Claude Code Tips for Beginners: Install, First Session, and 8 Habits to Build

Learn how to get started with Claude Code, Anthropic's agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal. In this beginner-friendly tutorial, we'll walk through installing Claude Code with the new native installer (no Node.js or WSL required), running your first session, and building eight habits that will make you faster and safer from day one. You'll learn how to use Plan Mode before big changes, point Claude at specific files, interrupt and rewind when things go wrong, give Claude persistent project context with CLAUDE.md files, paste in errors and design mockups, manage long sessions with /clear and /compact, resume previous sessions, and switch models for different tasks. Go from never having installed Claude Code to confidently building your own apps and tools. What you'll learn: How to install Claude Code with the native installer on Windows, macOS, and Linux How Claude Code differs from Claude chat and the web/desktop versions How to open Claude Code in a specific project folder and run your first session How to use Plan Mode to review changes before Claude makes them How to reference specific files with @ and interrupt Claude with Escape How to give Claude project context with CLAUDE.md files and the # memory shortcut How to paste error messages and images directly into Claude Code How to manage context with /clear and /compact, resume sessions, and switch models with /model 📌 Resources & Tutorials Claude Code 101 Course https://www.datacamp.com/courses/claude-code-101 Claude Code Tutorial: Setup and Refactoring in Practice https://www.datacamp.com/tutorial/claude-code Claude Code Best Practices: Planning, Context Transfer, TDD https://www.datacamp.com/tutorial/claude-code-best-practices Writing the Best CLAUDE.md: A Complete Guide for Claude Code https://www.datacamp.com/tutorial/writing-the-best-claude-md 📕 Chapters 0:00 Introduction What Is Claude Code? 0:58 Claude vs. Claude Code (Terminal vs. Web & Desktop) 1:20 How to Install Claude