To update Claude Code safely, first identify how the executable you use was installed. Updating a different copy—or changing installation methods without noticing—can leave the old version active even when an upgrade command succeeds.
This guide follows the official setup documentation, checked October 10, 2026. It does not install or update anything on your machine, and it does not assume one fixed version is the newest for every release channel.
Record the version and installation path
Start with read-only checks:
On macOS or Linux, use command -v claude to identify the executable found by your shell. Save the relevant result without exposing private environment values. On a managed computer, ask the owner which installation channel is approved before changing it.
The path matters. An old global package, a native installation, and a package-manager copy can coexist. Your terminal runs the first applicable executable on its search path, not necessarily the one you most recently updated.
Use the existing installation channel
For a native installation, follow the documented updater:
For Homebrew, upgrade the cask you actually installed. The current documentation distinguishes the stable cask from the latest-channel cask:
For an existing WinGet installation:
Do not run every command in sequence. Choose the matching row. Other package managers have their own procedures in the official setup guide. Review any new permission or agreement rather than approving it merely because this is an update.
Restart and verify what actually runs
Preserve any unfinished task, close the relevant client when required, and start a fresh session. Run the version and path checks again.
Then test one harmless operation in a familiar project: ask for a description of a file, or run an existing read-only check. A version string confirms the executable; it does not confirm that your model, hooks, or integrations still behave as expected.
For workflows that use model-change hooks, consult the model-switch hook guide and check the relevant behavior separately. Do not use a successful update as proof that every project configuration is compatible.
If the version did not change
Check these explanations before reinstalling:
- Your release channel intentionally trails another channel.
- The package manager has not published the desired release yet.
- A different executable is earlier on the shell's search path.
- A long-running client has not restarted.
- Organization policy controls the version.
Keep the exact error and the installer identity. Do not respond to a permission problem by broadly changing filesystem ownership, deleting configuration folders, or adding administrator privileges to an unrelated command.
Keep team updates deliberate
A team should record the tested version, installation channel, and affected integrations. Test an upgrade on one representative project before making it the baseline for everyone. If a feature needs a newer version, link to that feature's requirement rather than turning the article title into a permanently stale “latest version” number.
An update also does not grant a new model or subscription entitlement. The usage-limit guide addresses capacity failures that an installer cannot fix.
If you use a managed Agent.Space route, follow that route's supported environment rather than running host-level upgrade commands you do not own. The Claude Code on Agent.Space guide explains how to evaluate the product path; start a workspace only after checking that it supports your intended workflow.