Install Claude Code: CLI, desktop app, VS Code and JetBrains

Install the Claude Code CLI with curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash on macOS, Linux or WSL, irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex in Windows PowerShell, or curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd in CMD. You can also use Homebrew, WinGet, apt, dnf, apk, npm, the desktop app, VS Code or JetBrains. Then open a new terminal, check claude --version, and run claude to sign in.

System requirements and account access

Every surface uses the same Claude Code engine, so your CLAUDE.md files, settings and MCP servers work across all of them.

The free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code. The CLI, VS Code and JetBrains also support third-party providers such as Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform and Microsoft Foundry. The CLI can also sign in through a self-hosted Claude apps gateway, if your organisation runs one.

Install the Claude Code CLI with the native installer

The native installer is the recommended method, and it updates automatically in the background. Run the command for your OS and shell.

On macOS, Linux and WSL:

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

On Windows PowerShell (prompt starts with PS C:\):

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

On Windows CMD (prompt starts with C:\):

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

Platform details:

• The installer shows no progress while it downloads Claude Code.
• On macOS and Linux, the launcher at ~/.local/bin/claude is a symlink into ~/.local/share/claude/versions/.
• On Windows, the installer places %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe.
• The error The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator means you ran the CMD command in PowerShell.
• The error 'irm' is not recognized means you ran the PowerShell command in CMD.

Install the stable channel or a specific version

The native installer accepts a release channel (latest or stable) or a version number such as 2.1.89. The channel you choose at install time becomes your default for auto-updates. The stable channel is typically about one week old and skips releases with major regressions:

# macOS, Linux, WSL (replace stable with e.g. 2.1.89 for a specific version)
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s stable

# Windows PowerShell
& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1))) stable

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

Install with Homebrew, WinGet or npm

You can also install Claude Code with Homebrew on macOS, WinGet on Windows or npm.

Package manager notes:

• Homebrew keeps old versions on disk after upgrades, so run brew cleanup periodically to reclaim space.
• Set CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE to 1 to have Claude Code run Homebrew or WinGet upgrades in the background.
• If Windows locks the running executable during a WinGet upgrade, Claude Code shows the manual command instead.
• The npm package installs the native binary on darwin-arm64, darwin-x64, linux-x64, linux-arm64, linux-x64-musl, linux-arm64-musl, win32-x64 and win32-arm64.
• The npm package requires Node.js 22 or later.
• On an older Node.js, npm prints an EBADENGINE warning, but claude still runs because the binary does not use Node.js at runtime.
• Do not use sudo npm install -g, as it can lead to permission issues and security risks.
• Claude Code runs npm without sudo when it updates itself, so an install that needs sudo cannot update automatically.
• Avoid npm update -g, which respects the semver range from the original install.

Platform setup on Windows, WSL, Linux repositories and Alpine

Native Windows vs WSL

Choose native Windows (PowerShell or CMD) or WSL based on where your projects are and which features you need:

Native Windows installs do not need Administrator rights. Without Git for Windows, Claude Code runs shell commands through the PowerShell tool. Git for Windows adds Git Bash, which the Bash and Monitor tools need. The PowerShell tool stays available alongside Bash. It is on by default for claude.ai and Console accounts. On Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform and Microsoft Foundry, turn it on with CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL=1. Set it to 0 to turn the tool off.

If Claude Code cannot find Git Bash, set its path in settings.json:

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

For WSL, run the Linux install.sh command inside your WSL terminal, and launch claude there too. WSL does not need Git for Windows. See Claude Code in PowerShell: install, setup and commands on Windows and Claude Code in Windows Terminal: setup, profiles and keys.

Signed Linux repositories: apt, dnf and apk

Claude Code publishes signed apt, dnf and apk repositories, each with a stable and a latest channel. These installs do not auto-update through Claude Code, because upgrades need elevated privileges. Updates arrive through your normal system upgrades.

On Debian and Ubuntu (apt), download the signing key and check that gpg --show-keys prints only the fingerprint 31DDDE24DDFAB679F42D7BD2BAA929FF1A7ECACE. Then register the repository and install:

sudo apt install curl gnupg
sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.asc \
  -o /etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc
gpg --show-keys /etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apt/stable stable main" \
  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-code.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install claude-code

For the latest channel, replace /apt/stable stable main with /apt/latest latest main. To upgrade later, run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade claude-code.

On Fedora and RHEL (dnf), dnf asks you to confirm the key fingerprint on first install. Check that it matches 31DD DE24 DDFA B679 F42D 7BD2 BAA9 29FF 1A7E CACE before accepting:

sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/claude-code.repo <<'EOF'
[claude-code]
name=Claude Code
baseurl=https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/rpm/stable
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.asc
EOF
sudo dnf install claude-code

To upgrade later, run sudo dnf upgrade claude-code.

