[BUG] Cowork permanently stuck on "Setting up Claude's workspace" — Windows 11 Pro

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?

Cowork is permanently stuck on the "Setting up Claude's workspace" loading screen. The progress bar fills partially but never completes. I have been experiencing this issue for multiple days (since approximately March 20, 2026). No error message is displayed — it simply hangs indefinitely.

What I've Tried (all unsuccessful)

• Hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R)
• Clearing browser/app cache
• Closing and fully relaunching Claude Desktop
• Trying different browsers
• Waiting extended periods (3+ hours, multiple attempts over several days)
• Contacted Anthropic support via email ([support@anthropic.com](mailto:support@anthropic.com)) — no response after multiple days
• Contacted in-app support (Fin AI) — redirected to human support, no follow-up received

What Should Happen?

Cowork workspace should finish setting up and become usable within a few minutes, as the UI states: "This can take a few minutes."

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Desktop (latest version)
2. Click on the Cowork tab
3. Loading screen appears: "Setting up Claude's workspace — This can take a few minutes"
4. Progress bar partially fills but never completes
5. Left running for 3+ hours on multiple occasions — never finishes

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

N/A — this is a Claude Desktop Cowork issue, not Claude Code CLI

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

According to Claude, this appears to be the same issue reported in #36392 and #37858. Noting that I am on Windows 11 Pro (not Home), so this is not limited to Home edition users. The issue has persisted across multiple days and multiple attempts. Support channels have been unresponsive.