Claude Code on Windows: how to install it, sign in, and fix the common errors

To install Claude Code on Windows, open PowerShell and run irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex. In CMD, the command is curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd; with WinGet, winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode. Then open a new terminal, check claude --version, and run claude in a project folder to sign in with Claude Pro or higher, or a Console account. No administrator rights needed, and Git for Windows is optional. All of that is from Anthropic’s Claude Code setup docs, checked on October 5, 2026.

There’s one step the one-liner doesn’t do on its own, at least on my machine: put claude on your PATH. That’s the first error most people hit, and it’s the first fix below.

What you need before you install

From Anthropic’s system requirements:

• Windows 10 version 1809 or newer, or Windows 11 (Windows Server 2019 or newer works too).
• A 64-bit system, x64 or ARM64. The installer picks the right build: on my ARM64 machine, claude doctor reported Platform: win32-arm64. 32-bit Windows isn’t supported.
• 4 GB of RAM or more, and an internet connection, from a supported country.
• A shell: PowerShell or CMD. Windows already has both.
• Git for Windows: optional. More on what it changes below.
• A paid account. Claude Code needs Claude Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise, or a Claude Console account; the free claude.ai plan doesn’t include it. What each plan costs is in Is Claude Code free?

Native Windows or WSL2

You can run Claude Code natively, or inside WSL (the Linux subsystem). Anthropic’s Windows setup section puts the choice like this:

The sandbox row is the one that matters most. Claude Code’s sandbox limits what the commands it runs can touch, and “on native Windows, Claude Code runs commands unsandboxed”. You still get Claude Code’s permission prompts natively; you don’t get the extra wall around the commands. WSL1 works too, but without the sandbox.

If your projects are ordinary Windows folders and you use Windows tools, go native. If you work in Linux anyway, install inside WSL2.

Install Claude Code on Windows

PowerShell (the recommended way)

Open PowerShell from the Start menu (the prompt starts with PS C:\) and run:

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

I read the script before running it. It’s short: it refuses to run in a 32-bit process, picks the x64 or ARM64 build, downloads the latest version from downloads.claude.ai, checks it against the SHA-256 checksum in the release manifest, then hands over to the downloaded claude.exe to install itself. The downloaded copy goes in %USERPROFILE%\.claude\downloads and is deleted at the end. The binary is signed: Windows reported a valid signature from “Anthropic, PBC”.

On my machine it took 84 seconds and printed this (paths shortened):

Setting up Claude Code...

Checking installation status...
Installing Claude Code native build latest...
Setting up launcher and shell integration...
‼ Setup notes:
  ● Native installation exists but C:\…\.local\bin is not in your PATH. Add it by opening: System Properties → Environment Variables → Edit User PATH → New → Add the path above. Then restart your terminal.

√ Claude Code successfully installed!

  Version: 2.1.289

  Location: C:\…\.local\bin\claude.exe

  Next: Run claude --help to get started

Two things in there. The program itself lands in %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe, with the versions kept in %USERPROFILE%\.local\share\claude\versions. And the setup note: the installer did not add that folder to my PATH. I compared my user PATH before and after, and it hadn’t changed. So in a new window, claude wasn’t found until I added the folder (the fix is below).

Native installs update themselves in the background, and claude update updates on demand.

CMD

If you’re in Command Prompt (the prompt is C:\ without PS), use the CMD installer instead:

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

I didn’t run this one.

WinGet

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

The difference that matters: WinGet installs don’t update themselves. Run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode now and then, or set CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE=1 to have Claude Code run the upgrade for you (updates). Anthropic notes the upgrade can fail while Claude Code is running, because Windows locks the file. I didn’t test WinGet.

npm works too (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, Node.js 22 or later), and installs the same native binary. I’d only use it if you already manage your tools with npm.

Inside WSL2

Open your WSL distribution and run the Linux installer there, then start claude from the WSL terminal, not from PowerShell:

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

WSL setups don’t need Git for Windows. I didn’t test WSL.

Check that it worked

Open a new terminal and run:

PS> claude --version
2.1.289 (Claude Code)

claude doctor checks the install without starting a session. Once the folder was on my PATH, it said:

PS> claude doctor
Claude Code doctor

Running: native (2.1.289)
Platform: win32-arm64
Path: C:\…\.local\bin\claude.exe
Config install method: native
Search: OK (bundled)
Auto-updates: enabled
Auto-update channel: latest
…
No installation issues found.

Before the PATH fix, the same command listed the problem instead: Native installation exists but C:\…\.local\bin is not in your PATH, with how to fix it. It’s the quickest way to find out what’s wrong with an install.

claude auth status tells you whether you’re signed in. On my fresh install it printed "loggedIn": false and "authMethod": "none" and exited with code 1.

Sign in: Claude plan or Console account

In your project folder, run claude. The first time, Claude Code opens a browser window to sign in (authentication docs). You can sign in with:

• Claude Pro or Max: your claude.ai account. Usage counts against your plan.
• Claude Team or Enterprise: the claude.ai account your admin invited.
• Claude Console: pay per use at API rates. Your Console admin has to invite you first, with the Claude Code or Developer role.
• Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry, if your company uses one: no browser sign-in, you set their environment variables instead.

When it’s done, the terminal shows Login successful; press Enter to continue. If the browser doesn’t open, press c to copy the sign-in link and paste it into a browser yourself. On Windows the login is saved in %USERPROFILE%\.claude\.credentials.json, readable only by your user account by default. /logout signs you out.

One trap if you have both a plan and an API key: when the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable is set, Claude Code asks once whether to use the key, and if you approve, it bills the key instead of your plan. More on that in the errors below.

