Claude Code Quickstart: Install, Log In, and Make Your First Code Change

What you need before starting

Before installing Claude Code, make sure you have:

• A terminal or command prompt open (Anthropic's docs link to a terminal guide if you've never used one)
• A code project to work with
• A Claude subscription (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise), a Claude Console account, or access through a supported cloud provider

This quickstart covers the terminal CLI, but Claude Code is also available on the web, as a desktop app, in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, in Slack, and in CI/CD with GitHub Actions and GitLab.

Step 1: Install Claude Code

The native install is the recommended method.

macOS, Linux, WSL:

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

Windows PowerShell:

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

Windows CMD:

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

A few Windows-specific notes from the docs:

• If you see The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator, you're in PowerShell, not CMD. If you see 'irm' is not recognized as an internal or external command, you're in CMD, not PowerShell. Your prompt shows PS C:\ in PowerShell and C:\ without the PS in CMD.
• Git for Windows is recommended on native Windows so Claude Code can use the Bash tool. Without it, Claude Code uses PowerShell as the shell tool instead. WSL setups don't need Git for Windows.

Native installations automatically update in the background.

Homebrew

brew install --cask claude-code

Homebrew offers two casks: claude-code tracks the stable channel (typically about a week behind, and it skips releases with major regressions), while claude-code@latest tracks the latest channel. Homebrew installs do not auto-update — run brew upgrade claude-code or brew upgrade claude-code@latest depending on which cask you installed.

WinGet

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

WinGet installs also do not auto-update; run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode periodically.

You can also install with apt, dnf, or apk on Debian, Fedora, RHEL, and Alpine.

To verify the install:

claude --version

The command prints a version number followed by (Claude Code).

Step 2: Log in

Claude Code requires an account. Start an interactive session and you'll be prompted to log in on first use:

claude

For subscription or Console accounts, authentication completes in your browser. If you've set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable, Claude Code skips the login prompt and asks you to approve the key instead. To switch accounts or re-authenticate later, type /login inside a running session.

Supported account types:

• Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise (recommended)
• Claude Console (API access with pre-paid credits; on first login, a "Claude Code" workspace is automatically created in the Console for centralized cost tracking)
• Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry
• A self-hosted Claude apps gateway, if your organization runs one — the admin pre-configures the gateway URL and /login opens on the Cloud gateway screen for corporate SSO

Once logged in, credentials are stored and you won't need to log in again.

Step 3: Start your first session

Open your terminal in a project directory and start Claude Code:

cd /path/to/your/project
claude

You'll see the Claude Code prompt with the version, current model, and working directory shown above it. Type /help for available commands or /resume to continue a previous conversation.

Step 4: Ask questions about your codebase

A good first prompt is a codebase question:

what does this project do?

Claude analyzes your files and provides a summary. Other examples from the docs:

what technologies does this project use?

where is the main entry point?

explain the folder structure

You can also ask Claude about its own capabilities, such as what can Claude Code do?, how do I create custom skills in Claude Code?, or can Claude Code work with Docker?.

Note that Claude Code reads your project files as needed — you don't have to manually add context.

Step 5: Make your first code change

Try a simple task:

add a hello world function to the main file

Claude Code will find the appropriate file, show you the proposed changes, ask for approval before changing files (depending on your permission mode), and make the edit.

Whether Claude asks first depends on your permission mode. In default mode, Claude asks for approval before each change. Press Shift+Tab to cycle through modes: acceptEdits auto-approves file edits, and plan lets Claude propose changes without editing. Some accounts also have an auto mode that runs a background safety check and blocks risky actions, returning to prompts only after repeated blocks.

Step 6: Use Git conversationally

Claude Code handles Git operations through plain-language prompts:

what files have I changed?

commit my changes with a descriptive message

You can also prompt for more complex Git operations, such as creating branches. (The source page continues beyond this point; consult Anthropic's full quickstart for the remaining steps.)

claudedetails.com is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic. "Claude" is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC, used here for identification purposes only. Drafts are AI-assisted and reviewed by a human editor before publishing. Product details can change — always confirm specifics on Anthropic's own site before making decisions based on this post.