How to Set Up Claude in VS Code

A plain-language, step-by-step guide to installing Claude in VS Code, signing in, running your first prompts, and using it safely. No coding background needed.

By the end of this guide you will have Claude, the AI assistant from Anthropic, running inside VS Code on your own laptop. Signed in, working, and ready to help with real tasks. You do not need a coding background to follow it.

VS Code is a free code editor used by millions of professionals, and the same app runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Claude lives inside it as an assistant you can talk to: it can read the files you open, answer questions about them, and suggest changes that you approve. This guide takes about twenty minutes.

It is written for someone who has never installed a developer tool before. Every step says exactly what to click. Where Windows, macOS and Linux differ, that is called out.

Before you start

You will need:

• A laptop you are allowed to install software on. On a work device that may mean asking IT first.

• VS Code, version 1.98 or newer. It is free. You can download it here.

• A Claude Pro or Max subscription. The free Claude plan does not include Claude Code, so this will not work without a paid plan. You can see the plans here.

• A reliable internet connection, and about twenty minutes.

Step 1: Check your VS Code version

Open VS Code. From the menu, choose Help, then About (on macOS it is Code, then About Visual Studio Code). Look for the version number. If it is 1.98 or higher, you are good. If it is older, choose Help, then Check for Updates and let it update.

You should now see a version number that is 1.98 or above.

Step 2: Install the Claude Code extension

Extensions are add-ons for VS Code. You are going to install the official Claude one.

1. Open the Extensions view. Press Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+Shift+X on macOS. You can also click the squares icon in the left sidebar. 2. In the search box, type Claude Code. 3. Look for the one published by Anthropic. It shows a verified publisher badge and millions of installs. There are copycat extensions that borrow the Claude name, so check the publisher says Anthropic before you click. 4. Click Install. If VS Code asks, reload the window.

The official extension bundles everything it needs, so there is nothing else to download. See the official VS Code setup guide if you want the full reference.

You should now see the extension listed as Installed.

Step 3: Sign in

1. Open any file in VS Code so the Claude button appears (it needs a file open to show up). A simple text file is fine. 2. Click the Spark icon in the top right of the editor, or the Claude Code button in the status bar at the bottom. 3. Click Sign in. Your web browser opens for a one time sign-in. 4. Sign in with your Claude Pro or Max account and approve the request. Then return to VS Code.

If the browser does not open on its own, the panel gives you a link you can copy and paste into a browser instead.

You should now see the Claude panel showing that you are signed in. You will not have to log in again.

Step 4: Ask your first question

This is the fun part. With a file open and the Claude panel showing, type a question into the box at the bottom of the panel:

explain what this file does

Press Enter. Claude reads the file you have open and answers in plain language. Try another one, like "summarise what is in this folder." You have just had your first conversation with an assistant that can see your actual work.

Step 5: Accept or reject a change, safely

Claude can also suggest edits. The important thing to learn is that nothing changes until you say yes.

1. Open a simple file. 2. Ask Claude: "add a short, friendly comment to the top of this file." 3. Claude shows you a diff, a side by side view of the change it wants to make. 4. Read it, then click Accept to apply it or Reject to discard it. 5. If you accept, the file is now changed but not yet saved. Press Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on macOS) to save it.

Made a mistake? Press Esc twice to undo the last change, or just ask Claude to undo it.

Step 6: Understand the permission settings

This is the setting that keeps you in control. It decides what Claude can do to your files and terminal without asking. You will find it at the bottom of the Claude panel, and you can click it to switch. The full detail is in the official permission modes guide.

For a beginner, here is what matters:

• Ask before edits is the default and the safest. Claude reads your files but asks you before every change or command. Stay here while you are learning.

• Plan mode lets Claude read and write up a plan, but it changes nothing until you approve the plan. Good for looking before you leap.

• Edit automatically applies file edits without asking each time. Faster, but you are no longer reviewing each change, so only use it for low risk work you trust.

• Bypass permissions does everything with no checks. It can delete files and run commands on its own. Avoid it unless you are an expert working in an isolated test environment.

The rule of thumb: stay on Ask before edits until you are comfortable.

Step 7 (optional): Try it in the terminal

Claude also works in the terminal, and it is the same assistant with the same login. Open the built in terminal from the View, then Terminal menu, type claude, and press Enter. Ask it "what does this project do?" then type exit when you are done. The extension already includes the terminal tool, so there is nothing extra to install.

Troubleshooting

• The Spark icon is missing. Open a file first, the icon only appears when one is open. Check your VS Code version is 1.98 or newer. If it still does not show, reload the window from the Command Palette ("Developer: Reload Window").

• It looks like the wrong extension. Make sure the publisher is Anthropic. Remove any copycat extensions, and temporarily disable other AI extensions like Cline or Continue, which can clash.

• Sign-in will not complete. Use the copy link option and paste it into a browser. Check your Pro or Max subscription is active, and try again quickly, because the sign-in code expires fast.

• You are on the free plan. Claude Code needs Pro or Max. The free plan will not work.

• Your work device blocks it. A managed laptop or corporate network can stop the install or sign-in. Ask your IT team about approved access.

A quick word on safety

Claude takes real actions on your computer, so a few habits keep you safe. It can read, create, change and delete files in the folder you open, and run commands in your terminal. Open only what you are comfortable sharing, never paste passwords, API keys or client data into a prompt, and remember that AI output can be wrong, so check anything important before you rely on it. On a work device, follow your employer's AI policy.

You are set up. Now make it a habit.

You have installed Claude in VS Code, signed in, run your first prompts, learned to accept changes safely, and met the permission settings that keep you in control. The rest is practice. Tomorrow, open a real file from your own work and ask Claude to explain it.

If you want to run this as a session for a whole team, we have packaged the entire workshop, the running order, facilitator notes, the safety rules and a ready to run sample project, into a free downloadable pack: Getting Claude Set Up in VS Code.