By the end of this guide, you'll have a professional development environment on Windows—the same setup used by developers at Microsoft, Google, and thousands of startups.

Pro Tip

Already have some tools installed? Use the checklist below to skip sections you've already completed.

Your Setup Checklist

Windows Terminal (modern terminal experience)
VS Code installed and working from terminal
Git configured with your identity
GitHub account with SSH authentication
Node.js for development tools
Claude Code extension signed in
Python or R (optional, for data analysis)

What We're Setting Up

Each tool unlocks the next

Part 1: Windows Terminal — Your Command Center

Forget the old black Command Prompt. Windows Terminal is modern, tabbed, and beautiful. You'll use it constantly.

1
Install from Microsoft Store
1. Open Microsoft Store (search for it in Start)
2. Search for Windows Terminal
3. Click Get or Install
4. Pin it to your taskbar (right-click → Pin to taskbar)
Note
Already using Windows 11? Windows Terminal might already be installed. Type "Terminal" in Start to check.

Part 2: VS Code — Your Code Editor

VS Code is where you'll spend most of your time. It's free, fast, and the most popular editor in the world.

1
Download and Install
1. Go to code.visualstudio.com
2. Click Download for Windows
3. Run the installer (.exe file)
4. Critical: Check these boxes during installation:
Warning
Don't skip these checkboxes! They save you tons of time later.
- ✅ Add "Open with Code" to file context menu
- ✅ Add "Open with Code" to folder context menu
- ✅ Add to PATH (most important!)
2
Verify Installation
Open Windows Terminal and run:
powershell
code --version
You should see a version number like 1.85.0.

Part 3: Git — Never Lose Your Work Again

Git tracks every change you make. Made a mistake? Go back. Want to experiment? Create a branch. Collaborating? Merge your changes.

Pro Tip

Think of Git as an "infinite undo" for your entire project—but better, because you can see what you changed and why.

Why Git Matters

Your code is always safe

1
Download Git for Windows
1. Go to git-scm.com/download/win
2. Download should start automatically
3. Run the installer

Installation Options

Most defaults are fine, but watch for these:

Option	Choose
Default editor	Use Visual Studio Code
PATH environment	Git from command line and 3rd-party software
HTTPS transport	Use the OpenSSL library
Line ending	Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style
Terminal	Use Windows' default console window
Credential helper	Git Credential Manager

3
Configure Your Identity
Open Windows Terminal and set your name and email:
powershell
git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
Warning
Use the same email you'll use for GitHub. This links your commits to your GitHub profile.

Set Sensible Defaults

powershell

1# Use VS Code for commit messages
2git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
3 
4# Default branch name (GitHub standard)
5git config --global init.defaultBranch main
6 
7# Handle Windows line endings correctly
8git config --global core.autocrlf true
9 
10# Handy shortcuts
11git config --global alias.st status
12git config --global alias.co checkout
13git config --global alias.br branch

Verify:

powershell

git --version
git config --list

Part 4: GitHub — Your Code's Home in the Cloud

GitHub is where your code lives online. It's also where you'll collaborate with others and showcase your work.

Local vs Remote

Git works locally; GitHub stores your code in the cloud

1
Create a GitHub Account
1. Go to github.com
2. Click Sign up
3. Pick a professional username (this shows up on your profile)
2
Generate SSH Key
SSH keys let you push code to GitHub without entering your password every time.
powershell
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"
When prompted:
- File location: Press Enter (accept default)
- Passphrase: Type one (or press Enter for none)
- Confirm: Press Enter
3
Start SSH Agent
Run these commands in PowerShell (you may need Administrator mode):
powershell
1# Enable the SSH agent service 2Get-Service -Name ssh-agent | Set-Service -StartupType Manual 3Start-Service ssh-agent 4 5# Add your key 6ssh-add $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519
Terminal
If you get an error about the service, run Windows Terminal as Administrator (right-click → Run as Administrator).
4
Add Key to GitHub
Copy your public key:
powershell
Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard
Now add it to GitHub:
1. Go to github.com/settings/keys
2. Click New SSH key
3. Title: "My Windows PC" (or whatever you want)
4. Key type: Authentication Key
5. Paste with Ctrl + V
6. Click Add SSH key
5
Test the Connection
powershell
ssh -T git@github.com
Success
You should see: "Hi [username]! You've successfully authenticated..."
If you see a warning about authenticity, type yes and press Enter.

