Claude Code for Beginners

PART 1

Install Everything You Need

Three things to install: Node.js, Claude Code, and a code editor. Takes about 10 minutes total.

1

Install Node.js

2 min ▸

Node.js is what makes Claude Code run. Think of it like the engine that powers everything.

1. Open your web browser and go to nodejs.org

2. Click the big green button that says "LTS" (Long Term Support) — this downloads the installer

3. Open the downloaded file (it'll be called something like node-v22.x.x-x64.msi)

4. Click Next → Next → Next → Install (accept all the defaults)

5. When it's done, click Finish

📸 Screenshot: nodejs.org download page — click the LTS button

Verify it worked:

6. Press Windows key + R, type cmd, press Enter — this opens Command Prompt

7. Type this and press Enter:

node --version

You should see something like v22.12.0 — any number v18 or higher means it worked!

If you see "node is not recognized", close Command Prompt and reopen it. Windows needs a fresh window to see newly installed programs.

2

Install Claude Code

3 min ▸

Now we install Claude Code itself. One command does everything.

1. Open Command Prompt (Windows key + R → type cmd → Enter)

2. Copy and paste this command, then press Enter:

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

3. Wait about 30-60 seconds while it downloads and installs

4. When it's done, you'll see your cursor back with no errors

📸 Screenshot: Command Prompt showing successful npm install

npm is a tool that comes with Node.js. Think of it like an app store for developer tools. -g means "install globally" so you can use it from anywhere.

If you see red errors mentioning "permission denied", try running Command Prompt as Administrator: right-click Command Prompt → Run as administrator

3

Sign In to Your Anthropic Account

2 min ▸

1. In Command Prompt, type:

claude

2. Your web browser will open automatically to the Anthropic login page

3. Sign in with your Anthropic account (or create one if you don't have one)

4. Click "Allow" when it asks to connect to Claude Code

5. Go back to your Command Prompt — you should see Claude's welcome message!

📸 Screenshot: Browser showing Anthropic login → Allow screen

You need a Claude Max subscription ($20/month) or Anthropic API credits to use Claude Code. The subscription gives you unlimited usage.

4

Install VS Code (Optional but Recommended)

3 min ▸

VS Code is a free code editor. You don't need it since Claude Code works in the terminal, but it's nice to see your files.

1. Go to code.visualstudio.com

2. Click "Download for Windows"

3. Install it (Next → Next → check "Add to PATH" → Install)

4. Open VS Code, then press Ctrl + ` (backtick, the key above Tab) to open the built-in terminal

5. Now you can type claude right inside VS Code!

VS Code's terminal is the same as Command Prompt, but it's inside the editor so you can see your files and Claude at the same time.

PART 2

Your First Conversation with Claude

Let's make sure everything works and learn the basics of talking to Claude.

1

Create a Project Folder

30 sec ▸

Claude Code works best inside a project folder. Let's make one.

1. Open Command Prompt

2. Type these commands (press Enter after each):

# Create a folder on your desktop mkdir %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\my-first-project # Go into that folder cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\my-first-project

You'll see a new folder called "my-first-project" on your desktop. Claude will create files in here.

2

Start Claude and Say Hello

1 min ▸

1. Make sure you're in your project folder, then type:

claude

2. Claude starts up and shows a prompt. Type:

Hello! Create a file called hello.txt that says "My first file created by Claude Code!"

3. Claude will ask permission to create the file. Press y then Enter to approve

4. Check your desktop folder — there's a new file called hello.txt!

📸 Screenshot: Claude creating hello.txt in the terminal

This is the core idea: You tell Claude what you want in plain English. Claude writes the code and creates the files. You just approve.

3

Build a Webpage in 30 Seconds

2 min ▸

1. While Claude is still running, type:

Create a beautiful webpage about cats. Include a title, some fun facts, and make it look modern with a dark theme.

2. Claude creates an index.html file with full HTML, CSS, and content

3. Open the file: go to your desktop folder → my-first-project → double-click index.html

4. A webpage opens in your browser — that's YOUR website!

5. Want to change something? Tell Claude:

Change the title to "Amazing Cat Facts" and add a section about cat breeds with images

Claude edits the existing file. Refresh your browser to see the changes.

You just built a website without writing a single line of code. This is what Claude Code does — you describe, it builds.

PART 3

How Claude Code Actually Works

Understanding the basics so you know what's happening behind the scenes.

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The 4 Things Claude Code Can Do

▸

📁 Read files — Claude can see any file in your project folder

✏️ Write/edit files — Claude can create new files or change existing ones

💻 Run commands — Claude can run terminal commands (install packages, start servers, etc.)

🔍 Search the web — Claude can look things up to get current info

Every time Claude wants to do one of these, it asks your permission first. You always have final say.

Claude can only see files in your current project folder. It can't access your personal files, photos, or anything outside the folder you started in.

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The Permission System

▸

When Claude wants to do something, you'll see a prompt like this:

Claude wants to: Write to file index.html Allow? (y/n/always)

y = Yes, do this one time

n = No, don't do this

always = Yes, and don't ask again for this type of action

For beginners, just press y each time. Once you're comfortable, use always to speed things up.

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How to Exit Claude

▸

• Type /exit to quit Claude and go back to the normal terminal

• Or press Ctrl + C twice to force quit

• Your files are saved — nothing is lost when you exit

• To come back, just cd to your project folder and type claude again

PART 4

What to Say to Claude (Prompting Guide)

The better your instructions, the better the results. Here's how to talk to Claude effectively.

