How to install Claude Code on your system

Native install (recommended)

The native installer is the easiest way to get Claude Code running. It downloads the latest version, places it on your PATH automatically, and updates itself in the background.

macOS, Linux, and WSL

Copy this line and paste it into your terminal, then press Enter:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

The installer downloads the binary and places it at ~/.local/bin/claude. When the installation finishes, you'll see "Claude Code successfully installed!"

Supported versions:

• macOS 13.0 or later
• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later
• Fedora 38 or later
• Alpine Linux 3.18 or later

Windows PowerShell

Open PowerShell and run:

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

The installer downloads and runs automatically. You'll see output scrolling as it works. When done, you'll see "Claude Code successfully installed!"

Windows Command Prompt (CMD)

If you prefer CMD instead of PowerShell:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

Note: On Windows, the native installer places the binary at %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe. Git for Windows is recommended so Claude Code can use the Bash tool; otherwise it falls back to PowerShell.

Package manager alternatives

If you already use a package manager, you can install Claude Code through it instead.

Homebrew (macOS and Linux)

brew install --cask claude-code

Two casks are available:

• claude-code — tracks the stable release (about a week behind latest, skips regressions)
• claude-code@latest — tracks the latest channel

Important: Homebrew installations do not auto-update. To get new versions, run:

brew upgrade claude-code

WinGet (Windows)

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Like Homebrew, WinGet does not auto-update. Run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode to update manually.

Linux package managers

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install claude-code

On Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install claude-code

On Alpine:

sudo apk add claude-code

Log in and start your first session

After installation, open a terminal in any project directory and start Claude Code:

claude

On first run, you'll be prompted to log in. Follow the browser window to authenticate with your Claude account. Once logged in, you're ready to start coding.

Starting Claude Code in a project

Each time you want to use Claude Code in a new project:

cd /path/to/your/project
claude

Claude Code will open and be ready to read your code, ask questions, and make edits.

Fixing "command not found" errors

If you installed Claude Code but got a "command not found" or "'claude is not recognized" error, the installer placed the binary on disk but your shell cannot find it. This happens when ~/.local/bin is not in your shell's PATH.

Check your PATH

Run this command to see where your shell looks for programs:

echo $PATH

Look for ~/.local/bin or /home/username/.local/bin in the output. If it's missing, follow the fix below.

Add to PATH permanently

On macOS (zsh):

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Then close and reopen your terminal.

On Linux (bash):

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Then close and reopen your terminal.

On Windows PowerShell:

PATH is usually set by the installer, but if the claude command is not found, use WinGet or Homebrew instead — they handle PATH automatically.

Verify the fix

Test that Claude Code is on your PATH:

claude --version

You should see a version number. If it works, your PATH is set up correctly.

Verify the installation

After installing and configuring your PATH, confirm everything works:

claude --version

Then start Claude Code:

claude

If you see the Claude Code interface and it opens without errors, you're ready to code.

Troubleshooting other installation issues

Network errors during download

The installer downloads from downloads.claude.ai. If you see "Failed to fetch version," verify your internet connection can reach that domain:

curl -I https://downloads.claude.ai

Permission denied errors

If the installer fails with permission errors on Linux or macOS, check that your home directory has write permission:

ls -la ~/ | grep .local

If .local does not exist or has restricted permissions, the installer cannot create ~/.local/bin. Create the directory manually:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

Then re-run the installer.

Desktop app alternative

If terminal setup feels daunting, Claude Code also ships as a desktop application. Download it for macOS or Windows, then open it directly — no terminal required. On Linux, use sudo apt install claude-code to install the app alongside the CLI.

Next steps

Once Claude Code is installed and running, you're ready to start coding. Point Claude Code at your project, ask it questions about your code, and request edits. To share your workflows with teammates, publish your skills on Onie.