How to Install Claude Code on Windows Natively (No WSL)

Install Claude Code straight on Windows with the PowerShell installer or WinGet, no WSL required, then authenticate and confirm it runs from any terminal.

7 minBeginner

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You do not need WSL to run Claude Code on Windows. It installs and runs natively from PowerShell or CMD, which is the right choice when your projects and tools already live on Windows. This guide covers the native installer and WinGet, plus the one Windows quirk that trips most people up. If you would rather work inside a Linux environment, use the WSL install guide instead. Those are the two ways to run Claude Code on Windows.

What you need

Windows 10 version 1809 or newer (or Windows Server 2019+), x64 or ARM64
PowerShell or CMD (no Administrator rights required)
A paid Claude account (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise) or an API key; the free plan does not include Claude Code
About 7 minutes

Step 1: Run the native installer

The recommended path is the official installer, which drops a self-contained binary and keeps itself updated in the background. Open PowerShell (not as Administrator) and run the one-liner below.

PowerShell

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

If you use the classic Command Prompt instead of PowerShell, the installer command is different. CMD downloads and runs the installer script, then cleans it up.

CMD

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

Wrong shell, wrong command

If PowerShell says "'irm' is not recognized", you are actually in CMD. If CMD says "The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator", you are actually in PowerShell. Check the prompt: PowerShell shows PS C:\Users\You> and CMD shows C:\Users\You> without the PS. Run the command that matches your shell.

Step 2: (Alternative) install with WinGet

If you manage Windows apps with the built-in package manager, install from WinGet instead. Note that WinGet installs do not auto-update, so you run the upgrade yourself when a new version ships.

PowerShell - winget

$winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Found Claude Code [Anthropic.ClaudeCode]

Successfully installed

Later: winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Optional: install Git for Windows

Git for Windows is not required, but installing it lets Claude Code use Git Bash for its Bash tool. Without it, Claude Code runs shell commands through PowerShell instead. If it cannot find Git Bash, point it at the path in settings.json with CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH set to C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe.

Step 3: Authenticate and verify

Launch claude from any terminal. The first run opens your browser to sign in with your Claude account or an API key, then caches the token. After that, check the version and run the built-in diagnostics.

PowerShell - verify

$claude --version

2.1.211 (Claude Code)

$claude doctor

All checks passed.

Sandboxing needs WSL 2

Native Windows does not support Claude Code's sandboxed command execution. If you need that isolation, install into WSL 2 instead using the WSL guide. For most Windows-native projects the native install is fine.

Result: claude runs from any Windows terminal and updates itself in the background. Every other guide in this series now works the same on your machine as it does on macOS or Linux.