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Home / The No-Code Claude Course / Lesson 1

Module 0 · Lesson 1 of 6 · 7 min

Install Claude and pick the right plan

The Claude app on your computer, signed in on the right plan, with the Code tab open.

By the end of this lesson

  • The Claude desktop app is installed on your computer.
  • You are signed in on a paid plan (Pro or higher).
  • The Code tab is open with Local selected.

In this module you build one real thing: a website for Northside Bakery, a made-up neighborhood bakery. Follow along with the bakery, or use your own business from the start, for example a hair salon, a bookkeeping practice or a bike shop. This first lesson only gets Claude ready on your computer.

Steps follow Anthropic's desktop quickstart and the Claude help center, checked October 20, 2026.

Steps

Step 1: Check your computer

Takes about 1 min

You need a computer with Windows 10 or newer, or macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer (Claude help: Installing Claude Desktop). No other software, and no terminal.

To check: on Windows, open Settings, then System, then About. On a Mac, open the Apple menu, then About This Mac.

You should see

Your computer runs Windows 10 or newer, or macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer.

Step 2: Pick a paid Claude plan

Takes about 2 min

Anyone can install the app, including on the free plan, but the Code tab needs Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise: on the free plan you'll see an upgrade prompt. For one person, Pro is enough to start. If two or more people will use Claude for the business, look at Team.

You should see

A paid Claude plan chosen and subscribed, so the Code tab will open for you in step 4.

Step 3: Download and install the Claude desktop app

Takes about 2 min

Open Anthropic's desktop quickstart and download the installer for your computer, then run it.

Your computer:

On Windows

The quickstart lists an installer “for x64 processors”, which most computers need, and a separate ARM64 installer. The app is also available from the Microsoft Store. Open Claude from the Start menu.

On a Mac

One installer works on every Mac (the quickstart calls it a “Universal build for Intel and Apple Silicon”). If the download is a .dmg file, open it and drag Claude onto the Applications folder (Anthropic calls it “Drag-and-drop installation”). Then open Claude from your Applications folder.

You should see

Claude in your Start menu (Windows) or in your Applications folder (Mac).

Stuck? My Mac asks if I'm sure I want to open it

That is normal the first time you open an app downloaded from the internet. Choose Open.

Stuck? The installer is blocked on my work computer

Your company may control what you can install. Ask whoever manages the computer, or install Claude from the Microsoft Store if your company allows it.

Step 4: Sign in and open the Code tab

Takes about 1 min

Sign in with your Claude account. Then click the Code tab at the top center of the window.

You should see

A screen for a new session, with a choice of where Claude works. The one you need is your own computer, called Local. It is the first control in the row under the prompt box (step 5).

Stuck? It asks me to sign in online

Finish signing in in your browser, then quit Claude completely and open it again.

Stuck? Clicking Code asks me to upgrade

Your account is on the free plan. Subscribe to a paid plan (step 2), then sign out and back in, and open the Code tab again.

Stuck? I don't see a Code tab

Update the app first: on Windows click Help, then Check for Updates…; on a Mac click Claude in the menu bar, then Check for Updates…. Restart Claude and look again. If you see an error such as “Error 403: Forbidden”, sign out and back in.

On a Team or Enterprise plan, an admin can turn off Claude Code in the desktop app for the whole company. If the update doesn't help, ask whoever manages your Claude account.

Step 5: Choose Local, and stop there

Takes about 1 min

Under the prompt box there is a row of controls. Click the first one, the environment selector, and choose the top option under Local: Anthropic describes Local as working “on your machine with direct access to your files”. Don't pick a folder yet. In the next lesson you create a safe folder for the business first.

Illustration of the Code tab in the Claude desktop app: under the prompt box, Local chosen in the first control and, next to it, the folder control with Open folder
Code tab, then Local under the prompt box. The folder comes in lesson 2. Illustration.

You should see

Local in the first control under the prompt box, and next to it a control for the folder. That is exactly where lesson 2 starts.

Stuck? Local isn't in the row under the prompt box

You have the earlier layout of the app, where Local and the folder sit above the prompt box. Choose them there, or update the app (see “I don't see a Code tab” above).

You're done when

  • The Claude desktop app is installed on your computer.
  • You are signed in on a paid plan (Pro or higher).
  • The Code tab is open with Local selected.

All done? Go on to lesson 2: Make a safe business folder.

Found a mistake? Report a mistake and we'll fix it.

All 6 lessons are open. No sign-up required. Want one Claude workflow for your business once a month? Get The Workfile Brief.