Hello,

I was struggling to get Claude Code working on Windows with my .NET projects while maintaining proper IDE support. The core problem is that Claude Code requires WSL to run on Windows. If you copy your project files into a WSL folder, you lose crucial IDE integration.

Here's the correct way to do it without copying your code into a WSL folder (if you weren't already aware, like me!):

1. Open your favorite IDE and your project.

2. Open the terminal within your IDE.

3. Navigate to your project directory (e.g., C:\MyProject).

4. Type the following command: wsl claude

Enjoy!

Just shipped win-claude-code - a wrapper that lets you run Anthropic's Claude Code directly on Windows without WSL.

npm install -g anthropic-ai/claude-code --ignore-scripts
npx win-claude-code@latest

That's it. Works with PowerShell, CMD, Windows Terminal - whatever you prefer.

Built this because I got tired of WSL setup just to use Claude Code. Figured other Windows devs might find it useful too.

GitHub: https://github.com/somersby10ml/win-claude-code

Would love feedback if anyone tries it out! 🚀

I am really confused as to how to "vibe" on windows at the moment. can please someone explain how to do it on windows 11.
ATTM, I am copy pasting prompts around to visual studio 2022... please someone take time to explain to me how to use CC.

thank you.

"Claude Code is not supported on Windows."
npm error Claude Code requires macOS or Linux to run properly.

After getting an email from Anthropic today I tried to install Claude Code and got this error.
I was also skeptical that is would spend a lot of tokens. Is this true? Does it not run a PC?

Does anyone have a reliable good IDE I can use to vibe code?

I've tried Windsurf and Cursor with very mixed results. I was hopeful that an MCP might help also but they seem very flaky on PCs. All the demos of them that work are on Macs.

Does anyone have any suggestions.

Thank you.

I know you can install wsl but im curious as to why they still havent made claude code available on windows natively. It is the most popular computer OS, so its kinda weird that they make it for ios and linux but not windows. Anyone know if a windows release date is coming soon?

Wait hold up…

Did Claude just silently drop native Windows support for Claude Code?

I swear I spent hours earlier messing with WSL, Ubuntu, terminal configs… just to get Claude running.

But today? Just booted up the project on Windows like a regular dev — and boom, Claude Code is working straight out of the box. No Linux layer, no weird hacks, no tears.

No announcement. No tweet. No "hey Windows folks, we got you now." Just casually fixing one of the biggest pain points for Windows users like it’s no big deal.

💻 Windows users, rise up. 🙏 Thank you Claude team (Cursor/Anthropic/whoever made this happen). 🫡 Respect for shipping useful stuff quietly while the rest of AI Twitter argues over prompt engineering.

If you've been holding off on Claude Code because you're on Windows — now’s the time.

Claude Desktop always seems to outperform Claude Code for most of my tasks. Sure, if I'm editing the actual code to a file (which I'll usually give Claude Desktop the first pass at), then I'll use Claude Code, but Claude Desktop has proven, in my experience, that it is much better at almost everything.

I have several unique MCPs that I've created with Claude Desktop, including using agents.

I almost always see Claude Code talked about on this sub, but not Claude Desktop.

Maybe my usage is different than a lot of people, but... do others actually use Claude Desktop or is it just something that isn't popular?

Hey Anthropic team,

I love Claude Code on my Linux home setup, but I'm stuck on Windows at work. So I can only use Claude Web, and I've started using Gemini CLI since Google made it available across all platforms.

Google proved it's absolutely possible to deliver a great CLI experience on Windows. If they can do it, Anthropic definitely can too.

I don't want workarounds like WSL, I want native Windows support for Claude Code. Many of us work in mixed environments and need consistency across platforms.

At my company (all Windows PCs), everyone who uses AI has already installed and adopted Gemini CLI. I'm literally the only Claude user here, and I'm even a Pro subscriber. The longer Claude Code stays Mac/Linux only, the less likely these users will ever consider switching, even if Windows support eventually arrives.

