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Module 2 · Lesson 2.3 · 12 min

Installing Claude Code on Mac

Install, log in and verify Claude Code on a Mac, step by step.

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Module 2

Fearless Setup on Mac and Windows

Every click shown, nothing skipped

Bruno Ashford

2.1 Plans and costs

Which plans include what

Plan	Claude Code	Cowork	Best for
Free	No	No	Trying Claude chat
Pro	Yes	Yes	Most owners, to start
Max	Yes	Yes	Heavy daily use
Team / Enterprise	Yes	Yes	Staff seats, admin control
Console (API)	Yes	No	Pay per use, automation

Check live prices on claude.com/pricing before buying.

2.1 The real question

Do not ask what the plan costs. Ask how many hours it has to save to pay for itself.

Bruno Ashford

2.2 First steps in Cowork

Your first agent, no terminal

1Practice folderCopies, never originals
2Connect itChoose Cowork, add the folder
3Brief the outcomeFinish line, no deleting
4Spot checkFive rows against the files

2.3 Installing on Mac

Five minutes, one line

Open Terminal with Cmd + Space, then:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Open a new Terminal window
claude --version to verify
claude to start and log in

2.4 Installing on Windows

PowerShell, not CMD

Look for PS at the start of the line.

Optional: install Git for Windows
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
No Administrator rights needed
New window, then claude --version

2.5 The terminal in 10 commands

Most of what you will ever type

Job	Mac	Windows PowerShell
Where am I?	pwd	pwd
What is here?	ls	ls or dir
Go in / up	cd name / cd ..	cd name / cd ..
Create folders	mkdir A B	mkdir A, B
Open in window	open .	explorer .
Start Claude	claude	claude

2.5 The one idea

Claude Code works inside the folder you start it in. Choose the folder, choose what it sees.

Bruno Ashford

2.6 When setup goes wrong

Error, cause, fix

You see	It means	Fix
command not found	PATH not set	PATH fix, new window
irm is not recognized	You are in CMD	Open PowerShell
403 after login	Plan or role issue	Check subscription or role
Organization disabled	Old API key	Remove ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

2.6 The golden rule

Four moves for any error

1ReadThe exact words on screen
2MatchFind them in the guide
3FixApply the one-line fix
4RestartOpen a new window

Module project

Your company workspace

End this module with a real place to work.

Claude Code installed and verified
Company folder, one subfolder per department
README.md written by Claude
First session saved as a file

Recap

The hardest part of this course is behind you. From here on, you mostly speak plain English.

Bruno Ashford

01 / 12

Use ← → to move. The marker highlights text and the pencil draws on the slide; navigation locks while you annotate. Undo removes the last mark, Esc exits.

1Check your macOS version

Claude Code needs macOS 13.0 or later. Click the Apple menu, then About This Mac. If your version is older, update through Software Update first.

2Open Terminal

Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight, type Terminal and press Enter. A window with a blinking cursor appears. That is all a terminal is: a place to type instructions.

3Run the official installer

Copy this line exactly, paste it with Cmd + V and press Enter. When it finishes you should see a message that Claude Code was installed successfully. The native installer also keeps Claude Code updated automatically in the background.

Terminal

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

4Open a new window and verify

Close the Terminal window, open a new one and check the version. A number means it worked. If you see command not found, run the PATH fix from the troubleshooting guide, then open a new window again.

Terminal

claude --version

5Start Claude Code and log in

Type claude and press Enter. Your browser opens so you can sign in with your Claude account. Approve the connection, return to the terminal and you will see the Claude Code welcome screen. If the browser does not open, press c to copy the login link and paste it into your browser.

Terminal

claude

6Say hello with a useful question

Your first message can be a real one. Try this, then type exit to leave.

Prompt for Claude

In plain English, explain what you can and cannot do on my computer, and what you will always ask me before doing.

MDThe Terminal in 10 Commands (Mac and Windows)Cheat sheet MDSetup Troubleshooting GuideGuide

This is the moment many owners have been dreading, and it takes about five minutes. You will copy one line, paste it, press Enter and log in with your browser. I will do it on a clean Mac, on screen, with nothing skipped.

If anything on your screen looks different from mine, pause the video and check the Setup Troubleshooting Guide in this module's materials. Nearly every problem has a one-line fix.

Key points

macOS 13.0 or later is required.
One command installs Claude Code, and it updates itself.
Always open a new Terminal window after installing.
claude --version proves it is installed.
Type claude to start and log in through the browser.

Avoid

Typing the install command by hand instead of copying it.
Testing in the same Terminal window used for the install.
Using sudo, which can create permission problems.
Logging in with a free account and assuming the install failed.

Real-world example: a roofing contractor

Mike installed Claude Code on his office MacBook on a Sunday evening, following this lesson with the video paused at each step. The only hiccup was command not found after the install, fixed with the two-line PATH command from the guide. Total time: eleven minutes, including making a coffee. On Monday morning he had his first quote draft running in the practice folder.