How to Set Up Claude Computer Use on Windows

Because I haven’t seen many great tutorials for when I set up earlier this week:

Before starting, you’ll need Docker Desktop installed on your Windows machine, your Anthropic API key, Windows PowerShell, and at least 1GB of free disk space.

Start by launching Docker Desktop and wait for it to fully initialize. You’ll know it’s ready when the whale icon stops animating in your system tray. Next, open Windows PowerShell (make sure it’s PowerShell, not Command Prompt).

First, you’ll need to create a required directory. Copy and paste this command into PowerShell:

powershellCopyNew-Item -Path “$env:USERPROFILE.anthropic” -ItemType Directory

Now verify Docker is running properly by entering:

powershellCopydocker ps

You should see a header table, even if it’s empty. This confirms Docker is ready.

Finally, run the main command, replacing YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Anthropic API key:

powershellCopydocker run -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=“YOUR_API_KEY” —volume ${HOME}/.anthropic:/home/computeruse/.anthropic -p 5900:5900 -p 8501:8501 -p 6080:6080 -p 8080:8080 -it http://ghcr.io/anthropics/anthropic-quickstarts:computer-use-demo-latest

If you run into any issues, here’s what to try. If Docker isn’t responding, restart Docker Desktop. If the command fails, restart your computer and try again. Always make sure to copy the entire command as one line, and be patient during the initial image download.