Thanks for listening!

Edit: Just to clarify on the WSL suggestions. With everything that I'm doing, I'm already running very tight on RAM and disk space on my work machine, and adding WSL would require additional resources. Getting my company to approve hardware upgrades for this would be a lengthy process, if possible at all. That's why I'm specifically asking for native Windows support rather than workarounds that require additional system resources.

What a title. Anyways, figured I'd make a quick little guide on how to do this.

Prerequisites:

• VS Code

• Git repository (not an actual requirement, just how I did it with my limited bash knowledge)

Steps

1. Open up PowerShell and install WSL with:

cmd
wsl --install

2. Set Ubuntu as default (important!):

cmd
wsl --set-default Ubuntu

3. Open a WSL terminal

Tip: check the upper left dropdown menu in Windows Terminal that will show various terminals available

4. Install Claude Code in the WSL terminal (if you have issues, please refer to Anthropic's guide):

bash
npx u/anthropic-ai/claude-code

5. Make a directory for your projects:

bash
mkdir coolProjects && cd coolProjects

6. Clone your project (optional):

bash
git clone https://github.com/yourrepo.git

7. Open VS Code

8. Install the official WSL extension

9. Press F1

10. Type "WSL"

IMPORTANT

11. Select "WSL: Connect to WSL using Distro"

Choose Ubuntu.

From here you can now open a folder within VS Code.

How do you know it worked? Check the bottom left corner of VS Code - it should say "WSL: Ubuntu" and your Claude Code extension should be enabled!

Troubleshooting

If you get Alpine Linux errors or "libstdc++ required" messages: This usually happens if you have Docker Desktop installed and it became your default WSL distribution instead of Ubuntu. Run wsl --list --verbose to check, and if docker-desktop-data has an asterisk (*), run wsl --set-default Ubuntu to fix it. That's why step 2 is so important!

Hope this is helpful!

Due to budget constraints, I opted for Claude Code Pro on Windows. While my Cursor subscription was expired for a few days, I gave Claude a try, mostly through the WSL terminal inside Cursor.

Honestly, I haven’t been getting the performance others seem to rave about:

• I often need to prompt it multiple times just to generate usable code, even if i asked it to debug & diagnose

• Many times I need to press continue to because it keep asking for permission to edit & run command.

• Can't enter new line (Ctrl + Enter/Shift + Enter)

• Can't upload image for it to diagnose

• Because it's running in WSL, Claude can’t properly access debugger tools or trigger as many tool calls compared to Cursor.

In contrast, Cursor with Opus Max feels way more powerful. For $20/month, I get around 20~40 Opus tool calls every 4 hours, and fallback to Sonnet when capped. Plus, I’ve set up MCPs like Playwright to supercharge my web workflows.

Despite Claude not matching Cursor’s efficiency so far, I’m still hopeful. I’d really appreciate any tips or tweaks to get more out of Claude Code Pro on Windows, maybe some setup or usage tricks I’ve missed?

Also, I heard RooCode will be supporting Claude Code on Windows soon. Hopefully it supercharge Claude Code for Windows.

Step 1: Open cmd

Open cmd as administrator

Step 2: Set NPM configuration, telling npm to ignore executing scripts in packages during installation (e.g., preinstall, postinstall, etc.)

setx NPM_CONFIG_IGNORE_SCRIPTS true

$env:NPM_CONFIG_IGNORE_SCRIPTS = “true”

Step 3: Configure the SHELL environment variable

setx SHELL "C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe"

Step 4: Install Claude Code

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

Step 5: Add to Environment Variables

Add this line to your environment variables: C:\Users\y.xie\.npm-global

Step 6: Restart the development environment

Restart CMD or your IDE (e.g., VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA), then log in to your Claude Code account or configure the API directly within the application to start using it.

