[BUG]
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?
Your Issue:
Claude Desktop won't launch on Windows 11 Home 25H2, Build 26200.8246. It's an immediate launch failure with no error dialogs or visible messages.
What to include in your GitHub bug report:
Desktop app version: [Include your specific version]
Operating system: Windows 11 Home 25H2, Build 26200.8246
Problem: Immediate launch failure, no error dialogs
Event Viewer findings: No CoworkVMService.exe logs found (as shown in your screenshot)
Troubleshooting done: Extensive reinstallation attempts
<img width="556" height="162" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ad948bb5-d246-4eb2-a891-cfa04617edc4" />
What Should Happen?
Need the Desktop App functional for use again.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
Several attempts
Claude Model
Other
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
Current
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
Windows Terminal
Additional Information
_No response_
4 Comments
Found 3 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
I fixed this...
This matched GitHub issue #49494 — Shell Folders registry entries (Desktop, Personal/Documents, My Pictures) were still pointing to C:\Users\<user>\OneDrive\... paths after a OneDrive uninstall. Those folders no longer existed on disk, causing Electron's app.getPath('documents') to fail and crash the app on launch.
Fixed by editing HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders and User Shell Folders to point the three entries back to local paths (%USERPROFILE%\Desktop, \Documents, \Pictures), then rebooting. Claude Desktop launches cleanly now.
Flagging because the generic "failed to launch" error message gave no hint at root cause — might be worth surfacing the contents of %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\launch-failure.err in a future build so other users don't go through 20+ reinstalls.
Closing see above
This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.