Primer – How to Use Claude Code on Windows 11 (Paid & Free)

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Primer – How To Use Claude Code on a Windows 11 Laptop (With and Without Subscriptions)

Primer – How To Use Claude Code on a Windows 11 Laptop (With and Without Subscriptions)

Questions addressed by this primer:

  • What is Claude Code and how is it different from “regular” Claude?
  • How do you install Claude Code on a Windows 11 personal laptop using VS Code?
  • How do you use Claude Code with a paid Claude subscription (Pro / Max or API)?
  • How do you use a Claude Code–style setup without a Claude subscription, using free local models via Ollama?
  • What are the pros and cons of paid vs free Claude Code setups for individual developers and small teams?

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is an AI coding assistant built around Anthropic’s Claude models that integrates directly into your developer workflow. Unlike chatting with Claude in a browser, Claude Code is designed to:
  • Read and understand your entire codebase (or large parts of it).
  • Propose multi‑file changes, including generating new files and refactoring existing ones.
  • Apply those changes automatically (with your approval) through your editor or the command line.
From a developer’s perspective, Claude Code gives you:
  • A “pair programmer” that can see the same files and project structure as you.
  • A refactoring engine that can plan and execute series of edits.
  • A teacher that can explain unfamiliar code, libraries, and frameworks in natural language.
The key design idea is that Claude Code is agentic: it does not just answer questions; it can plan steps, propose patches, and then apply those patches to your repository.

Pre‑requisites: What you need before installing Claude Code

Before you install and use Claude Code on a Windows 11 personal laptop, you need a few basic components in place.

1. Windows 11 and a browser

  • Confirm that your machine is running Windows 11.
    • Go to Start → Settings → System → About and check the version.
  • Ensure you have a modern browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Firefox for downloading tools and signing into accounts.

2. Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

Claude Code integrates most naturally with Visual Studio Code (VS Code), which is free and widely used. To install VS Code on Windows 11:
  1. Open your browser and go to the official Visual Studio Code website (search for “Download Visual Studio Code” and select the official result).
  2. Click “Download for Windows” and save the installer.
  3. Once downloaded, double‑click the installer file (for example VSCodeUserSetup‑x64‑…exe).
  4. Accept the license agreement and keep the default options.
  5. Click “Install”, then “Finish” to launch VS Code.
You should now see the VS Code welcome screen.

Using Claude Code with a Claude subscription (Pro / Max / API)

In this section, we cover the “official” way to use Claude Code: you call Anthropic’s Claude models through a paid plan or API. This is similar to how cloud‑hosted coding copilots operate.

Claude subscription and API options

As of 2026, Anthropic provides two main access paths for individuals and small teams:
  • Claude consumer subscription (Pro / Max)
    • Pro: monthly subscription with higher usage limits than the free tier, suitable for regular coding work.
    • Max: premium tier for heavy users (e.g., production developers, power users).
  • Claude API (pay‑as‑you‑go)
    • You create an API key in Anthropic’s developer portal.
    • You pay per token for models like Claude Haiku, Sonnet, or Opus.
Claude Code can work with both: either it signs you in via browser (using your Pro/Max account), or it uses an API key you configure.

Step 1 – Create your Claude account and (optionally) subscribe

  1. Open your browser and search for “Claude AI”.
  2. Go to the official Anthropic Claude website.
  3. Click “Sign up” or “Get started”.
  4. Create an account with your email and password; verify your email.
To subscribe:
  1. Inside the Claude app, go to “Account”, “Billing”, or “Plans”.
  2. Choose a plan such as Claude Pro or Claude Max.
  3. Enter your payment information and confirm.
To enable the API:
  1. Go to the “Developer” or “API” section of your Anthropic/Claude account.
  2. Click “Create API key”.
  3. Copy the key and store it securely.
  4. (Optional) Set up billing if you want to go beyond free or trial credits.

Step 2 – Install the Claude Code extension in VS Code

Anthropic provides an official Claude Code extension for VS Code. To install:
  1. Open VS Code.
  2. Click the “Extensions” icon on the left (four squares) or press Ctrl + Shift + X.
  3. In the search bar at the top, type: Claude Code.
  4. Locate the extension published by Anthropic.
  5. Click “Install”.
  6. If prompted, click “Reload” to activate the extension.
Alternatively:
  1. Visit the official Claude Code extension page in the Visual Studio Marketplace.
  2. Click “Install” on the web page.
  3. Allow it to open VS Code and complete the installation.