Supplementary Notes

• Ensure Git for Windows is installed, with the path being C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe.

• If the Git installation path is different, please adjust the SHELL environment variable path accordingly.

• The path C:\Users\y.xie\.npm-global should also be added based on your actual path.

• It is recommended to set these variables permanently to avoid having to reconfigure after each restart.

• Later, if you want to uninstall and revert the changes from Step Two and Step Three, just execute setx NPM_CONFIG_IGNORE_SCRIPTS false and setx SHELL "".

Hey everyone,

Since Claude Code has been around for a while now and many of us are already familiar with Claude Sonnet 3.7, I wanted to share a quick step-by-step guide for those who haven’t had time to explore it yet.

This guide sums up everything you need to know about Claude Code, including:

• How to install and set it up

• The benefits and when to use it

• A demo of its capabilities in action

• Some Claude Code essential commands

I think Claude Code is a better alternative to coding assistants like Cursor and Bolt, especially for developers who want an AI that really understands the entire codebase instead of just suggesting lines.

https://medium.com/p/how-to-install-and-use-claude-code-the-new-agentic-coding-tool-d03fd7f677bc?source=social.tw

Hey
I just read the latest patch notes and was surprised that claude code cli now supports Windows.

But I can't find any further documentation about the full functionality. For example, does it really fully support claude code cli?

Does anyone else feel like Claude Code is a little hamstrung on Windows? Having to run from WSL creates some weird scenarios and flows that just don’t work if you are developing for Windows. I work mostly in c# in WinUI. and due to it being Windows specific, it can’t run dotnet build/run/test commands. So instead of letting it build on its own and fix any errors, I have to act as the go-between and constantly feed build/test outputs back to CC so it can attempt to fix the problem. Anyone have any workarounds for this? Am I the only Windows developer using CC for Windows app development? 😂

edit: (DROPPED = RELEASED)

I remember this was the biggest issue for me when I just started with CC because I was absolutely not familiar with Linux.

But now I'm so used to it that I no longer even see a point in this lol

But it’s still very nice to have

Announcing native CC support on Windows and in the same breath saying: You need Git for Windows, is a joke.

If you want native support for windows, then leverage either the classic cmd.exe or powershell and give up the bash shell.

Bash shell is not natural to Windows and does not really jive well with a pure Windows toolset.

Stop being lazy and do it right!

I find myself constantly forgetting terminal commands, so I made this cheat sheet for my 2nd monitor to help me get used to WSL / Claude Code and not just blankly stare at my terminal when I want to move between projects, etc. Feel free to fix it up to your liking or just use this github page. However you'll have to save it or fork it to add your own custom commands.

Let me know what I'm missing if you end up using it :)

From Claude: Your cheatsheet is looking great and ready to help fellow goldfish-memory developers! 🐠

I want to make use of Claude code, but have the idea I'm seeing a huge usage problem, or not..

When installed on Windows, thus by using Ubuntu and run it from there. Do I need to move the entire repo to Ubuntu to? At the moment my local development i mostly on localhost, thus when I make a change I can directly press F5 or run Postman in order to see the effects.

If I need to move it all, do I then also need to configure a webhost so I can develop/run from that location?

Complete and Corrected Guide: WSL + Claude Code + Cursor Setup for Windows

Overview

This guide walks you through setting up a professional development environment with WSL2, Cursor, and command-line tools like Claude Code – based on proven best practices.

Phase 1: Windows Preparation

1. Windows Updates

• Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update

• Install all available updates and restart PC if needed

2. Install Important Dependencies

Open PowerShell as Administrator and ensure important developer tools are installed:

• Visual C++ Redistributables (all common versions)

• DirectX (current version)

These are often necessary for compiling tools (e.g., via npm or pyenv).

