still practise in the browser sandbox while you sort it out.
If you see an SSL or TLS error
This happens on older Windows 10 machines. Run this line first, then try the install again:
Copy the exact error text and look it up on Anthropic's install troubleshooting page, which lists errors by their message. If you are still stuck, message us. A stuck install is our problem to fix, not yours.
What you now have
Claude Code, installed on your own computer.
A terminal you know how to open.
Proof that it works: a version number you printed yourself.
Next: you will ask Claude to write a file for you, and then go and look at it.