Step 3 – Connect Claude Code to your Claude account or API key

Once the extension is installed, you configure it to talk to Claude’s servers.
  1. In VS Code, press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the Command Palette.
  2. Type Claude Code to filter commands related to the extension.
  3. Run a command such as “Claude Code: Open Settings” or “Claude Code: Sign in”.
You will typically see two main options:
  • Sign in with your Claude account (Pro / Max)
    • Click “Sign in”.
    • A browser window opens.
    • Log in with the same email and password you used for Claude.
    • Confirm that you want to allow the extension access.
  • Use an Anthropic API key
    • Enter your API key into the text box for API token.
    • Save the settings.
Once configured, the extension can call Claude models on your behalf.

Step 4 – Run your first Claude Code session in VS Code

To test Claude Code with your subscription or API:
  1. Create a folder on your machine, for example C:\Users\<your‑name>\Desktop\ClaudeDemo.
  2. Open VS Code and go to File → Open Folder, then choose ClaudeDemo.
  3. Create a new file, for example hello.py.
  4. Add a comment describing what you want: 
    # I want a Python script that prints the numbers 1 to 10
  5. Select this line or place your cursor near it.
  6. Open the Claude Code side panel or right‑click and choose a context menu entry such as “Ask Claude” or “Claude: Generate Code”.
  7. Ask Claude to “Generate the script”, and wait a few seconds.
Claude Code will propose the code. You can insert the suggestion, run it, and ask for refinements like “Add error handling” or “Explain what this script does line by line”.

Step 5 – Recommended settings for individual developers

Within VS Code, open Settings and search for “Claude Code”. Key settings to consider:
  • Default model
    • Use Claude Sonnet for balanced speed and quality.
    • Use Claude Haiku for quick, low‑cost suggestions on smaller tasks.
    • Use Claude Opus for deep reasoning on complex refactors, while watching cost.
  • Context visibility
    • Enable reading of the current file, open editors, and optionally the project tree, depending on privacy and performance needs.
  • Telemetry
    • Decide whether to allow anonymous usage data being sent to the extension authors. You can switch this off if privacy is a higher priority.

Using Claude Code without a Claude subscription: local models via Ollama

Not every developer or small business wants to commit to another monthly subscription or pay‑as‑you‑go API. An increasingly popular alternative is to:
  • Keep the Claude Code–style experience (planning changes, giving instructions in natural language).
  • Replace Claude’s hosted models with local, open‑source models running through Ollama.
Conceptually, you are using:
  • Claude Code as the agent or shell.
  • Ollama as the local model runtime.
Instead of sending prompts to Anthropic’s servers, Claude Code sends them to Ollama running on your own machine, and Ollama uses an open‑source model (such as Qwen or Llama) to answer.

Step 6 – Install Ollama on Windows 11

Ollama is a free tool that downloads and runs large language models on your machine and exposes a local API endpoint for tools like Claude Code.

6.1 Download and install Ollama

  1. Open your browser and search for “Ollama Windows”.
  2. Go to the official Ollama site and download the Windows installer.
  3. Save the installer (for example OllamaSetup.exe).
  4. Open your Downloads folder and right‑click the installer.
  5. Choose “Run as administrator”.
  6. If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning, click “More info”, then “Run anyway”.
  7. In the setup wizard:
    • Accept the license terms.
    • Keep the default installation location.
    • Make sure “Add Ollama to PATH” is checked.
    • Complete the installation.

6.2 Verify Ollama installation

  1. Press Start, type “PowerShell”, and open Windows PowerShell.
  2. Type: 
    ollama --version
  3. Press Enter.
If you see a version string, Ollama is installed correctly. If not, restart PowerShell or your computer, or re‑run the installer and confirm the PATH option.

Step 7 – Download a local model via Ollama

To use Claude Code without Claude’s cloud, you need an actual model to answer prompts. Ollama maintains a library of models, including several that can handle coding tasks.

