Claude Code on Windows: native install or WSL, step by step

Does Claude Code run on Windows, and which way should you install it?

Yes. According to the Claude Code setup page, Windows 10 version 1809 or later and Windows Server 2019 or later are supported, with 4 GB or more of RAM and a 64-bit processor. You can run it natively or inside WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). The docs list three options:

If you are unsure, start native. It takes one command and no extra setup, and you can add WSL later. If your project is a Next.js, Node or Python app that you would normally run on Linux in production, WSL 2 gives you the same shell and paths as your server. Either way, the editing experience in VS Code or JetBrains works with both; see the VS Code and JetBrains guide.

How do you install Claude Code natively on Windows?

You do not need to run as Administrator. First check which terminal you have, because the command differs. PowerShell shows PS C:\Users\YourName> at the start of each line. CMD shows C:\Users\YourName> without the PS. If you have never used a terminal, press Win + X and pick Windows PowerShell or Terminal.

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

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

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

The install command shows no progress while it downloads, so leave the window open. When it finishes, open a new terminal window and check the install:

claude --version
claude doctor

A working install prints a version number. claude doctor prints read-only diagnostics about the install and your settings without starting a session. Then move to your project folder and start Claude Code:

cd C:\Users\YourName\projects\my-app
claude

On first run, Claude Code opens your browser so you can sign in. Two update notes from the docs: native installs update themselves in the background, while WinGet installs do not. For WinGet, run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode now and then. To update a native install right away, run claude update.

Prefer a graphical app? The Claude Code desktop app lets you use Claude Code without a terminal, and the docs link a Windows download from the terminal guide.

Do you need Git for Windows?

No, but it changes which shell Claude uses. Git for Windows provides Git Bash, which the Bash tool and the Monitor tool need. The docs describe two cases:

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

If Git is installed but Claude Code cannot find Git Bash, point it at the file in your settings.json:

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

To find the right path, run where.exe git in PowerShell and use the bin\bash.exe from that Git installation. Claude Code accepts only a file named bash.exe, sh.exe, bash or sh. Git for Windows’ git-bash.exe launcher is ignored.

If you install Git for Windows, choose the “Add to PATH” option during setup and restart your terminal. You do not need to learn Git yourself to use it as the shell backend, though you will want it eventually to save your work; the Claude Code workflow guide shows the commit step.

How do you install Claude Code in WSL?

Open your WSL distribution and run the Linux installer inside it. You install and launch claude in the WSL terminal, not from PowerShell or CMD.

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
claude --version
cd ~/projects/my-app
claude

Git for Windows is not needed in WSL. Check your WSL version from PowerShell with wsl -l -v. Sandboxing needs WSL 2. If you see Sandboxing requires WSL2, your distribution is on WSL 1; convert it with wsl --set-version <DistroName> 2, or run Claude Code without sandboxing.

What are the WSL gotchas?

• Exec format error on WSL 1. If running claude prints cannot execute binary file: Exec format error, you are on WSL 1 and hitting a known issue described in the troubleshooting guide. The cleanest fix is converting the distribution to WSL 2.
• Login in WSL2 when no browser opens. Press c at the login prompt to copy the login URL, open it in a browser on Windows, sign in, then paste the code back into the terminal. You can also set the BROWSER environment variable to your Windows browser’s path, for example export BROWSER="/mnt/c/Program Files/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe".
• npm installs pick up Windows Node. If you installed with npm inside WSL and see exec: node: not found, WSL may be using the Windows Node.js. Paths starting with /mnt/c/ are Windows binaries. Install Node through your Linux package manager or nvm. The native installer avoids this.
• JetBrains IDEs and WSL2. If the JetBrains plugin shows “No available IDEs detected”, WSL2 networking or Windows Firewall is usually blocking the connection. The docs give a firewall rule and a mirrored-networking option (Windows 11 22H2 or later).

For a JetBrains IDE on Windows running Claude Code in WSL, the plugin docs suggest setting the Claude command to wsl -d Ubuntu -- bash -lic "claude", replacing Ubuntu with your distribution’s name.

How do you fix common Windows install errors?

These are the errors Anthropic’s terminal guide and installation troubleshooting page cover most often for Windows.

For the PATH fix, the terminal guide gives these two PowerShell lines. Close PowerShell and open a new window afterward:

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

If claude goes missing right after an update, check whether %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin still holds claude.exe. On Windows the updater renames the old file to a backup beginning claude.exe.old.; if the swap fails, the docs give a one-line PowerShell command to rename the newest backup back, or you can reinstall with the same irm command.

How does Claude Code run commands in PowerShell?

On Windows without Git Bash, the PowerShell tool is enabled automatically. With Git Bash installed, it is on by default for claude.ai and Console accounts, and you enable it for Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud’s Agent Platform and Microsoft Foundry sessions with an environment variable. Set it to 0 to turn it off.

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL": "1"
  }
}

A few behaviors worth knowing, all from the tools reference:

• Claude Code starts PowerShell with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass at process scope only, so .ps1 scripts work on a default install without changing your machine’s policy. Group Policy still applies.
• A search that finds nothing, or a git diff that finds differences, can show Error: Exit code 1 even though nothing failed. The docs say you do not need to do anything.
• On a machine with Git Bash, a deny rule on the Bash tool also turns the PowerShell tool off for that session, because a Bash rule does not restrict PowerShell. Add a matching PowerShell(...) rule if you want both controlled.
• The tool is described as a preview, with limitations listed on the same page.

Is sandboxing available on Windows?

Not natively. The sandboxing page says the sandbox runs on macOS, Linux and WSL2, and that on native Windows Claude Code runs commands unsandboxed. To use the sandbox on a Windows machine, run Claude Code inside a WSL2 distribution. On WSL2 the sandbox needs bubblewrap and socat; /sandbox shows a Dependencies tab if something is missing.

If you let Claude Code run long tasks with few prompts, that matters. Auto mode adds a classifier that reviews risky actions, but it is a separate safeguard from the sandbox. For commands you do not fully trust, WSL2 gives you the extra layer.

Where does Claude Code keep its files on Windows?

• User settings and history: ~/.claude means %USERPROFILE%\.claude. To move the home-directory files elsewhere, set CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR.
• The program itself: %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe.
• Organization-wide instructions: C:\Program Files\ClaudeCode\CLAUDE.md is the managed-policy location on Windows.
• Project instructions: CLAUDE.md at the project root, the same as other systems. See how to write a CLAUDE.md.

To remove Claude Code from a native install, delete claude.exe and the version folder under %USERPROFILE%\.local\share\claude. For WinGet, uninstall through WinGet. The docs warn that removing %USERPROFILE%\.claude and .claude.json also deletes your settings, allowed tools, MCP server configuration and session history.

What should you do in your first hour on Windows?

1. Install: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex (PowerShell)
2. Open a NEW terminal, run: claude --version
3. cd into a small project that is a git repository
4. Run: claude, sign in through the browser
5. Ask: give me an overview of this codebase
6. Run /init to draft a CLAUDE.md, then trim it
7. Ask for one small change, then run: /diff
8. Run: claude doctor if anything looks off

Once that works, the next stops are the Claude Code tutorial and a first build. If you do not have a project yet, pick a small one from the board’s developer tool ideas; each has a generated build prompt that you can paste straight into your first session.