[BUG] [BUG] Claude Desktop fails to launch on Windows - crashes instantly with no logs

Preflight Checklist

• [ ] 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?

Claude Desktop fails to launch every time. The error message says "Claude Desktop failed to launch. Please check for updates and try again." The app crashes instantly and no log file is created at AppData\Local\Claude\logs\main.log

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should launch normally and open the app window.

Error Messages/Logs

Error: "Claude Desktop failed to launch. Please check for updates and try again."
No logs are generated - the app crashes before writing any logs.
No entries found in Windows Event Viewer related to Claude.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Download Claude Desktop from claude.ai/download
2. Install it
3. Try to launch it
4. Error popup appears immediately

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

1. Download Claude Desktop from claude.ai/download 2. Install it 3. Try to launch it 4. Error popup appears immediately

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

• Tried: update, clean reinstall, deleted AppData\Local\Claude and AppData\Roaming\Claude, restarted, ran as administrator
• Visual C++ 2022 redistributables are installed and up to date
• Antivirus is not blocking Claude (verified via Get-MpThreatDetection)
• No crash entries in Windows Event Viewer