[BUG] Windows Desktop: "Claude will be back" crashes, Settings inaccessible, Get Help non-functional, Cowork ECONNRESET (Max Plan)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

I am a Max Plan subscriber experiencing multiple critical and persistent issues with the Claude Desktop app on Windows 11. These issues collectively make large portions of the app non-functional, preventing me from customizing Claude, accessing support, or using new features.
ISSUE 1: "Claude will be back" — App crashes when accessing Settings sections
When I click on my profile/initials in the lower left corner and try to access any Settings section beyond "General" (such as "Account", "Appearance", or other customization options), the app displays "Claude will be back" and crashes/reloads. When it returns, all progress is lost. As a result:

I can ONLY customize the "General" section of Settings
I CANNOT access my Account settings
I CANNOT customize Claude's behavior, appearance, or other preferences
I have been paying for a Max Plan but unable to use most of its customization features

This is the same error pattern I experienced for 3 months when trying to subscribe: at the final payment step, after entering card details and clicking submit, the app would display "Claude will be back," crash, and reset — requiring me to re-enter everything from scratch. I reported this to the support team multiple times with screenshots, but received only generic responses ("Check your card details") that did not address the actual platform-side issue. I was ultimately only able to subscribe through the mobile app.
ISSUE 2: "Get Help" button is completely non-functional
The "Get Help" option in the profile menu has NEVER worked on my account in the Windows Desktop app. Clicking it produces absolutely no response — no page opens, no support messenger appears, nothing happens. This means I have no way to access in-app support, Fin AI bot, or the Product Support escalation path. This issue makes all other issues worse, because I cannot even report problems through the intended support channel.
ISSUE 3: Cowork feature — "Failed to start Claude's workspace" + ECONNRESET
Since the Cowork feature became available for Windows (around February 12, 2026), it has never worked. The workspace fails to start immediately upon opening the Cowork tab, and any attempt to send a message results in an API connection reset error.
Environment:

Claude Desktop: Latest version (as of February 18, 2026)
Model: Claude Opus 4.6
Subscription: Max Plan
Platform: Windows 11, Desktop App
Network: Stable — all other applications and Claude's Chat tab work without any issues

Summary: I am paying for a Max Plan but cannot access Account settings, cannot customize Claude beyond basic "General" settings, cannot use the Get Help support channel, and cannot use the Cowork feature. The only thing that works reliably is the standard Chat tab.
This appears related to issues #25308 and #25024 regarding the Cowork VM proxy layer not being fully implemented on Windows.

What Should Happen?

1. All Settings sections (Account, Appearance, Preferences, etc.) should be accessible without the app crashing with "Claude will be back."
2. The "Get Help" button should open the support messenger as documented in the Help Center (https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9015913-how-to-get-support).
3. The Cowork workspace should start successfully and respond to user prompts.
4. A Max Plan subscriber should be able to fully utilize all features they are paying for.

Error Messages/Logs

Error 1 — Settings crash:
"Claude will be back"
(App reloads/crashes when accessing any Settings section beyond "General", including Account)
Error 2 — Get Help:
No error message displayed. Button produces zero response — no page, no messenger, nothing.
Error 3 — Cowork (on opening tab):
"Failed to start Claude's workspace
Can't reach the Claude API from Claude's workspace.
Restarting Claude or reconnecting to your network sometimes resolves this."
Error 4 — Cowork (on sending a message):
"This task didn't load properly
API Error: Unable to connect to API (ECONNRESET)"

Steps to Reproduce

For Issue 1 (Settings crash):

1. Open Claude Desktop on Windows 11
2. Click profile/initials in the lower left corner
3. Click "Settings" or any settings subsection other than "General" (e.g., "Account")
4. App displays "Claude will be back" and crashes/reloads
5. Upon return, no settings changes have been saved

For Issue 2 (Get Help):

1. Open Claude Desktop on Windows 11
2. Click profile/initials in the lower left corner
3. Click "Get Help"
4. Nothing happens — no page opens, no support messenger appears

For Issue 3 (Cowork):

1. Open Claude Desktop on Windows 11
2. Click the "Cowork" tab
3. Error appears immediately: "Failed to start Claude's workspace"
4. Type and send any message
5. Task fails with: "API Error: Unable to connect to API (ECONNRESET)"
6. Restart app and retry — same result every time

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude Desktop (latest as of 2026-02-18) — not using Claude Code CLI

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

I am a Max Plan subscriber experiencing multiple critical and persistent issues with the Claude Desktop app on Windows 11. These issues collectively make large portions of the app non-functional, preventing me from customizing Claude, accessing support, or using new features.
ISSUE 1: "Claude will be back" — App crashes when accessing Settings sections
When I click on my profile/initials in the lower left corner and try to access any Settings section beyond "General" (such as "Account", "Appearance", or other customization options), the app displays "Claude will be back" and crashes/reloads. When it returns, all progress is lost. As a result:

I can ONLY customize the "General" section of Settings
I CANNOT access my Account settings
I CANNOT customize Claude's behavior, appearance, or other preferences
I have been paying for a Max Plan but unable to use most of its customization features

This is the same error pattern I experienced for 3 months when trying to subscribe: at the final payment step, after entering card details and clicking submit, the app would display "Claude will be back," crash, and reset — requiring me to re-enter everything from scratch. I reported this to the support team multiple times with screenshots, but received only generic responses ("Check your card details") that did not address the actual platform-side issue. I was ultimately only able to subscribe through the mobile app.
ISSUE 2: "Get Help" button is completely non-functional
The "Get Help" option in the profile menu has NEVER worked on my account in the Windows Desktop app. Clicking it produces absolutely no response — no page opens, no support messenger appears, nothing happens. This means I have no way to access in-app support, Fin AI bot, or the Product Support escalation path. This issue makes all other issues worse, because I cannot even report problems through the intended support channel.
ISSUE 3: Cowork feature — "Failed to start Claude's workspace" + ECONNRESET
Since the Cowork feature became available for Windows (around February 12, 2026), it has never worked. The workspace fails to start immediately upon opening the Cowork tab, and any attempt to send a message results in an API connection reset error.
Environment:

Claude Desktop: Latest version (as of February 18, 2026)
Model: Claude Opus 4.6
Subscription: Max Plan
Platform: Windows 11, Desktop App
Network: Stable — all other applications and Claude's Chat tab work without any issues

Summary: I am paying for a Max Plan but cannot access Account settings, cannot customize Claude beyond basic "General" settings, cannot use the Get Help support channel, and cannot use the Cowork feature. The only thing that works reliably is the standard Chat tab.
This appears related to issues #25308 and #25024 regarding the Cowork VM proxy layer not being fully implemented on Windows.

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