Claude Code installs like any other app you’ve ever downloaded. There is nothing to configure.
The Claude desktop app is a normal download for macOS and Windows. You get the file, you run it, you sign in. Done.
1. Download it
Go to the download page and take the version for your computer:
https://claude.ai/downloadThe page works out whether you’re on a Mac or a PC and offers the right file. Click the button; the file lands in your Downloads folder, same as everything else.
On Linux? On Ubuntu 22.04+ and Debian 12+ the desktop app installs in beta, so this page applies to you as written. On any other distribution Claude Code runs through the terminal instead — that’s the Power Track, not “advanced,” just your install path. Read this page for the ideas, then pick up the terminal install there.
2. Run the installer
Open the file you just downloaded.
| Platform | What happens |
|---|---|
| Mac | a window opens with the Claude icon and an Applications folder. Drag one onto the other. |
| Windows | double-click and click through it the way you would for any program. Claude lands in your Start menu. |
Then open it like any app — Cmd + Space and type “Claude” on a Mac, the Start menu on Windows.
Already live in a terminal? There’s a command-line install too, and it’s the same engine:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash, ornpm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. That’s the Power Track. Take it only if you already have a reason to.
3. Sign in
The first screen is a Sign in button. Click it and two things happen: your browser opens an Anthropic sign-in page, and the app sits there waiting.
Sign in with the same Claude account you’d use at claude.ai. Claude Code needs a paid plan — Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise — or API access billed through the Anthropic Console. The free tier doesn’t include it.
The browser tells you you can close the tab, and the app switches to its main screen: a chat box, waiting.
If your company gave you a login, use that one. It’s tied to your organization’s plan and its seats. The flow is identical either way.
If something goes wrong
- Nothing opened after the installer. Check Downloads and run the file again.
- macOS refused to open it. Right-click the app and choose Open. That’s macOS being cautious about a freshly downloaded app, not a problem with Claude.
- The sign-in page says you don’t have access. That’s the plan, not the install — Claude Code isn’t on the free tier.
You’ll know it worked when a chat box is sitting in front of you.