Git for Windows: Git Bash or PowerShell

Git for Windows is optional. What changes is which shell Claude Code uses for its commands (Windows setup):

• Without Git for Windows, Claude Code runs commands through its PowerShell tool.
• With Git for Windows, it uses Git Bash for its Bash tool, and keeps the PowerShell tool available alongside it on claude.ai and Console accounts. The Monitor tool needs Git Bash.

If your project’s scripts are Bash, or you’ll use Git anyway (you probably will), install Git for Windows from git-scm.com. My machine has Git for Windows 2.55.0 in the default C:\Program Files\Git, which is the first place Claude Code looks. I didn’t start a session, so I didn’t see Claude Code pick it.

If Claude Code can’t find Git Bash in a non-standard location, point it there in your settings.json (%USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json):

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"
  }
}

The file has to be bash.exe (or sh.exe): Git’s git-bash.exe launcher is ignored. Find yours with where.exe git and use the bin\bash.exe from that installation.

Common errors and their fixes

All of these come from Anthropic’s installation and login troubleshooting page. I hit the first one myself; the others are the docs’ fixes, which I haven’t needed.

‘claude’ is not recognized after installing

The install folder isn’t on your PATH. Check in PowerShell:

$env:PATH -split ';' | Select-String '\.local\\bin'

No output means it’s missing. Add it to your user PATH, then open a new terminal:

$currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', 'User')
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', "$currentPath;$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", 'User')

If claude stopped being recognized right after an update, it’s a different problem: on Windows, Claude Code’s updater renames the old claude.exe aside, and if the swap fails, the folder is left with only the backup. Rename the newest backup back:

Get-ChildItem "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\claude.exe.old.*" | Sort-Object Name | Select-Object -Last 1 | Rename-Item -NewName claude.exe

If there’s no backup, rerun the installer.

Wrong command for your shell

I ran the Mac/Linux command in PowerShell on purpose: it failed on bash before anything installed. (My Windows is in Italian, so the message was in Italian.)

Claude Code does not support 32-bit Windows

You probably opened “Windows PowerShell (x86)” from the Start menu, which runs as 32-bit even on a 64-bit PC. Check with [Environment]::Is64BitOperatingSystem: if it prints True, close that window, open “Windows PowerShell” without (x86), and install again.

The process cannot access the file

The installer couldn’t write to %USERPROFILE%\.claude\downloads, usually because another install is still running or antivirus is scanning the download. Close other installer windows, wait, then:

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\downloads"
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Claude Code on Windows requires either Git for Windows (for bash) or PowerShell

Neither shell was found. PowerShell’s default folder is C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\: put it back on your PATH, or install PowerShell 7. Or install Git for Windows and choose “Add to PATH” during setup. If Git is installed somewhere unusual, set CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH as above. On a managed work PC, Anthropic notes that AppLocker, Group Policy or endpoint security can block claude.exe or the shells it starts; that’s one for your IT team.

running scripts is disabled on this system

This one is for npm installs: PowerShell’s execution policy blocks the .ps1 launchers npm creates. Allow local scripts for your user (Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser), call claude.cmd instead, or switch to the PowerShell installer, which installs a real .exe.

Typing claude opens Claude Desktop

An older Claude Desktop could register its own Claude.exe that wins on the PATH. Update Claude Desktop.

Sign-in doesn’t come back to the terminal in WSL2

In WSL2, the browser’s redirect can’t reach Claude Code, so the browser shows a code instead. Paste it at the Paste code here if prompted prompt. If pasting does nothing, try right-click or Shift+Insert in Windows Terminal, or run claude auth login, which reads the code from standard input. If the browser doesn’t open at all from WSL2, set BROWSER to your Windows browser’s path.

“This organization has been disabled” with an active plan

An old ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set and overriding your subscription. Remove it for the session (Remove-Item Env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY), then remove it for good from your PowerShell profile ($PROFILE) and your user environment variables. /status inside Claude Code shows which login is in use.

Where Plyloft fits

Updated for Plyloft 1.168 on October 22, 2026.

I run Claude Code next to Codex, one building and the other reviewing, and on Windows that’s the same setup as on the Mac. If you want the second agent too, here’s how to install Codex CLI on Windows; why I split the work this way is in Codex vs Claude Code.

Plyloft, the app I build, runs the official claude and codex CLIs on plans you already pay for: Claude Pro or higher, or ChatGPT Plus or higher. One plan is enough; with only Claude, the reviewer is a second Claude session, and the card says so. It runs on Windows 11, 64-bit (x64), and installs for your user only. On the errors above:

• Installing. Its setup can install Git for Windows with winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements, and Claude Code with the same irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex. It shows the command and asks before it runs it. That rules out the wrong-shell errors.
• PATH. Plyloft looks for claude in %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin even when that folder isn’t on your PATH, so it finds a fresh install before you fix it. Your own terminal still needs the fix.
• Git Bash. Plyloft runs your project’s checks with Git Bash, which it finds through Git’s install folder or the standard paths. Without Git Bash, the check fails with “Verify needs Git Bash on Windows — install Git for Windows (git-scm.com), then verify again.” Claude Code’s own choice between Git Bash and PowerShell is unchanged.
• Sandbox. Nothing: Plyloft runs Claude Code natively, so there’s no sandbox. What it adds is that each card works in its own copy of the repository, on its own branch, so your main checkout isn’t touched until you ship.
• Sign-in, API keys, WSL, 32-bit PowerShell, antivirus. Nothing; those are between you and Claude Code. Plyloft never sees your credentials.

If you’d like both agents in one place on Windows, download Plyloft and try the Free plan.