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This quickstart guide will have you using AI-powered coding assistance in a few minutes. By the end, you’ll understand how to use Claude Code for common development tasks.

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Before you begin

Make sure you have:
This guide covers the terminal CLI. 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. See all interfaces.

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Step 1: Install Claude Code

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods:
macOS, Linux, WSL:
Windows PowerShell:
Windows CMD:
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:\ when you’re in PowerShell and C:\ without the PS when you’re in CMD.If the install command fails with syntax error near unexpected token '<', a 403, or another curl error, see Troubleshoot installation to match the error to a fix and for alternative install methods.Git for Windows is recommended on native Windows so Claude Code can use the Bash tool. If Git for Windows is not installed, Claude Code uses PowerShell as the shell tool instead. WSL setups do not need Git for Windows.
Native installations automatically update in the background to keep you on the latest version.
You can also install with apt, dnf, or apk on Debian, Fedora, RHEL, and Alpine. To confirm the installation worked, run:
The command prints a version number followed by (Claude Code).

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Step 2: Log in to your account

Claude Code requires an account to use. Start an interactive session with the claude command and you’ll be prompted to log in on first use:
For Claude subscription or Console accounts, follow the prompts to complete authentication 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 later or re-authenticate, type /login inside the running session:
You can log in using any of these account types: Once logged in, your credentials are stored and you won’t need to log in again.

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Step 3: Start your first session

Open your terminal in any project directory and start Claude Code:
Replace /path/to/your/project with the path to the project you want to work on. 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.
After logging in (Step 2), your credentials are stored on your system. Learn more in Credential Management.

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Step 4: Ask your first question

Let’s start with understanding your codebase. Try one of these commands:
Claude will analyze your files and provide a summary. You can also ask more specific questions: