Claude and Claude Code: a beginner guide

What Claude is, whether it works in Arabic and in your country, who can use Claude Code, and how to install it on Mac, Windows or Linux. Sourced from the official docs.

Updated 2 November 2026

Short answer

Claude is the AI assistant made by Anthropic. You can write to it in Arabic and it answers in Arabic. Claude Code is the Anthropic tool that runs Claude on the files of your project from the terminal, and it also has a desktop app if you prefer not to use a terminal. Claude is available in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and most Arab countries on Anthropic's supported list. Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account: the free claude.ai plan does not include it.

What Claude is

Claude is a family of AI models from Anthropic. You use it in three main ways: chat on claude.ai, the Claude desktop app, and Claude Code for work on real files and projects. Claude Code reads and edits files in the folder you open it in and runs commands there, which is why it suits coding, automation and content workflows.

Language	Claude Sonnet 4.5	Claude Haiku 4.5
English (baseline)	100%	100%
Arabic	97.2%	92.5%
French	97.5%	95.7%
Hindi	96.7%	92.4%

Score relative to English on a professionally translated MMLU test, with extended thinking. From Anthropic's multilingual support page; newer models are not in that table.

Who can use Claude Code

Requirement	What the docs say
Account	Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console. The free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code.
Mac	macOS 13.0 or newer
Windows	Windows 10 1809 or newer, or Windows Server 2019 or newer
Linux	Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+ or Alpine Linux 3.19+
Hardware	4 GB RAM or more, x64 or ARM64 processor, internet connection
Country	One of Anthropic's supported countries. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Iraq and Lebanon are on the list.

Checked against the official pages on 2 November 2026.

Install Claude Code step by step

Open a terminal and paste the command for your system. The native installer is the one Anthropic recommends, and it updates itself in the background.

Mac, Linux or WSL

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Windows CMD

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

Or with Homebrew (Mac) or WinGet (Windows)

brew install --cask claude-code
winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Then open the folder of your project in the terminal and start it. The first run opens the browser so you can log in.

Start and check

claude
claude --version
claude doctor

Common install problems

"The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator": you are in PowerShell, so use the PowerShell command.
"'irm' is not recognized": you are in CMD, so use the CMD command.
On Windows, installing Git for Windows lets Claude Code use Bash. Without it, Claude Code uses PowerShell.
Homebrew and WinGet installs do not update themselves: run brew upgrade claude-code or winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode.
If you install with npm, do not use sudo npm install -g.

What to try after installing

Write to it in Arabic. Anthropic recommends naming the language you want the answer in for the most reliable result.
Ask it to explain the folder you opened before you ask it to change anything.
Add a skill: a folder with a SKILL.md file that teaches Claude a repeatable job. My free guides cover Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn skills.
Not sure if you need Claude or ChatGPT? Read my comparison of Claude Skills and ChatGPT GPTs.

Questions

Is Claude free?

claude.ai has a free plan, but Claude Code is not part of it. Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account. Check the current plans on the official site before you pay, because they change.

Does Claude understand Arabic?

Yes. On Anthropic's translated test, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scored 97.2% in Arabic relative to its English score. Write in Arabic script, not Arabizi, and say which language you want the answer in.

Is Claude available in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan?

Yes. All three are on Anthropic's supported countries list, along with Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Iraq and Lebanon.

What is the difference between Claude and Claude Code?

Claude is the assistant you chat with. Claude Code is a tool that runs Claude inside a project folder so it can read files, edit them and run commands.

Do I need to be a programmer to use Claude Code?

No to install it: the docs include a terminal guide for beginners, and a desktop app that works without the terminal. It is built for working on projects and files, so you get the most from it when you have one.

How do I update Claude Code?

The native install updates itself. To update now, run claude update. Homebrew and WinGet installs need a manual upgrade.

Free Claude skills guides Claude Skills vs GPTs