Claude Code is an AI development assistant created by Anthropic that runs in the terminal. On Windows, Claude Code requires Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to function properly.

• Windows 10 version 2004+ or Windows 11
• WSL2 enabled
• Ubuntu (or other Linux distribution)
• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Anthropic account (Claude Max or API key)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

This command will:

• Enable WSL
• Install Ubuntu as default distribution
• Restart your computer

# Enable WSL
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
 
# Enable Virtual Machine Platform
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
 
# Set WSL2 as default version (after restart)
wsl --set-default-version 2

1. Open Microsoft Store
2. Search for “Ubuntu”
3. Install “Ubuntu” (LTS version)
4. Launch Ubuntu from Start Menu
5. Create username and password

# List available distributions
wsl --list --online
 
# Install Ubuntu
wsl --install -d Ubuntu

In the Ubuntu terminal, run:

# Update package list
sudo apt update
 
# Install updates
sudo apt upgrade -y
 
# Install essential tools
sudo apt install build-essential curl git -y

# Add NodeSource repository
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
 
# Install Node.js
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
 
# Verify installation
node --version
npm --version

# Create directory for global packages
mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
 
# Configure npm to use this directory
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global
 
# Add to PATH
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
 
# Reload shell configuration
source ~/.bashrc

# Install Claude Code globally
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
 
# Verify installation
claude --version

# Check if Claude Code is in PATH
which claude
 
# Should output: /home/username/.npm-global/bin/claude

# Navigate to a project
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Projects/your-project
 
# Start Claude Code
claude
 
# Follow OAuth prompts in browser

# Set API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here
 
# Add to shell profile
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# Update via npm
npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
 
# Or complete reinstall for latest version
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Check current version
claude --version
 
# Check location
which claude

#!/bin/bash
# Save as upgrade-claude.sh
 
echo "🔄 Updating Claude Code..."
 
# Check current version
echo "Current version:"
claude --version
 
# Update
npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
 
# Check new version
echo "New version:"
claude --version
 
echo "✅ Upgrade complete!"

# Check WSL status
wsl --status
 
# Update WSL
wsl --update
 
# Restart WSL
wsl --shutdown
wsl

# Check which npm is being used
which npm
which node
 
# Should show /usr/bin/npm, NOT /mnt/c/...

# Fix npm permissions
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global

Work within WSL filesystem, not Windows drives:

# Instead of /mnt/c/Users/...
# Use ~/projects/ or /home/username/projects/
 
# Copy project to WSL
cp -r /mnt/c/Users/YourName/project ~/project
cd ~/project

Create file %USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig:

[wsl2]
memory=8GB
processors=4
swap=2GB
localhostForwarding=true
 
[experimental]
sparseVhd=true
autoMemoryReclaim=gradual

# Windows files are accessible at /mnt/c/
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Projects
 
# Or create a new project
mkdir claude-test
cd claude-test
 
# Initialize a simple project
echo "console.log('Hello Claude!');" > hello.js

# Start Claude Code in project
claude
 
# Basic commands
> "Explain what this JavaScript file does"
> "/init"  # Generate project documentation
> "/help"  # See all available commands

Create file ~/.claude.json:

{
  "defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4",
  "permissions": {
    "allowedTools": ["Edit", "Bash(git*)"],
    "deniedTools": ["Bash(rm*)"]
  },
  "preferences": {
    "autoCompact": true,
    "compactThreshold": 50000
  },
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "~/Projects"]
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.bashrc:

# Claude Code configuration
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key
export CLAUDE_MODEL=claude-sonnet-4
export MCP_DEBUG=false
export NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=4096"
 
# Windows integration
export DISPLAY=$(cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep nameserver | awk '{print $2}'):0

FROM node:20-slim
 
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    git \
    curl \
    build-essential \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
RUN npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
 
WORKDIR /workspace
VOLUME ["/workspace"]
 
ENV ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""
CMD ["claude"]

# Build and run
docker build -t claude-code .
docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd):/workspace -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key claude-code
 
# Or use dangerous mode for automation
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/workspace -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key claude-code \
  claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p "fix all linting errors"

name: Claude Code CI
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  claude-review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '20'
    - run: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
    - run: claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p "review this PR"
      env:
        ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}

{
  "team": {
    "name": "Development Team",
    "defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4",
    "sharedSettings": {
      "codeStyle": "prettier",
      "testFramework": "jest",
      "linting": "eslint"
    }
  },
  "security": {
    "allowedDomains": ["github.com", "gitlab.com"],
    "restrictedCommands": ["rm", "sudo", "chmod 777"]
  }
}

• Official Claude Code Documentation
• Complete Windows Installation Guide
• ChatLLM Teams Help Center
• WSL on GitHub
• Node.js Downloads

A: No, Claude Code requires a Unix-like environment. You must use WSL on Windows.

A: Claude Max ($20/month) is more economical for regular users than pay-per-use API pricing.

A: Use npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code or reinstall with npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.

A: Configure npm to use a user-writable directory and never use sudo with npm global installs.

A: Yes, Claude Code integrates with various IDEs and can be used alongside VS Code through the terminal.