Tutorial · 10 min · Beginner · Windows

How to install Claude Code

A quick getting-started guide for Windows. Two parts: VS Code (the editor) and Claude Code (the CLI agent that runs inside a terminal).

What Claude Code is, in 30 seconds. Unlike an autocomplete plugin, Claude Code reads your whole project, runs commands, and edits multiple files to work through a task with you — all inside the VS Code terminal. Think of it less as a faster keyboard and more as a junior colleague you delegate a task to. (How it differs from Copilot is covered further down.)

You'll need

A Windows PC where you can install software
About 10 minutes
A Claude license — see Get a license if you don't have one yet

Step 1 — Install VS Code

Go to code.visualstudio.com/Download.
Click the Windows button — it downloads VSCodeUserSetup-x64-*.exe.
Run the installer. Recommended options to tick:
- Add "Open with Code" action to Windows Explorer file/directory context menu
- Add to PATH (usually on by default)
Launch VS Code from the Start menu.

Verify it works from a terminal: open PowerShell (Start → type PowerShell) and run:

code --version

You should see a version number. If "command not found", restart PowerShell or reboot — PATH changes need a fresh shell.

Step 2 — Install Node.js (Claude Code needs it)

Claude Code is an npm package, so Node.js is a prerequisite.

Go to nodejs.org and download the LTS installer for Windows.
Run it with default options.
Verify in PowerShell:

node --version
npm --version

Both should print version numbers.

Step 3 — Install Claude Code

In PowerShell:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify:

claude --version

Step 4 — First run

Open PowerShell and cd into any project folder, e.g.:
```
cd C:\Users\<your-name>\Documents\my-project
```
Start Claude Code:
```
claude
```
On first launch it will prompt you to log in. Follow the browser flow.

That's it — you can now chat with Claude in the terminal and it can read/edit files in the current folder.

First 5 things to try

Once claude is running in your project folder, these five build the right instincts fast:

Get a tour. Ask: "Give me a tour of this codebase — what does it do and where's the entry point?"
Make a small change. "Add a comment block to the top of this file explaining what it does." Watch it propose a diff you approve before anything is written.
Run and fix. "Run the tests and fix anything that fails." This is where the agent shape pays off — it loops on its own.
Set up project memory. Type /init to generate a CLAUDE.md — the single biggest quality lever, so future sessions start with context.
Reset between tasks. Type /clear when you switch to something unrelated; it keeps responses fast and cheap.

Approve changes deliberately at first. Once you trust a workflow, you can let it run longer stretches.

Claude Code vs. GitHub Copilot — when to use which

They're complementary, not either/or. Many people run Copilot for autocomplete and Claude Code for bigger moves. (New to Copilot? See Open Copilot and set GPT 5.5.)

	Copilot (Free)	Copilot Pro / Business	Copilot Enterprise	Claude Code
Shape	Inline autocomplete + limited chat	Autocomplete + chat, higher limits	+ org context, policy controls	Agent in the terminal
Best at	Finishing the line you're typing	Same, all day	Same, governed at org scale	Whole tasks across many files — refactors, "build X", run+debug loops
Reads your repo?	Current file mostly	File + some workspace	+ indexed org repos	Yes — whole project, runs commands
Mental model	A faster keyboard	A faster keyboard, no limits	Governed faster keyboard	A junior dev you delegate to

Copilot shines while you're actively typing code and want the next few lines suggested.
Claude Code shines when you want to hand off a task — "set up this page", "migrate this script", "explain and fix this" — including for non-engineers (e.g. Marketing building home pages). It does multi-step work and runs things, not just suggestions.

Pricing/licensing of the paid Copilot tiers: ask IT. No proxy/audit gotchas known at Qvantum today.

Tips

Run it inside VS Code's terminal. Open VS Code, press Ctrl+` (backtick) to open the integrated terminal, then type claude. You get the editor and the agent side-by-side.
Per-project memory. Claude Code reads a file called CLAUDE.md from the project root if present — that's where you put project-specific instructions.
Help. Inside Claude Code, type /help for the list of slash commands.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
`claude: command not found` after install	Close and reopen PowerShell. If still missing, run `npm config get prefix` and make sure that path is in your `PATH` env var.
`npm` permission errors	Run PowerShell as Administrator for the install command, or use a Node version manager like nvm-windows.
Want a Linux-like environment	Install WSL2 (`wsl --install` in an admin PowerShell, reboot, then install Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store). Inside Ubuntu, install Node via `nvm` and then `npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`.

Alternative: WSL (recommended if you do a lot of Linux/dev work)

In an admin PowerShell: wsl --install → reboot.
Open Ubuntu from the Start menu, set username/password.

Inside Ubuntu:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
exec bash
nvm install --lts
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude --version

In VS Code, install the WSL extension (from Microsoft). Then code . from inside Ubuntu opens VS Code attached to your WSL filesystem.

Still stuck?

Two ways to get help:

Ambassador: Ask any of the people listed on the ambassadors page.
Teams channel: Post in #ai-qvantum and tag an ambassador.

Maintained by Jacob Skogström · Last updated 2026-06-08