Claude Code · Noob → Master in 6 Weeks
📖 Glossary Start the course →

Install & setup

Get everything ready before Day 1. You'll install two things: the Claude desktop app (for chatting and planning) and Claude Code (the AI that works inside your terminal). Pick your operating system as you go — the steps are labelled Windows / macOS.

🧭 Before you start

Two different tools, two different jobs — you'll use both in this course:

Claude desktop appA window on your computer for chatting with Claude, planning, and pasting screenshots. Great for thinking through a problem.
Claude Code (CLI)Claude running inside your terminal, able to read and edit your actual project files and run commands. This is what the bootcamp is about.

Minimum requirements

Windows 10 / 1164-bit. Windows 11 recommended.
macOS 12+Monterey or newer (Apple Silicon or Intel).
Node.js 18+Needed for Claude Code (step 4).
An internet connectionAnd a Claude account (free to make).
New to terminals? Don't worry — a "terminal" or "console" is just a text window where you type commands. We'll show you exactly which one to open on each OS. Day 1 of the course assumes you've finished this page.

👤 1 · Create your Claude account

Everything starts with a Claude account. It's free to create and is what both the desktop app and Claude Code sign in with.

  1. Go to claude.ai and click Sign up.
  2. Use Google, or an email + password. Verify your email if asked.
  3. You're in. The free plan is enough to start; the course will note when a paid plan (Pro / Max) unlocks more usage.
Tip: Use the same account for the desktop app and Claude Code so your settings stay in one place.

🪟 2 · Install the desktop app Windows

  1. Open Edge or Chrome and go to claude.ai/download.
  2. Click Download for Windows. You'll get a .exe installer in your Downloads folder.
  3. Double-click the installer. If Windows SmartScreen warns "Windows protected your PC", click More info → Run anyway (it's signed by Anthropic).
  4. Follow the prompts. When it finishes, Claude opens automatically and pins to your Start menu.
  5. Click Sign in and use the account from step 1.
No admin rights? The installer puts Claude in your user folder, so you don't need administrator access on most machines.

🍎 3 · Install the desktop app macOS

  1. Open Safari and go to claude.ai/download.
  2. Click Download for Mac. You'll get a .dmg file.
  3. Open the .dmg, then drag the Claude icon into your Applications folder.
  4. Open Applications and double-click Claude. The first time, macOS asks "Are you sure you want to open it?" — click Open.
  5. Click Sign in and use the account from step 1.
Apple Silicon vs Intel: the download page detects your chip automatically — just click the button it shows.

⚙️ 4 · Install Node.js Windows macOS

Claude Code runs on Node.js (a program that lets your computer run JavaScript tools). You need version 18 or newer. Check if you already have it — open your terminal (see step 7 for which one) and run:

node --version

If it prints something like v20.11.0 you're set — skip to step 5. If it says "command not found", install Node:

Windows

  1. Go to nodejs.org and download the LTS installer (the big green button).
  2. Run the .msi, click Next through the defaults, and finish. Leave "Add to PATH" checked.
  3. Close and reopen your terminal, then run node --version again.

macOS

Either download the LTS .pkg from nodejs.org, or — if you use Homebrew — run:

brew install node
Heads up: after installing Node, always open a fresh terminal window so it picks up the new node and npm commands.

📦 5 · Install Claude Code Windows macOS

With Node.js ready, install Claude Code globally with one command (works the same on Windows and macOS):

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

This downloads the claude command and makes it available everywhere. It takes a minute.

Windows note: Claude Code runs best inside WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) or modern PowerShell. If a command errors about permissions in classic Command Prompt, try PowerShell instead — step 7 covers this.

To update later

Re-run the same install command, or once Claude Code is running just type /upgrade.

🔑 6 · Sign in to Claude Code

The first time you launch Claude Code it walks you through signing in. Start it by typing:

claude
  1. It prints a URL and opens your browser. Log in with your Claude account (step 1) and click Authorize.
  2. The browser hands a token back to the terminal automatically. You'll see "Logged in as …".
  3. Pick a theme (light / dark) when prompted. Done — you only do this once per machine.
Already logged into something else? Inside Claude Code you can run /login to switch accounts or /logout to sign out. See the Glossary for every command.

🖥️ 7 · Run Claude Code in a console

"Console", "terminal" and "command line" all mean the same thing: a window where you type commands. Here's which one to open, and how to start a session.

Windows Which terminal?

  • Windows Terminal / PowerShell — press Win, type "PowerShell", hit Enter. Recommended for beginners.
  • WSL (Ubuntu) — the best experience. Install once with wsl --install in an admin PowerShell, reboot, then open "Ubuntu" from the Start menu. The course assumes this works for everyone but it's optional to start.

macOS Which terminal?

  • Terminal — press Cmd+Space, type "Terminal", hit Enter. It's built in.
  • iTerm2 — a popular free upgrade, optional.

Start a session

Navigate into a project folder, then launch Claude Code there so it can see your files:

# move into the folder you want to work in
cd path/to/my-project

# start Claude Code in that folder
claude

You'll get a > prompt. Type what you want in plain English — for example "explain what this project does" — and press Enter. Type /help any time to see commands, or /exit to leave.

One-shot mode: to ask a single question without staying in the session, run claude -p "your question here". Handy for quick tasks and scripts.

✅ 8 · Verify your setup

Run this checklist before Day 1 — if every box is true, you're ready:

  • The Claude desktop app opens and shows your name when signed in.
  • node --version prints v18 or higher.
  • claude --version prints a version number.
  • Running claude inside a project folder gives you a > prompt.
  • Inside Claude Code, /status shows you logged in.
All green? 🎉 You're set. Head to Day 1 and keep the Glossary open in another tab.

🩺 Troubleshooting

"command not found: claude" / "claude is not recognized"

Node's global folder isn't on your PATH, or you didn't reopen the terminal after installing. Close every terminal window, open a fresh one, and try again. If it persists, run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code once more.

"command not found: node"

Node.js isn't installed or the terminal predates the install. Reopen the terminal; if still missing, redo step 4.

Permission errors on Windows

Use PowerShell or WSL instead of the old Command Prompt. WSL gives the smoothest experience for this course.

Something's off and you're not sure what

Inside Claude Code, run /doctor — it checks your installation and points at problems. /bug reports an issue to Anthropic.

Stuck after all this? Email appdev@rovvi.com · Looking up a word? See the Glossary.