[BUG] Windows installer reports success but fails to create claude.exe in target directory

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/14902
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/9281
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/9238

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1))) latest

this worked for me in powershell

Root Cause Analysis

I debugged this issue and found the specific cause in the native installer's version check logic.

Debug Log Evidence

From ~\.claude\debug\latest after running the installer:

Install: Calling installLatest(force=true, target=stable, forceReinstall=false)
Checking for native installer update to version 2.0.67
Already running version 2.0.67 - no update needed
Install: installLatest returned version=2.0.67, wasUpdated=true, lockFailed=false
Install: Setup message: installMethod is native, but claude command not found at C:\Users\chris\.local\bin\claude.exe

The Bug

The installer's logic appears to be:

if (runningVersion == targetVersion) → skip installation

But it should be:

if (targetBinaryExists AND runningVersion == targetVersion) → skip installation
else → copy self to target location

The installer correctly detects that it's running version 2.0.67 and the target is 2.0.67 (stable), so it says "no update needed" and skips copying itself to the target directory. But it never checks whether the target file actually exists first.

Reproduction Sequence

1. PowerShell script downloads claude.exe to ~\.claude\downloads\claude-2.0.67-win32-x64.exe
2. Runs & $binaryPath install stable
3. The binary checks its own version (2.0.67) vs target (stable = 2.0.67)
4. Versions match → skips copying to ~\.local\bin\claude.exe
5. PowerShell script deletes the temp file
6. Result: No binary at target location

Workaround

Manually download the binary directly to the target location:

$ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin" | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://storage.googleapis.com/claude-code-dist-86c565f3-f756-42ad-8dfa-d59b1c096819/claude-code-releases/2.0.67/win32-x64/claude.exe" -OutFile "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\claude.exe"
& "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\claude.exe" install

Suggested Fix

In the native installer's installLatest function, before checking version match, first verify that the target binary exists at ~\.local\bin\claude.exe. If it doesn't exist, always perform the copy regardless of version.

This is a duplicate of #14902

Hi,
I faced this issue on PowerShell
So i tried the installation with CMD : curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd and it works

Windows Native Installation Fix Workaround

[!WARNING] Before running: This script will force-close all running Claude Code processes and uninstall existing Claude installations before reinstalling. Save your work and close Claude Code first. Run at your own risk.

Quick Fix (PowerShell) - No Download Needed

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1))) latest

Full Installer Script

View source on GitHub Gist

PowerShell

irm https://gist.githubusercontent.com/fatihaziz/6b6f68e9b5cd2fd7763591f25d97ea54/raw/claude_installer.py -OutFile $env:TEMP\ci.py; python $env:TEMP\ci.py --native-only

Bash / Git Bash / Cygwin

curl -fsSL https://gist.githubusercontent.com/fatihaziz/6b6f68e9b5cd2fd7763591f25d97ea54/raw/claude_installer.py | python - --native-only

Why It Works

The latest argument bypasses the version-check bug in claude.exe install (#14942).

Root cause: The installer checks if runningVersion == targetVersion and skips copying the binary - but doesn't verify the target file actually exists.

What The Script Does

1. Force-closes all running Claude Code processes
2. Uninstalls existing Claude installations (npm, bun, deno, native)
3. Downloads Claude binary directly from GCS bucket
4. Verifies SHA256 checksum
5. Runs claude.exe install latest (bypasses the bug)
6. Verifies installation

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• curl (included in Windows 10+)
• Internet connection

Appreciate the info everyone, it seems like the installer is basically just checking the version number and skipping the rest without making sure the files actually exist. If you are stuck, adding the word latest to the end of your install command should force it to bypass that check and get the files copied correctly for now. Hopefully that helps anyone else running into this while the team looks into the actual logic fix. Do we want to close this issue or keep open until the installer's logic is fixed?

This should be closed as a duplicate of #14902

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.