Claude Code: "claude" not found on Windows

In short: on Windows, the Claude Code installer puts claude.exe in %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin but doesn’t always add that folder to your PATH — so typing claude gives “‘claude’ is not recognized…” and you can’t sign in or connect it. Fix it in one of two ways: run it once from its folder to sign in now, then add that folder to PATH so it works everywhere.

Note

This is about the claude command itself not running on Windows — the step before you connect it to Thunderbird. If instead claude works in your terminal but atbridge can’t find it when you connect, see When atbridge can’t find your AI CLI.

Why this happens

Windows programs are only runnable by name if their folder is on your PATH. The Claude Code installer completes successfully and drops claude.exe into %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin, but it doesn’t always put that folder on your user PATH — so a brand-new terminal doesn’t know where claude is. It’s a common, expected step, not a broken install. (Anthropic documents it as the “command not found” after installation case.)

Installed with npm instead?

If you installed Claude Code with npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, the command lives in your npm prefix folder rather than .local\bin. Find it with npm config get prefix and use that path in place of %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin everywhere below.

Fix it

1. Run it once from its folder — to sign in right now. Open PowerShell and run:

   cd $env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin
   .\claude

   That launches Claude Code even though it isn’t on PATH yet, so you can sign in with your account. (Prefer to fix PATH first? Do step 2, open a new terminal, then just run claude.)

2. Add the folder to your PATH — so claude works everywhere.

   PowerShell

   $p = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', 'User')
   [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', "$p;$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", 'User')

   This updates your user PATH for good. Then close and reopen your terminal so it picks up the change.

   Settings (GUI)

   Press Start, type “environment variables”, and open Edit the system environment variables → Environment Variables…. Under User variables, select Path → Edit → New, add:

   %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin

   Click OK on each dialog, then close and reopen your terminal.

3. Verify. Open a fresh terminal and run:

   claude --version

   A version string means Windows now finds claude. claude doctor prints a read-only health check if you want to confirm the install.

Caution

PATH changes only apply to newly opened terminals — the window you edited it in won’t see the change. Open a new PowerShell or Command Prompt before testing.

Then connect it in Thunderbird

Once claude runs in a terminal and you’ve signed in once, connect it as the AI behind the atbridge AI Chat — pick Claude Code CLI in atbridge Settings → AI providers. Full steps: Connect a CLI subscription.

If atbridge still can’t see it after that, it’s the atbridge-side discovery — one command fixes it: When atbridge can’t find your AI CLI.

Where to go next

• Connect a CLI subscription
• When atbridge can’t find your AI CLI
• Windows blocks atbridge (SmartScreen)

Faster: ask the community

For “how do I…” questions you will usually get a quicker answer — and help the next person with the same question — in Discord. Anything tied to your account, billing, or a bug is better as a support ticket, where we reply by email.