Install Claude Code on Windows Without WSL

Summary:

1. You do not need WSL. Native Windows is fully supported.
2. Install from PowerShell: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex.
3. Claude Code needs a paid plan. The free Claude.ai plan walls you.
4. Verify with claude --version, then ship your first file in one prompt.

Here is how to install Claude Code on Windows without WSL, and why the guides telling you to set up WSL first are wrong. For a long time the standard advice was “Windows isn’t really supported, install WSL, move on.” That advice is stale. Native Windows is a first-class target now, and the install is one line in PowerShell. If you only want to write code on your Windows machine, you can skip the whole Linux-subsystem detour.

Do you need WSL to run Claude Code on Windows?

No. Native Windows is fully supported on Windows 10 version 1809 or newer (and Windows Server 2019+). You run Claude Code straight from PowerShell or CMD. Git for Windows is optional: install it and Claude Code can use the Bash tool, skip it and Claude Code uses PowerShell as its shell instead. Reach for WSL2 only if you specifically want a Linux toolchain or extra sandboxing, not because Windows forces you to.

So the entire “install WSL first” step that older tutorials insist on is, for most people, wasted time.

Before you install: the prerequisite nobody mentions

Claude Code is not free, and this is the wall most first-timers hit on prompt one. From the official setup docs:

Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, or Console account. The free Claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code access.

So sort your plan out before you install (Claude Code setup docs). The Pro plan is the common entry point and covers everything a beginner needs. If you would rather pay per token, Anthropic API credits work too. The one thing that will not work is the free Claude.ai plan: the very first prompt will simply refuse to run.

How do you install Claude Code on Windows?

One command in PowerShell. Here’s the full set, straight from the docs, so you have the Mac and Linux forms too:

# macOS, Linux, WSL:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell:
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

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

On Windows, run the install command from PowerShell or CMD. You do not need to run as Administrator. That is the whole install on a clean machine.

Prefer npm? It still works if you already have Node.js 18 or higher:

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

If you don’t have Node, don’t install it just for this. The native installer above bundles everything and skips Node entirely.

Verify the install

Open a new terminal and check the version:

claude --version

You should see a version number. claude doctor inspects your install and environment and flags anything off. If claude comes back as “command not found” after an npm install, your npm global bin directory isn’t on your PATH. The native installer puts claude on your PATH for you, which is one more reason to prefer it on Windows.

Your first session: what you’ll actually see

Run claude in a project folder and you get a welcome box and a prompt:

* Welcome to Claude Code!
  /help for available commands

>

That > is your command line to an autonomous agent. Type a real task:

> build me a worklog CLI

Watch what happens. Claude Code plans, then asks permission before it writes anything:

Approve action: write worklog.py? [Y/n]

Approve it, and you’ll see the file land:

✓ created worklog.py
Cost: $0.01

Three things to notice in that one screen. The approval gate ([Y/n]) means nothing touches your disk without your yes. The file confirmation (✓ created worklog.py) is a real file on your machine, not a snippet in a chat. And the live cost meter (Cost: $0.01) is your running tab for the session, so spend never sneaks up on you.

What broke: the three things that trip up first-timers

The WSL detour. People read an old guide, spend an hour installing WSL, configuring a Linux distro, and fighting file-permission issues across the Windows/Linux boundary, all to run a tool that installs natively in one PowerShell line. If you already live in WSL for other reasons, fine, run Claude Code there. If you don’t, you just wasted an afternoon.

The free-plan wall. You install cleanly, type your first prompt, and it refuses. Nothing is broken. Claude Code needs a paid plan, and the free Claude.ai tier doesn’t include it. Sort the plan first and the same prompt runs.

“command not found” after npm. If you installed through npm and the claude command isn’t recognized, your npm global bin directory isn’t on your PATH. Run npm config get prefix, add that path’s bin folder to your environment, and restart the terminal. Or sidestep it entirely with the native installer, which handles PATH for you.

What should you actually do?

• If you’re on Windows: use the native PowerShell installer (irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex) and skip WSL.
• If you only have the free Claude.ai plan: upgrade to a paid plan or add API credits before you install, or the first prompt walls you.
• If you genuinely need a Linux toolchain: then (and only then) install WSL2 and run Claude Code inside it.

The bottom line

• Native Windows is fully supported. WSL is optional, not a requirement. Don’t install it on reflex.
• The free Claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code. Sort a paid plan or API credits before your first session.
• The native installer skips Node and fixes your PATH. One command, a version check, and you’re shipping files.