Part 5: Node.js — Foundation for Modern Tools

Node.js powers many development tools, including Claude Code.

1
Download and Install
1. Go to nodejs.org
2. Download the LTS (Long Term Support) version
3. Run the installer
4. Accept defaults, but check this option:
Warning
✅ Check "Automatically install the necessary tools" — this installs build tools you'll need later.

Verify Installation

powershell

node --version  # Should show v20+ or similar
npm --version   # Should show 10+ or similar

Part 6: Claude Code — Your AI Coding Partner

Now the reason you're here. Claude Code understands your entire codebase and can read files, write code, run commands, and help you ship real projects.

Part 7: Python (For Data Analysis)

Note

Skip this if you're not planning to do data analysis. You can always come back later.

1
Download and Install
1. Go to python.org/downloads
2. Download Python 3.11.x (latest stable)
3. Run the installer
4. Critical: Check "Add Python to PATH"
5. Click "Install Now"
2
Verify Installation
powershell
python --version pip --version
3
Create a Virtual Environment
Virtual environments keep each project's packages separate (trust us, you want this):
powershell
1mkdir ~\projects 2cd ~\projects 3mkdir my-first-project 4cd my-first-project 5 6# Create virtual environment 7python -m venv venv 8 9# Activate it 10.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
Your prompt now shows (venv) — you're in the virtual environment.
Terminal
Getting an execution policy error? Run this once:
powershell
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
4
Install Data Science Packages
powershell
pip install pandas numpy matplotlib jupyter
When done working:
powershell
deactivate

Part 8: R (Optional)

Note

Skip this unless you specifically need R for statistical analysis.

Go to cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base
Download and install R
For RStudio: posit.co/download/rstudio-desktop

Verify Your Setup

Run this checklist to confirm everything works:

powershell

1# Should all return version numbers
2code --version
3git --version
4node --version
5npm --version
6python --version  # If installed
7 
8# Should authenticate successfully
9ssh -T git@github.com

Success

All working? You're ready to code with Claude.

Troubleshooting

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Open Command Palette (VS Code)	`Ctrl` + `⇧` + `P`
Open Extensions (VS Code)	`Ctrl` + `⇧` + `X`
Open Terminal in VS Code	`Ctrl` + `
New Terminal Tab	`Ctrl` + `⇧` + `T`
Clear Terminal	cls command
Cancel Running Command	`Ctrl` + `C`

Windows vs Mac: Quick Differences

Concept	Windows	Mac
Terminal	Windows Terminal / PowerShell	Terminal.app
Path separator	\ (backslash)	/ (forward slash)
Home folder	~ or $env:USERPROFILE	~
Open VS Code	code .	code .
Package manager	winget (or Chocolatey)	Homebrew

Note

Git commands are identical on both platforms. When you see Mac examples using /, Windows usually accepts both / and \.

What's Next?

Your Windows PC is ready. Here's where to go:

New to version control? → Git & GitHub Basics
Want to analyze data? → Data Analysis Track
Ready to build apps? → App Builder Track
Have repetitive tasks? → Automation Track

Or try the Quick Start Exercise to test your setup with Claude Code.

Your Setup Checklist

Part 1: Windows Terminal — Your Command Center

Install from Microsoft Store

Part 2: VS Code — Your Code Editor

Download and Install

Verify Installation

Part 3: Git — Never Lose Your Work Again

Download Git for Windows

Installation Options

Configure Your Identity

Set Sensible Defaults

Part 4: GitHub — Your Code's Home in the Cloud

Create a GitHub Account

Generate SSH Key

Start SSH Agent

Add Key to GitHub

Test the Connection

Part 5: Node.js — Foundation for Modern Tools

Download and Install

Verify Installation

Part 6: Claude Code — Your AI Coding Partner

Part 7: Python (For Data Analysis)

Download and Install

Verify Installation

Create a Virtual Environment

Install Data Science Packages

Part 8: R (Optional)

Verify Your Setup

Troubleshooting

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows vs Mac: Quick Differences

What's Next?