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.

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

A terminal or command prompt open
- If you’ve never used the terminal before, check out the terminal guide
A code project to work with
A Claude subscription (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise), Claude Console account, or access through a supported cloud provider

Step 1: Install Claude Code

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods:

Native Install (Recommended)
Homebrew
WinGet

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.

Homebrew offers two casks. claude-code tracks the stable release channel, which is typically about a week behind and skips releases with major regressions. claude-code@latest tracks the latest channel and receives new versions as soon as they ship.

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).

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:

Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise (recommended)
Claude Console (API access with pre-paid credits). On first login, a “Claude Code” workspace is automatically created in the Console for centralized cost tracking.
Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud’s Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry (enterprise cloud providers)
A self-hosted Claude apps gateway, if your organization runs one: your admin pre-configures the gateway URL, and /login opens directly on the Cloud gateway screen for you to sign in with corporate SSO

Once logged in, your credentials are stored and you won’t need to log in again.

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.

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:

You can also ask Claude about its own capabilities:

Step 5: Make your first code change

Now let’s make Claude Code do some actual coding. Try a simple task:

Claude Code will:

Find the appropriate file
Show you the proposed changes
Ask for your approval before changing files, depending on your permission mode
Make the edit

Step 6: Use Git with Claude Code

Claude Code makes Git operations conversational:

You can also prompt for more complex Git operations:

Step 7: Fix a bug or add a feature

Claude is proficient at debugging and feature implementation. Describe what you want in natural language:

Or fix existing issues:

Claude Code will:

Locate the relevant code
Understand the context
Implement a solution
Run tests if available

Step 8: Test out other common workflows

There are a number of ways to work with Claude: Refactor code

Write tests

Update documentation

Code review

Essential commands

Here are the most important commands for daily use. Shell commands run from your terminal to start or resume Claude Code. Session commands run inside Claude Code after it starts. Shell commands

Command	What it does	Example
`claude`	Start interactive mode	`claude`
`claude "task"`	Run a one-time task	`claude "fix the build error"`
`claude -p "query"`	Run one-off query, then exit	`claude -p "explain this function"`
`claude -c`	Continue most recent conversation in current directory	`claude -c`
`claude -r`	Resume a previous conversation	`claude -r`

Session commands

Command	What it does	Example
`/clear`	Clear conversation history	`/clear`
`/help`	Show available commands	`/help`
`/exit` or Ctrl+D twice	Exit Claude Code	`/exit`

See the CLI reference for the complete list of shell commands and the commands reference for the complete list of session commands.

Pro tips for beginners

For more, see best practices and common workflows.

What’s next?

Now that you’ve learned the basics, explore more advanced features:

Getting help

In Claude Code: Type /help or ask “how do I…”
Documentation: You’re here! Browse other guides
Community: Join our Discord for tips and support