Module 3 · Page 4 of 7 · 30 minutes

Install on Windows

Every command on this page runs in PowerShell. Unlike Mac, there's no single package manager doing the work — each tool gets its own installer. Follow it top to bottom. (On Mac? Skip to the macOS walkthrough instead.)

Installation instructions

Follow the following steps in sequence. The installation process should take 30-60 minutes.

Step 1: Find PowerShell

PowerShell is Windows' built-in command-line tool — a plain text window where you type commands directly to your computer, instead of clicking through menus and icons. It's Windows' equivalent to the Terminal app on a Mac.

Two ways to open it:

Open the Start menu, type PowerShell, and press Enter.
Or right-click the Start button and choose Windows PowerShell (or Terminal on Windows 11) from the menu that appears.

You'll see a window with a prompt that looks like this:

PowerShell

PS C:\Users\yourname>

PS just marks this as a PowerShell prompt. C:\Users\yourname shows where you currently are — your user folder, by default. The > marks the end of the prompt — that's where you type.

To do this	Do this
Run a command	Type it, then press Enter
Cancel whatever is running	Ctrl + C
Recall your last command	Up arrow
Paste	Right-click anywhere in the window

Tip Windows 11 comes with Windows Terminal pre-installed — a more modern window with tabs. Windows 10 only has the classic PowerShell console. Both run the exact same commands the exact same way; only the window around them looks different, so don't worry about which one you see.

Step 2: Allow scripts to run

Windows blocks unsigned scripts from running by default. Several of the installers below need to run one, so this step loosens that restriction — for your account only, not the whole computer.

In the PowerShell window you just opened, type (or copy and paste) the following command exactly as shown:
```
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
```
Press Enter to run it.
If PowerShell asks you to confirm, type Y and press Enter.

RemoteSigned lets scripts you write or run locally execute freely, while still requiring anything downloaded from the internet to carry a digital signature. -Scope CurrentUser applies the change only to your own account, which is why this doesn't need administrator rights.

Verify it took effect:

Get-ExecutionPolicy

It should print RemoteSigned.

Step 3: Git

Git tracks changes to files over time — every edit, who made it, and when. This allows you to roll a change back if it turns out to be wrong, or collaborate with others to work on the same project without overwriting each other's work.

Download the installer from git-scm.com/downloads/win.
Run the installer. Accept the defaults on every screen, with one important exception: on the screen about adjusting your PATH, make sure "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software" is selected. Without this, PowerShell won't be able to find git at all.
Finish the installer.
Close PowerShell completely and reopen it — this step won't take effect in a window that was already open.

Verify:

git --version

If it still says the command isn't recognized, double-check that you closed and reopened PowerShell, and that you selected the PATH option in step 2 above.

Now tell Git who you are, so it can label the changes it tracks:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

For example:

git config --global user.name "Jamie Chen"
git config --global user.email "jamie.chen@university.edu"

Tip Use your school email address if you can. Later in the course, you'll likely want to link a GitHub account to this same email — students typically qualify for free GitHub perks (like GitHub Pro or Copilot) through their school email, so starting with it now saves you from redoing this step later.

Verify:

git config --global --list

Step 4: Node.js

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime, and npm is the package manager that ships with it. Claude Code is distributed as an npm package, so installing Node.js is a required step no matter what else ends up on your laptop.

Download the LTS installer from nodejs.org/en/download.
Run the installer, accepting the license agreement and the default install location.
On the "Custom Setup" screen, make sure "Add to PATH" is checked (it usually is, by default).
Finish the installer.

In a new PowerShell window, verify:

node --version
npm --version

Step 5: Claude Code

This is the agent itself. Install it with:

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

Verify:

claude --version

Step 6: VS Code

VS Code is a code and text editor. You'll use it to open the folders an agent is working in and read the files it produces.

Download the installer from code.visualstudio.com.
Run the installer, accepting the license agreement and the default install location.
On the "Select Additional Tasks" screen, the defaults are fine — these just add convenient right-click options like "Open with Code."
Make sure "Add to PATH" is checked.
Finish the installer.

Verify:

code --version

Step 7: Miniconda

Later in the course, you'll ask an agent to write and run a Python script against real files — for example, updating a financial model from a trial balance. Miniconda installs Python along with conda, a tool for keeping each project's Python setup separate and consistent.

Download the Windows installer from anaconda.com/miniconda.
Run the installer, accepting the license agreement and the default install location.
On the Advanced Options screen, leave "Add Miniconda3 to PATH" unchecked — it's marked "not recommended" because it can conflict with other Python tools.
Finish the installer.

Instead of adding it to PATH during install, initialize it afterward, from a new PowerShell window:

conda init powershell

Close and reopen PowerShell. Your prompt should now start with (base) — that means conda is active. Verify:

conda --version
python --version

If conda still isn't recognized, open "Anaconda Prompt (miniconda3)" from the Start menu instead of plain PowerShell.

Step 8: Pandoc

Pandoc converts documents between formats.

Download the .msi installer from pandoc.org/installing.html.
Run the installer and accept the defaults — Pandoc adds itself to PATH automatically, with no extra steps.

In a new PowerShell window, verify:

pandoc --version

Step 9: Confirm everything

In a fresh PowerShell window, run all of these. Each should print a version number — never "command not found":

git --version
node --version
npm --version
claude --version
code --version
conda --version
python --version
pandoc --version

Windows: frequently asked questions

A command says "not recognized" right after I installed it.
Close PowerShell and reopen it. Installers update PATH, but a window that was already open won't see the change. If it still fails, check whether that tool's "Add to PATH" option was actually selected during setup.

I got a script-execution error.
Re-run the Set-ExecutionPolicy command from Step 2 — it may not have taken effect yet.

Commands don't seem to work no matter how I type them.
PowerShell commands are case-sensitive. Double-check you're typing exactly what's shown, including capitalization.

npm install -g is taking forever, or times out.
This is usually just a slow connection to GitHub. Let it run; if it truly seems stuck, Ctrl+C to cancel and try again in a moment.

Something says it needs administrator rights.
None of the steps on this page should require it — everything here installs to your own account. If you do hit a permissions error somewhere, right-click PowerShell in the Start menu and choose "Run as administrator," then retry that one command.

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