Install Claude Code and sign in

⏱ 15 min8 steps

This is the one where moves in. You'll it, , open it in the right and say hello. About 15 minutes, most of it waiting for a download.

Getting stuck here is normal, especially at the sign-in. Every step below has a "That's not what I see" list for exactly that.

Claude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All wordsinstall Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All words

Before this, you'll want:

Steps

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Steps for

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Check that your Claude plan includes Claude Code
Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan: Pro or higher. The free plan doesn't include it.
1. Check which plan you're on. If you're not sure, the first snag under this step shows where to look.
2. Upgrade at if you need to, then come back.
Claude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words
That's not what I see
I'm not sure which plan I'm on.
Go to claude.ai in your and sign in. Click your name or initials in the bottom-left corner, then Settings, then Billing. It names your plan. If it says Free, Claude Code isn't included yet.browser The app you use to visit websites, like Safari or Chrome. All words
I use Claude at work and my company pays for it.
This course is for your own projects, so sign in with your own , not your work one. A work account can have rules set by your company that block Claude Code.account A sign-in with a company, like a domain, email or hosting. Whoever owns the account controls what's in it. All words
Paste the install command
This comes from Anthropic, the company that makes Claude. It downloads Claude Code and puts it on your Macyour PC. It won't ask for your Macyour PC's password.
1. Open (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter). Check that the line you type on starts with PS, which means PowerShell.
2. Copy the command below.
```
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
```
```
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
```
1. Paste it into Terminal with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
2. Wait. It shows no progress while it downloads, so it can look stuck when it isn't.
When it's done, read the lines it printed. If one says not in your PATH, the snags under this step show what to do.
command An instruction you type into Terminal. Your Mac does it when you press Enter. All wordsTerminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All words
You should see:
A few lines of text, then a fresh ending in %>.
prompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All words
That's not what I see
I pasted it and it's been sitting there for a while with nothing happening.
The installer shows no progress while it downloads, a bit like dial-up loading a picture one line at a time. Give it a few minutes. You'll know it's done when it prints some lines and a fresh prompt line with a %> sign comes back.
It says "Native installation exists but ~/.local/binC:\Users\…\.local\bin is not in your PATH".
Claude Code installed fine. Your Mac doesn'tYour PC doesn't know where to look for it yet. The installer printed the fix right under that message, usually two lines. Copy them one at a time, paste each into Terminal and press Enter. They don't say anything back when they work. Then close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W and open a new one.
I got an error and I don't know what it means.
Use rung 1 of the screenshot ladder on the home page. Take a screenshot of the error with Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4Windows+Shift+S, paste it into the Claude app with Cmd+VCtrl+V and ask: I'm installing Claude Code on my MacPC and got this. What do I do?
On Windows, it says "A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'fsSL'" or "'irm' is not recognized".
The command and the window don't match. If it mentions fsSL, you copied the Mac command: switch this page to Windows, copy the command again and paste it. If it mentions irm, the window is Command , not PowerShell. Close it, open Terminal again, check the line starts with PS, then paste.prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words
Open a new window and check it worked
Terminal windows that were already open don't know about Claude Code yet. A new one does.
1. Close this window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W.
2. Open a fresh one: Cmd+NCtrl+Shift+N while Terminal is in front, or Cmd+Spacethe Windows key, Terminal, Enter.
3. Type claude --version (claude, a space, two dashes, version) and press Enter.
  claude --version
On Windows, Anthropic recommends also installing for Windows from git-scm.com, so Claude Code can do more for you. Do it now, before you go on. Paste this and press Enter:
```
winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget
```
It takes a minute or two. If Windows asks whether to let the app make changes to your device, choose Yes. When it's done, close the window and open a fresh one, the same way as above.
git A tool that saves a snapshot of your project every time you ask, so you can always go back. All words
You should see:
It prints a version number, something like 2.1.304 (Claude Code). Yours will be different, and that's fine. Any number means it worked.
```
2.1.304 (Claude Code)
```
That's not what I see
It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
You survived drinking out of the garden hose. You can survive this. Two things to try, in order. First, make sure you're in a new Terminal window: close this one with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W and open a fresh one. Second, scroll up in the window where you installed and look for a message that says "not in your PATH". The snag for the last step shows what to do with it.
On Windows, it asks me to agree to source agreements, or says winget isn't recognized.
If it asks you to agree, type Y and press Enter. If winget isn't recognized, get Git for Windows from git-scm.com instead: download the Windows installer, open it and click Next on each screen. The choices it starts with are fine. Then close the window and open a fresh one.
It printed something, but no version number.
Check the spelling. There's a space after claude and two dashes before version: claude --version. Then press Enter again.
Make your first project folder and go into it