3. Enable WSL Features

Open PowerShell as Administrator:

powershell
# Enable WSL and Virtual Machine Platform
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

Restart Windows: shutdown /r /t 0

Phase 2: WSL2 Installation

4. Install WSL2 (after restart)

PowerShell as Administrator:

powershell
# Install WSL2 with default distribution (Ubuntu)
wsl --install

If this doesn't work, specify explicitly: wsl --install -d Ubuntu-22.04

Restart Windows again.

5. Verify WSL2 Installation

After restart, open PowerShell:

powershell
wsl -l -v

Expected output should show VERSION as 2.

If 1 is displayed, upgrade to WSL2:

powershell
# Set WSL2 as default
wsl --set-default-version 2
# Convert existing distribution to version 2
wsl --set-version Ubuntu-22.04 2

6. Complete Ubuntu Setup

• An Ubuntu terminal window opens automatically

• Create a username (lowercase, no spaces)

• Create a password

• Wait for installation to complete

7. Update Ubuntu

In Ubuntu terminal:

bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Phase 3: Install Developer Tools in WSL

8. Install Essential Tools

In Ubuntu terminal:

bash
# Git, Curl and Build Tools
sudo apt install git curl build-essential -y

# Python dependencies
sudo apt install python3-pip python3-venv -y

9. Configure Git

bashgit config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

10. Install Python with pyenv (in WSL)

Install pyenv dependencies:

bashsudo apt install make libssl-dev zlib1g-dev \
libbz2-dev libreadline-dev libsqlite3-dev wget llvm \
libncursesw5-dev xz-utils tk-dev libxml2-dev libxmlsec1-dev \
libffi-dev liblzma-dev -y

Install pyenv:

bash
curl https://pyenv.run | bash

Add pyenv to shell and reload:

bashecho 'export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'command -v pyenv >/dev/null || export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Install a Python version and set as default:

bashpyenv install 3.11.8
pyenv global 3.11.8

11. Install Node.js with nvm (in WSL)

[NOTE] We use the officially recommended command to always get the latest nvm installation script.

bash
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/master/install.sh | bash

Reload shell so nvm is available:

bash
source ~/.bashrc

Install latest LTS version of Node.js and use it:

bashnvm install --lts
nvm use --lts

Phase 4: Cursor Installation and Configuration

12. Install Cursor on Windows

Download Cursor from the official website and install it.

13. Install Important Cursor Extensions

In Cursor via Ctrl + Shift + X:

• Remote - WSL (ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl)

• Remote Development (ms-vscode-remote.vscode-remote-extensionpack)

• Python (ms-python.python)

• Prettier (esbenp.prettier-vscode)

14. Configure Cursor WSL Settings

Ctrl + , → Settings, search and set:

json{
    "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows": "WSL",
    "terminal.integrated.cwd": "~/dev/projects"
}

[NOTE] The setting remote.WSL.fileWatcher.polling is usually no longer needed and can cause high CPU usage. Only add it if you notice that file changes aren't being detected.

Phase 5: Set Up Project Structure

15. Create Project Structure in WSL

bash
# Main development folder
mkdir -p ~/dev/projects

[NOTE] You can create additional subfolders as needed.

16. Set Up Default Terminal Path and Aliases

bash
# Edit .bashrc
nano ~/.bashrc

Add the following at the end of the file:

bash
# Change to project folder when opening a new terminal
cd ~/dev/projects

# Useful aliases
alias dev='cd ~/dev/projects'
alias home='cd ~'

Save: Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X. Reload: source ~/.bashrc

Phase 6: Claude Code Installation

17. Install Claude Code

bash
# Switch to any folder, e.g., the project folder
cd ~/dev/projects

# Install Claude Code globally (DO NOT use sudo)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

18. Claude Code Setup and Authentication

After installation, set up Claude Code with these specific steps:

A. Navigate to your project directory

bash
cd ~/dev/projects

B. Start Claude Code

bash
claude

C. Complete Authentication

When you first run claude, you'll see authentication options:

