Get set up

Everything the course uses, installed and checked, one short step at a time. No experience needed.

The course is written for you to read in your browser while you work on your own computer, in a second window. This guide gets that second window ready.

Each step:

• starts with a quick check, so you can skip anything you already have
• gives you one action at a time, with the exact thing to type or click
• ends with what you should see, so you know it worked
• has an "If it didn't work" section for the most common problems

You'll install free tools only, except for the last step: Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan. You won't need it until Module 3.

Stuck anywhere? Copy the exact error message into any AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) and add: "I'm a beginner following a setup guide on Windows (or Mac). What does this error mean, and what should I try first?" Never paste passwords or keys into a chat.