7.1 Choose an appropriate model

  • On a laptop with 8 GB RAM, prefer smaller models that fit comfortably in memory.
  • On a laptop with 16 GB RAM or more, you can try larger code‑centric models with better output quality.
Check the Ollama model library page for recommended models for coding tasks.

7.2 Pull a model

  1. Open PowerShell.
  2. Use the ollama pull command to download a model, for example: 
    ollama pull qwen
    or 
    ollama pull codellama
  3. Wait for the download to complete.

7.3 Test the model locally

  1. In PowerShell, run: 
    ollama run qwen
    (replace qwen with your chosen model name).
  2. At the prompt, type: 
    Write a JavaScript function that returns the square of a number.
  3. Press Enter and review the response.
  4. Press Ctrl + C to exit.
If the model responds sensibly, you are ready to integrate it into a Claude Code–style flow.

Step 8 – Connect Claude Code to Ollama instead of Anthropic’s cloud

This is where the “free Claude Code” setup becomes real. Instead of using Anthropic’s endpoint and key, you point Claude Code at Ollama’s compatible interface. At a high level, you will:
  1. Install and configure Claude Code or its CLI interface.
  2. Set configuration or environment variables so that the Anthropic base URL used by Claude Code is actually http://localhost:11434, which is Ollama’s default local URL.
  3. Configure the model name in Claude Code to match the model you pulled in Ollama (for example qwen).
Once this mapping is in place:
  • Claude Code sends Anthropic‑style prompts to localhost:11434.
  • Ollama passes the request to your chosen open‑source model.
  • Claude Code receives the response and continues its agentic workflow: planning changes, proposing edits, and applying patches.
Important note: even though the tool is called Claude Code, in this mode you are running Claude Code as a shell around non‑Claude models. You are not running Anthropic’s Claude itself for free.

Step 9 – First end‑to‑end free session (Claude Code + Ollama) on Windows 11

To validate that your free setup works:
  1. Ensure Ollama is running. If needed, open PowerShell and run: 
    ollama serve
  2. Ensure Claude Code is configured to use the local endpoint and your chosen model.
  3. Open a small project folder in VS Code.
  4. Ask Claude Code to perform a realistic task such as:
    • “Scan this repository and suggest a better folder structure.”
    • “Refactor this legacy function into smaller, more testable components.”
  5. Observe the planning steps and proposed patches.
  6. Approve the patches and verify the edits are applied as expected.
At this point, you have a functional, Claude Code–style coding assistant on your Windows 11 laptop without any Claude subscription.

Comparing paid vs free Claude Code approaches

Advantages of the paid Claude Code setup

  • Best‑in‑class model quality for reasoning and complex code understanding.
  • Simpler setup: sign in, add an API key or subscription, and start working.
  • Scales well for large or critical projects.

Disadvantages of the paid setup

  • Ongoing subscription or API cost.
  • Code and prompts leave your machine to be processed in the cloud.

Advantages of the free Claude Code + Ollama setup

  • No Claude subscription cost when using local models.
  • Greater control over data if everything runs locally.
  • Freedom to experiment with different open‑source models.

Disadvantages of the free setup

  • More complex installation and configuration.
  • Performance depends heavily on your hardware.
  • Open‑source models may still be weaker than Anthropic’s Claude on the hardest tasks.

When should you use which approach?

Use a paid Claude Code setup if:
  • You want the highest possible code understanding and reasoning quality.
  • You prefer minimal configuration and are comfortable paying for usage.
  • Your projects are large, complex, or safety‑critical.
Use the free Claude Code + Ollama setup if:
  • You are cost‑sensitive (student, hobbyist, early‑stage founder).
  • You prioritize keeping code and prompts on your own machine.
  • You enjoy experimenting with tools and models and can handle some setup work.

Closing thoughts

Claude Code offers a powerful way to bring AI deeper into your daily development workflow. On a Windows 11 personal laptop, you can:
  • Install VS Code, add the official Claude Code extension, and connect to Claude via subscription or API for a high‑quality, cloud‑backed coding assistant.
  • Or, if you prefer not to subscribe, combine Claude Code’s agentic workflow with free, local models via Ollama and achieve a similar experience without ongoing Claude costs.
Both paths are viable. The right choice depends on your budget, your privacy requirements, and how much configuration you are willing to manage on your own machine.
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