1. Anthropic Console (Pay-as-you-go):

   • Choose this option if you want to pay per API usage

   • Requires active billing at console.anthropic.com

   • Claude will open a browser window for OAuth authentication

   • If you're in WSL without GUI, the URL will be printed in terminal

   • Open the URL on any computer and sign in with your Anthropic credentials

2. Claude App (Pro/Max Plan):

   • Choose this if you have a Claude Pro ($20/month) or Max ($100-200/month) subscription

   • Log in with your Claude.ai account credentials

   • This provides a unified subscription for both Claude Code and web interface

D. IDE Integration (Automatic)

For VS Code/Cursor integration:

1. Automatic Extension Installation:

   • When you run claude from within VS Code/Cursor's integrated terminal, the IDE extension is installed automatically

   • No manual installation steps required

2. Access Claude Code in VS Code/Cursor:

   • Open VS Code/Cursor in your project folder

   • Run claude in the integrated terminal (Ctrl + Shift + `)

   • Look for the Claude icon that appears in the activity bar, or

   • Press Ctrl+ESC (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+ESC (Mac)

   • This opens Claude Code in a WebView panel within your IDE

E. Test the Installation

bash
# Check if Claude Code is working
claude --version

# Start an interactive session
claude

# In the Claude Code interface, try:
/help

F. Initial Project Setup (Recommended)

bash
# Generate a project guide (helps Claude understand your codebase)
# In Claude Code session, ask:
"Please create a CLAUDE.md file that documents this project structure and setup"

# Commit the generated file
git add CLAUDE.md
git commit -m "Add Claude Code project documentation"

Phase 7: Test Cursor-WSL Integration

19. Connect Cursor to WSL

• Open Cursor

• Click the green >< icon in the bottom left and select "Connect to WSL"

20. Open Workspace in WSL

In WSL terminal:

bash
# Navigate to your project folder
dev 
# Use alias

# Open Cursor in current directory
code .

Verification: Cursor opens and shows "WSL: Ubuntu-22.04" in the bottom left. The integrated terminal (Ctrl + Shift + ) shows a Linux prompt ($`).

Phase 8: Test the Entire Environment

21. Check Versions

In Cursor WSL terminal:

bashgit --version
python --version  
# Should show the pyenv version
node --version    
# Should show the nvm version
npm --version

22. Check Paths

bashwhich python  
# Should point to pyenv shim path
which node    
# Should point to nvm path
pwd           
# Should be /home/username/dev/projects

23. Test with Python Virtual Environment

bashmkdir test-python && cd test-python
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip list
deactivate
cd .. && rm -rf test-python

Troubleshooting (Updated)

command not found: claude-code

• Ensure you used the correct package name with npm install -g <package-name>

• Check if nvm is loaded correctly (nvm current should show a version)

EACCES errors with npm install -g

[CORRECTION] This error should not occur with this guide. If it does, nvm is not active correctly. Ensure the nvm lines are in your .bashrc and you've run source ~/.bashrc. Never run npm with sudo when using nvm.

Issues with Cursor-WSL Integration

• Restart WSL: wsl --shutdown in PowerShell, then reopen Ubuntu

• Reset remote caches in Cursor: Ctrl + Shift + P → "Remote-WSL: Kill WSL Server"

Completion Checklist

✅ WSL2 enabled and Ubuntu installed & updated
✅ Git configured
✅ Python installed with pyenv
✅ Node.js installed with nvm (correct method, no manual npm prefix)
✅ Cursor installed with WSL extensions
✅ Project structure created
✅ "Claude Code" (or other tool) correctly installed
✅ Cursor-WSL integration working
✅ All tests successful

🎉 Installation Complete!

[IMPORTANT] Never use sudo with npm when nvm is installed, as this can cause permission issues and security risks.

[CORRECTION] This section replaces the erroneous "Configure NPM without sudo" phase. nvm already handles this correctly.