How to install and update Claude Code

Install Claude Code

The native installer is recommended and keeps itself up to date. No administrator rights are needed.

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

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

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

PowerShell shows PS C:\ in the prompt, CMD shows only C:\.

Other ways to install

brew install --cask claude-code

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

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

Anthropic also publishes signed apt, dnf and apk repositories; the setup page lists the commands.

Sign in

Run claude and follow the browser prompts. Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account; the free claude.ai plan does not include it. To bill an API account instead of a subscription:

claude auth login --console

claude auth status --text

Check your version

claude --version

The output looks like 2.1.302 (Claude Code). Inside a session, /status shows the version too, and claude doctor checks the installation and auto-update status.

Update Claude Code

Native installs check for updates on startup and while running, download them in the background and use them the next time you start Claude Code. To update now:

claude update

It prints the old and new version, or that Claude Code is already up to date. Package-manager installs do not update themselves; see the next section.

Update with a package manager

brew upgrade claude-code

winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade claude-code

sudo dnf upgrade claude-code

apk update && apk upgrade claude-code

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

Latest or stable channel

The latest channel (the default) gets every release as it ships. The stable channel is typically about a week behind and skips releases with major regressions. Change it under /config → Auto-update channel, or in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "autoUpdatesChannel": "stable"
}

Homebrew picks the channel by cask name and apt, dnf and apk by repository, not by this setting.

Install a specific version

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s 2.1.302

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1))) 2.1.302

claude install 2.1.302

Turn off automatic updates

Add this to settings.json; claude update still works. DISABLE_UPDATES blocks manual updates as well.

{
  "env": {
    "DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER": "1"
  }
}

Requirements

macOS 13 or later; Windows 10 1809+ or Windows Server 2019+ (64-bit only); Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+ or Alpine 3.19+. At least 4 GB of RAM, an x64 or ARM64 processor, an internet connection and a country Anthropic supports.

Troubleshooting

command not found: claude: open a new terminal, then add the install folder to your PATH (zsh shown):

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

which -a claude
claude doctor

On Windows, 'irm' is not recognized means you are in CMD (use the CMD command), and an error about '&&' or 'fsSL' means you are in PowerShell (use irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex). Use where.exe claude to find duplicates.