C:/Program Files/Git/desktop command fails on Windows when Claude Desktop is installed via official installer (AppX package)

Bug Report

Summary

The /desktop command in Claude Code fails on Windows with the message "Failed to open Claude Desktop" when Claude Desktop is installed using the official installer from claude.ai/download.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 Home (10.0.26200)
• Claude Code version: latest
• Claude Desktop version: 1.15962.1.0

Steps to Reproduce

1. Download and install Claude Desktop from claude.ai/download (the official Windows installer)
2. Open Claude Code (CLI)
3. Run /desktop
4. Result: "Failed to open Claude Desktop"

Root Cause

The official Windows installer (Claude Setup.exe) installs Claude Desktop as an AppX/MSIX package, placing it at:

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.15962.1.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc\

The /desktop command in Claude Code appears to look for a traditional Win32 installation at:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Claude\Claude.exe

That path is never created by the official installer. As a result, /desktop cannot find the executable regardless of how many times the user reinstalls.

The correct way to launch the AppX-installed version on Windows is:

Start-Process "explorer.exe" "shell:AppsFolder\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc!Claude"

or via:

$pkg = Get-AppxPackage -Name "Claude"
Start-Process "explorer.exe" "shell:AppsFolder\$($pkg.PackageFamilyName)!Claude"

Expected Behavior

/desktop should detect and launch Claude Desktop regardless of whether it was installed as a Win32 app or an AppX/MSIX package.

Suggested Fix

On Windows, before failing, the CLI should also check for an AppX installation via Get-AppxPackage -Name "Claude" and use the shell:AppsFolder launch method if found.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code