Day 43 of 52 · about 15 min · Basics · Bonus
Use Claude Code in the desktop app
Not everyone wants to work in a terminal. The desktop app runs the same Claude Code with buttons and a diff view, so you can see every change before it lands in your files.
You’ll finish with
- The desktop app installed, with the Code tab open
- A session on a folder from your computer
- A change you reviewed in the diff view before it touched your files
You’ll need
- A Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan
- macOS, Windows (x64 or ARM64), or Ubuntu or Debian for the Linux beta
- A small project you know, such as the practice project
Before you start
Tell us about your setup and the steps change to fit it. Your answers stay in this browser, and you can change them at any time.
Which system are you on?
Commands differ between systems. Pick the one you’ll run Claude Code on.
The steps
One step at a time. When a step’s check matches, tick it and the next one opens.
Step 1 of 3: Install the app and open the Code tab
Download the app, sign in, and click Code at the top.Download the installer from the desktop quickstart, sign in, and click the Code tab at the top center. The app includes Claude Code, so you don’t need Node.js or the CLI.
Chat
- Conversation, with no access to your files
Cowork
- A background agent for tasks you hand off
Code
- Claude Code, with direct access to your local files
The app has three tabs. This lesson uses Code. Check it worked
The Code tab offers Local, Cloud and SSH, plus WSL on Windows.
If it didn’t work
Clicking Code asks you to upgrade or to sign in
An upgrade prompt means your plan doesn’t include Claude Code. For a sign-in prompt, finish signing in online and restart the app.
Step 2 of 3: Start a session on a local folder
Pick Local, select your folder and switch to Manual mode.Select Local, click Select folder and choose your project. In the permission mode selector next to the send button, pick Manual.
In order:
You
Local
Claude runs on your machine, on your files
You
Select folder
the project to work in
You
Manual mode
Claude asks before editing files or running commands
Manual mode shows you each change before your files are touched. Check it worked
The mode selector next to the send button reads Manual.
Step 3 of 3: Review a change before you accept it
Ask for a small change, then accept or reject it in the diff view.Paste into Claude CodeAdd tests for the main functionClaude proposes each edit and waits. The diff view shows exactly what will change in each file, and you accept or reject it. Your files stay as they are until you accept.
In order:
Claude
Claude proposes an edit
Tool
Diff view
what changes, file by file
If you accept
The file changes on disk
If you reject
Claude asks how you’d like to proceed
In Auto or Accept edits mode, Claude applies edits first and you review them afterwards. Check it worked
After you accept, the new test is in your project folder. In the practice project,
npm testruns it.
Finish · 3 of 3 steps to go
You can use Claude Code without a terminal
What you’ll have checked
- The Code tab opens on your folder
- You accepted or rejected a change in the diff view
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Claude Code for your team
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Related
Questions
Questions about Day 43
Do I also need the CLI?
No. The desktop app includes Claude Code. Install the CLI separately only if you also want `claude` in a terminal.
Sources
Checked against the official Claude Code docs on .
Independent resource, not affiliated with Anthropic. HorizonLux wrote this lesson; Claude Code is made by Anthropic.