Alpine Linux and musl-based distributions

On Alpine and other musl or uClibc distributions, install bash, curl, libgcc, libstdc++ and ripgrep. On Alpine, ripgrep is in the community repository. If apk reports it missing, add that repository to /etc/apk/repositories, run apk update and try again:

apk add bash curl libgcc libstdc++ ripgrep

Then set USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP to "0" in settings.json:

{
  "env": {
    "USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP": "0"
  }
}

You can also install from the signed Alpine apk repository. Download https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub to /etc/apk/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub. Check that sha256sum reports 395759c1f7449ef4cdef305a42e820f3c766d6090d142634ebdb049f113168b6. Add https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apk/stable to /etc/apk/repositories, then run apk add claude-code.

Install Claude Code in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs and the desktop app

VS Code and JetBrains setup details

• The VS Code extension bundles its own copy of the CLI for its chat panel and does not add claude to your PATH.
• Install the standalone CLI to run claude in VS Code's integrated terminal.
• The JetBrains plugin runs claude in the IDE terminal and shows a "Cannot launch Claude Code" notification when claude is not on your PATH.
• If your IDE cannot find claude, set its full path in the plugin's Claude command setting under Settings → Tools → Claude Code [Beta].
• For WSL, set the Claude command to wsl -d Ubuntu -- bash -lic "claude", replacing Ubuntu with your distribution name.
• You can also run claude in an external terminal and type /ide to connect to your JetBrains IDE.

Install the Claude desktop app on Ubuntu and Debian

The desktop app includes Claude Code in its Code tab and needs a paid subscription. On Linux, it signs in with a claude.ai subscription or through your organisation's SSO. For API-key sign-in, use the CLI instead. The app needs Ubuntu 22.04 or later, or Debian 12 or later, on x86_64 or arm64. Check that gpg --show-keys prints only the fingerprint 31DDDE24DDFAB679F42D7BD2BAA929FF1A7ECACE, then install claude-desktop:

sudo apt install curl gnupg
sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/key.asc
gpg --show-keys /usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc
echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/apt/stable stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install claude-desktop

Verify, sign in, update and fix PATH errors

Open a new terminal and check the version. A working install prints a version number such as 2.1.211 (Claude Code). Then run claude doctor for read-only diagnostics on install health, settings and warnings:

claude --version
claude doctor

Start a session in your project folder:

cd /path/to/your/project
claude

Log in when prompted. Your credentials are saved, and /login switches accounts later. If you set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and approve the key when asked, Claude Code skips the login prompt.

Fix command not found and add the install folder to PATH

If claude is not found, first check that the program is in place. Run ls -la ~/.local/bin/claude on macOS or Linux, Test-Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\claude.exe" in PowerShell, or dir "%USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe" in CMD. Then add the folder to your PATH. For Zsh, the default on macOS:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

For Bash, run the same two commands with ~/.bashrc on Linux or ~/.bash_profile on macOS.

In Windows PowerShell, update your User PATH and restart the terminal:

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

To find duplicate installs, run which -a claude on macOS or Linux, or where.exe claude in PowerShell. Keep only one install, and remove the extra npm, Homebrew or WinGet copies.

Manage updates, release channels and uninstall

Run claude update to update straight away, or set update options in settings.json:

{
  "autoUpdatesChannel": "stable",
  "minimumVersion": "2.1.100",
  "env": {
    "DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER": "1"
  }
}

• autoUpdatesChannel is "latest" by default, or "stable" for the delayed channel.
• minimumVersion sets a floor, so updates never install a version below it.
• DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER set to "1" stops the background check, but claude update and claude install still work.
• DISABLE_UPDATES blocks all update paths, manual updates included.

To uninstall a native install:

# macOS, Linux, WSL
rm -f ~/.local/bin/claude && rm -rf ~/.local/share/claude

# Windows PowerShell
Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\claude.exe" -Force
Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\share\claude" -Recurse -Force

Watch your Claude Code sessions on a keypad or phone with Orbtile

When you run several Claude Code sessions across terminals, the Claude desktop app and SSH, Orbtile shows each one on a key of the Logitech MX Creative Keypad. It can also show them as tiles in Orbtile Mobile on an iPhone (iOS 17+) or Android phone (Android 8.0+). Orbtile runs on a computer with macOS 14.0 Sonoma or later on Apple silicon, or Windows 11 (x64). Logi Options+ is not required.

• Install the Claude Code plugin in Settings > Agents > Claude Code on a Mac, or with its Install button on Windows.
• Restart Claude Code sessions that were already running once, so they load the plugin.
• Turn on Show background sessions, so headless or scheduled sessions get keys too.
• Keys 1 to 8 show each session's name, state and latest words over an animated Frosted orb.
• A waiting session glows terracotta and moves to the front.
• Tap key 9 to open the first waiting session.
• Hold a session key for 0.6 seconds to open Focus mode.
• For a local permission request, press Deny on key 7 or hold Allow on key 9 for 0.6 seconds.
• For a local multiple-choice question with up to four options, tap keys 1, 2, 3 and 7, then hold Send on key 9.
• Typed answers stay on your computer, and remote sessions over SSH are display-only.

Orbtile also shows Codex, ZCode, Antigravity desktop and Kimi Code sessions. See Run several Claude Code sessions and see which one needs you and Approve agent tool calls without switching windows.