Every project gets its own folder in your . Your first one is called hello.
1. Make the folder. Type this and press Enter:
  mkdir ~/Backyard/hello
  mkdir ~\Backyard\hello
2. Go into it. Type this and press Enter:
  cd ~/Backyard/hello
  cd ~\Backyard\hello
3. Check the prompt line.
This is the moment the folders lesson was for. Claude Code works in whatever folder Terminal is in when you start it, so you check before you start.
Backyard The folder right inside your home folder where everything you build in these lessons lives. All words
You should see:
The prompt line now says hello, right before the %>.
That's not what I see
It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
The hello folder doesn't exist yet, or the name was spelled differently. Type ~/Backyard/hello and press Enter, then ~/Backyard/hello and press Enter.mkdir The command that makes a new folder. Type mkdir, a space and the new folder's name. It's short for make directory. All wordscd The command that moves Terminal into a folder. Type cd, a space and the folder's name. It's short for change directory, an old word for folder. All words
It says "mkdir: /Users/…/Backyard/hello: No such file or directory".
Your Backyard isn't there yet. Make it first with mkdir ~/Backyard, from the folders lesson. Then make the hello folder.
Start Claude Code and sign in
1. Type this and press Enter:
  claude
2. Answer the few questions Claude Code asks the first time. Use the up and down arrow keys to pick an answer and Enter to choose it. When it asks how you want to sign in, choose the option for your Claude account with a .
3. Sign in on the Claude website when a browser tab opens. Use the account you pay for, and click the button to allow Claude Code in.
4. Go back to the Terminal window.
Signing in works the same as on a Mac. You only sign in once. Next time you type claude, it remembers you.
subscription Something you pay for every month or every year until you cancel it. All words
You should see:
Back in the Terminal window, a message says you're signed in and asks you to press Enter.
That's not what I see
The browser didn't open.
Click back in the Terminal window and press the c key. That copies the sign-in link. Open your browser, click in the address bar at the top, press Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
It says "OAuth error: Invalid code".
The sign-in took too long, or the link got cut off. Press Enter in Terminal to try again, and finish the sign-in in the browser right away.
I signed in, but now it says "403" or "Request not allowed".
Usually that means the account you signed in with isn't on a plan that includes Claude Code. Type /logout and press Enter. Then type claude, press Enter and sign in with the account you pay for.
The sign-in got stuck and nothing I try works.
Start over clean. Press Ctrl+C twice to leave Claude Code. Type claude and press Enter. If it lets you in but things still seem wrong, type /logout, press Enter, then start again with claude.
Check the folder and let Claude Code in
1. Press Enter to carry on after the sign-in message.
2. Read the folder Claude Code shows under Accessing workspace, above "Quick safety check: Is this a project you created or one you trust?" Read it before you answer. It should end in hello, inside your Backyard.
3. If it does, press the down arrow to Yes, I trust this folder, then press Enter. The choice starts on No, exit.
Look at the bottom of the window. It says ⏵⏵ on. That means Claude works without stopping to ask you before each step, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky, like downloading and running programs from the internet or deleting files that were already there. Claude Code may show a short note about this the first time. You'll see what Claude would have asked you in Your first real conversation with Claude, and learn to switch modes in .
auto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All wordspermission mode How much Claude Code does before checking with you. You can switch it any time with Shift+Tab. All words
You should see:
Claude Code's name and version at the top, a line starting with ❯ where you type, and ⏵⏵ auto mode on in the bar at the bottom.
That's not what I see
The folder it asked me to trust doesn't end in hello.
Choose No, exit, or press Ctrl+C twice to leave. You're back at the prompt line. Type cd ~/Backyard/hello, press Enter, check the prompt line says hello, then type claude again.
Say hello
This message asks Claude where it's working, and what it will and won't do without asking you first.
1. Copy the message below.
```
Hi! I'm brand new to Claude Code. First, tell me which folder you're working in right now. Then, in two or three short sentences, tell me what you can do for me here, and what you won't do without checking with me first.
```
1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
If the folder isn't your hello folder, the snags show how to start over in the right place. That habit, checking where Claude is before it does anything, will save you more trouble than anything else in this course.
You should see:
Claude tells you which folder it's in, a path that ends in hello. Then it says what it can do for you here, and what it will check with you first.
That's not what I see
I pasted it and nothing happened.
The message is waiting for you. Press Enter to send it.
The folder Claude named doesn't end in hello.
Type and press Enter to leave Claude Code. Type cd ~/Backyard/hello and press Enter, then type claude and start again. This is exactly why you asked./exit Typed in Claude Code, it ends the conversation and takes you back to Terminal. All words
Leave Claude Code
1. Type this and press Enter:
  /exit
To start again any time: open Terminal, cd into your , check the prompt line, type claude.
project folder One folder in your Backyard that holds everything for one thing you're building. All words
You should see:
Claude Code closes, and you're back at the prompt line, ending in %>.
That's not what I see
I don't know how to leave Claude Code.
Type /exit and press Enter. Pressing Ctrl+C twice does the same thing.

Your challenge

Tomorrow, open a fresh Terminal window, go to ~/Backyard/hello, start Claude Code and ask it one question about something you're curious about. Check the folder it shows before you type anything.

Helpful extras

The screenshot ladder on the home page

Last checked 2026-10-17

Set up Claude Code › 1. Get it running