How to Build a Website with Claude Code on Windows (No Coding Needed)

You can build a simple one-page website with the Claude Code desktop app on Windows without writing any code: you plan the site in a chat, approve a plan before anything is built, and Claude Code creates the files for you on your own computer.

This guide pairs with my full video walkthrough, where you can watch every step happen on screen — but everything you need is written out below, so you can follow either way, at your own pace.

If you've seen other tutorials that mention Node, VS Code, or typing commands into a black terminal window — you won't need any of that here. Everything happens inside the Claude desktop app, in two tabs.

Who this is for

Capable beginners who want a simple website and would rather not wade through technical setup. If you can write short answers to a few questions about your business, you can follow along. By the end you'll have a working one-page site saved on your computer — not online yet (publishing it is the next part of this series), but something real you built yourself.

The one rule: plan in chat, build in code

Claude has two parts, and it helps to think of them as two people:

• Claude Chat is your strategist. It asks the business questions, works out what your page needs, and writes the website brief. It does not touch any files on your computer.
• Claude Code is your builder. It reads that brief, creates and edits the website files, and previews the result. It only works inside the one folder you choose.

So the rule for the whole process is simple: plan in chat, build in code.

One thing to put your mind at ease before you start: you'll use plan mode. In plan mode, Claude Code looks through your project and proposes an approach without changing a single file until you approve it. You stay in control of every change.

What this tutorial's setup uses

Claude updates often, so before you start, check Anthropic's current Windows setup guide — requirements can change between the time I write this and the time you read it. For the simple path I use in this tutorial, you'll want:

1. A paid Claude plan that includes Claude Code (individual, team or enterprise).
2. The latest Claude desktop app installed on Windows.
3. Git for Windows — Claude Code may ask for it when working with local files. You don't need to learn Git; if it's needed, you just install it once.

Step 1 — Make a project folder

A project folder is just a normal Windows folder holding everything for this one website. Create a parent folder called Claude projects, and inside it a folder for this site — for example my-first-website. Drop in your logo and any images (you can make these with an AI image generator or a tool like Canva), and add a simple text file with the links your site needs: booking page, email, LinkedIn, and so on.

Step 2 — Plan the website in Claude Chat

In the desktop app, go to the Home tab's chat and paste in the planning prompt (it's in the free reference guide linked below). Notice what the prompt doesn't ask you to decide: which sections a website needs, which coding language to use, or what setup is best. Claude Chat works that out for you. You can also attach screenshots of a site whose style you like.

Claude will ask you a set of questions. Short answers are fine, and if you're not sure, just say: "I'm not sure — what do you recommend?"

When the brief appears, read it carefully and scan for anything Claude might have invented — especially qualifications, prices, client results or testimonials. Once it looks right, save it as a text file named website-brief.txt inside your project folder. The brief now travels with the project, so Claude Code can read it without you pasting the whole conversation.

Step 3 — Switch to Claude Code and turn on plan mode

Now switch to the Code tab. Choose Local (Claude works with the files on your computer), select your project folder, and click Trust workspace when asked — you created it. Then set the permission mode to Plan and paste the build-planning prompt from the reference guide.

Claude works through your files, might ask a clarifying question or two, then lays out its plan in plain English. Read it: does it match the brief? Is the file list sensible? If it sounds too complicated, ask Claude to simplify it before moving on.

Step 4 — Approve the plan and let it build

When the plan looks right, click Accept. The permission mode switches to Manual, which means Claude asks your permission before each file change. When it asks to create the first file and that matches the plan, allow it. You'll see something like +478 in green and -0 in red — that just means 478 new lines were added and nothing deleted, because it's a brand-new file.

A tip worth doing before you build: open Settings → Claude Code and go through the tabs once, so everything is set the way you want.

Step 5 — Preview the site (and a common hiccup)

Claude will offer to start a local preview. "Local" means the site is visible only on your computer — it's not on the internet, not connected to a domain, and nobody else can see it yet.

If your images don't show in the built-in preview pane, don't panic — it's a known quirk, not something you broke. Ask Claude: "How can I preview this website properly in my browser?" It gives you a local web address; open it in Chrome or Edge outside the Claude app and the images render correctly.

Step 6 — Review it like a visitor

Go through the site the way a visitor would. Check every link works, and — most importantly — that every business fact is correct: the name, the services, the links, and any claims Claude wrote. This check matters, because AI can state something confidently that isn't quite right.

And that's it: a simple one-page website built with Claude Code desktop, saved in your project folder and working on your computer. In the next tutorial in this series, I cover publishing this exact folder and connecting a custom domain so other people can visit it online.

Get the free reference guide

The Windows setup checklist plus the planning and building prompts from this tutorial are in a free, printable quick-setup guide — keep it open beside you while you build your own site:

→ Get the free Quick Setup Reference Guide

Before you build — check it's the right build

Claude Code can help you build quickly, but it can't tell you whether the website supports the right income direction for how you're wired to work. If you're not fully sure of your direction yet, the free TrueLane™ assessment helps you find the business lane that fits your strengths before you commit your time and energy.

→ Take the free TrueLane assessment