✓

Good Prompts vs Bad Prompts

▸

❌ Bad (too vague):

Make me a website

✅ Good (specific):

Create a website for a pizza restaurant called "Tony's Pizza" with: - A homepage with the restaurant name, hours (Mon-Sat 11am-10pm), and a hero image placeholder - A menu page with pizzas, pastas, and drinks with prices - A contact page with address, phone number, and a contact form - Dark theme with red accents - Mobile responsive

The rule: Tell Claude WHO it's for, WHAT you want, and any SPECIFICS. The more detail you give, the less back-and-forth you need.

✓

10 Example Prompts You Can Try Right Now

▸

1.

Create a to-do list app. I should be able to add tasks, check them off, and delete them. Save the list so it persists when I refresh the page.

2.

Build a countdown timer to New Year's 2027. Show days, hours, minutes, seconds. Make it look cool with a dark theme and big numbers.

3.

Create a personal portfolio website for a photographer named Sarah. Include an about section, a gallery grid, and a contact form.

4. Build a simple calculator that works like the iPhone calculator. Should handle +, -, ×, ÷ and have a clean design.

5. Create a weather dashboard that shows the current weather for any city. Use a free weather API.

6. Build a recipe book app where I can add recipes with ingredients and steps. Should be searchable.

7.

Create a flashcard study app for learning Spanish. Include 20 common phrases. Let me flip cards and track which ones I've learned.

8. Build a budget tracker. I enter income and expenses with categories. Show a pie chart of where my money goes.

9. Create a Pomodoro timer with 25-minute work sessions and 5-minute breaks. Play a sound when the timer ends.

10.

Build a password generator. Let me choose length, whether to include numbers, symbols, uppercase. Copy to clipboard with one click.

✓

How to Ask for Changes

▸

After Claude builds something, you'll want to tweak it. Just describe what to change:

# Change colors Make the background blue instead of black # Add features Add a search bar at the top that filters the list # Fix something The button doesn't work on mobile — fix it # Change layout Put the sidebar on the right instead of the left # Make it better The design looks boring — make it more modern and add some animations

You don't need to know technical terms. "Make the text bigger", "add more space between things", "that box should be wider" — Claude understands casual language.

PART 5

Build Your First Real Project

Let's build something useful from scratch — a personal website you can share with anyone.

1

Create a New Project Folder

30 sec ▸

mkdir %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\my-website cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\my-website claude

2

Tell Claude What to Build

5 min ▸

Copy this prompt (replace the details with your own info):

Build me a personal website. Here are the details: Name: [Your Name] Title: [Your Job/Title] About: [2-3 sentences about you] Skills: [List your skills] Contact: [Your email] I want: - A clean, modern, dark-themed single page - A hero section with my name and title - An "About Me" section - A skills section with visual skill bars - A contact section with my email - Smooth scroll navigation - Mobile responsive - Subtle animations when scrolling

Claude will generate the complete HTML/CSS/JS. Approve the file creation, then open index.html in your browser.

3

Customize Until You Love It

10 min ▸

Keep talking to Claude to refine:

# Example follow-ups: "Add a projects section with 3 cards showing my work" "Change the color scheme to dark purple and white" "Add a dark/light mode toggle in the top right" "Make the hero section take up the full screen height" "Add a subtle particle animation in the background"

Each change takes Claude about 10-30 seconds. You can iterate as many times as you want until it's perfect.

4

Share It

2 min ▸

Your website is ready! Here's how to share it:

• Quick share: Upload the folder to Netlify Drop — drag your folder onto the page, get a live URL instantly (free)

• GitHub Pages: Push to GitHub and enable Pages in settings (free)

• Your own server: Follow our Full Stack Tutorial to deploy on your own VPS with a custom domain

PART 6

Tips, Tricks & Common Mistakes

💡

Pro Tips

▸

1. Always work in a project folder. Don't run claude from your desktop or home directory — create a folder for each project.

2. Be specific. "Make a blue button" is better than "make a button". "Make a 200px wide blue button with white text that says Submit" is even better.

3. Iterate, don't restart. If something's 80% right, tell Claude what to fix. Don't start over.

4. Use /help to see all available commands inside Claude.

5. Use /clear if the conversation gets too long and Claude starts getting confused.

6. Screenshot errors. If something breaks, paste the error message to Claude. It's great at debugging.

⚠️

Common Mistakes to Avoid

▸

❌ Don't run Claude in sensitive folders. Don't start Claude in your Documents, Downloads, or any folder with personal files.

❌ Don't paste passwords or API keys into the chat. Claude can see what you type. Use .env files instead (Claude will show you how).

❌ Don't ask for too many things at once. "Build me an entire social network" won't work. Break it into smaller pieces: "Create a login page" → "Now add a profile page" → "Now add a feed".

❌ Don't panic when you see errors. Errors are normal. Just paste the error message to Claude and say "fix this".

REFERENCE

Cheat Sheet

Quick reference for common commands and keyboard shortcuts.

Terminal Commands

claude

Start Claude Code

cd folder-name

Go into a folder

cd ..

Go back one folder

mkdir name

Create a new folder

dir

List files in current folder

cls

Clear the screen

Inside Claude Code

/help

Show all Claude commands

/exit

Quit Claude

/clear

Clear conversation history

/compact

Summarize conversation to save space

/cost

Show how much this session cost

Ctrl + C

Cancel current action

Escape

Cancel what you're typing

Up arrow

Bring back your last message

Keyboard Shortcuts

Enter

Send your message

Shift + Enter

New line (don't send yet)

Tab

Accept Claude's suggestion

Ctrl + C (x2)

Force quit Claude

Claude Code Guide

What's in this guide

Install Everything You Need

Your First Conversation with Claude

How Claude Code Actually Works

What to Say to Claude (Prompting Guide)

Build Your First Real Project

Tips, Tricks & Common Mistakes

Cheat Sheet

Terminal Commands

Inside Claude Code

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ready to Build More?