[BUG] Claude Desktop (Windows): Squirrel→MSIX migration deletes the old install but orphans existing shortcuts (desktop AND Start Menu) — confirmed on 2 machines

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?

Note: this report is about the Claude Desktop app for Windows (not the CLI). Filed here as Desktop issues are tracked in this repo.

When Claude Desktop for Windows migrates from the legacy Squirrel install (%LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude) to the new MSIX package (C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_<version>_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc), the migration deletes the old install tree but does not update or remove any Squirrel-era .lnk shortcuts. Confirmed independently on two machines (Windows 11 and Windows 10), which between them show both failure surfaces:

• Machine A (Win 11): orphaned desktop shortcut → blank icon, and launching it fails with a Windows "Location is not available" dialog.
• Machine B (Win 10): orphaned user Start Menu shortcut (%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Claude.lnk). Because the MSIX package's auto-generated AppsFolder entry is also named "Claude", Start Menu search shows two "Claude" entries side by side — one working, one broken with a blank icon. Which one the user hits is luck of the draw.

In both cases the app itself is installed and healthy; only the legacy shortcuts are dead. To a shortcut-first user this presents as "Claude Desktop is broken / got uninstalled," typically surfacing after the next reboot (icon cache refresh), which further disguises the cause. On machine B the symptom re-presented after every restart between migration (2026-07-11) and repair (2026-07-13) — a persistent, recurring failure, not a one-time glitch.

Environment (side by side)

| Item | Machine A | Machine B |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11 Pro, build 10.0.26200 | Windows 10 Pro 22H2, build 10.0.19045 |
| Previous Squirrel app version | 0.12.55 (from stale shortcut WorkingDirectory) | 1.11187.4 (from stale shortcut WorkingDirectory) |
| First Squirrel install | — (log dated 2025-08-16) | 0.7.9 on 2025-02-17 (Squirrel-Install.log) |
| MSIX version after migration | 1.20186.1.0 | 1.20186.1.0 |
| MSIX package family / AUMID | Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc / Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc!Claude | same |
| MSIX signature | Valid, CN="Anthropic, PBC" (SignatureKind: Developer) | same |
| Migration timestamp (WindowsApps folder CreationTime) | 2026-07-12 01:30 | 2026-07-11 09:02 |
| Desktop folder | OneDrive-redirected | OneDrive-redirected (%USERPROFILE%\Desktop does not exist) |
| Orphaned shortcut location | Desktop Claude.lnk | User Start Menu Claude.lnk |

Both machines migrated to the same MSIX version within ~40 hours of each other (2026-07-11/12), consistent with a staged rollout of the same migration; the affected legacy versions differ (0.12.55 vs 1.11187.4), so the defect is not specific to one legacy release.

Timelines (local time, from filesystem forensics)

Machine A

| Timestamp | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-16 | Last Squirrel activity | SquirrelTemp\SquirrelSetup.log LastWriteTime |
| 2026-07-12 01:30 | Claude Setup.exe downloaded (7,021,216 bytes, valid Anthropic signature) | Downloads CreationTime |
| 2026-07-12 01:30 | MSIX package installed (~40 s after download); %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude removed; desktop Claude.lnk left untouched | WindowsApps folder CreationTime |
| 2026-07-13 (after reboot) | Desktop shortcut shows blank icon; double-click → "Location is not available" | user report |

Machine B

| Timestamp | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-17 21:09 | Squirrel first install (app-0.7.9) to %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude | Squirrel-Install.log |
| 2026-06-07 23:17 | Start Menu Claude.lnk last rewritten by Squirrel (WorkingDirectory app-1.11187.4) — last legacy shortcut activity | .lnk LastWriteTime |
| 2026-06-11 → 2026-07-05 | Three ~7 MB bootstrap installers downloaded (Claude Setup*.exe, all validly signed by Anthropic, PBC) | Downloads CreationTime |
| 2026-07-11 09:02 | MSIX package installed; %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude removed; Start Menu Claude.lnk left untouched | WindowsApps folder CreationTime |
| 2026-07-11 → 2026-07-13 | Symptom recurred after every PC restart — broken "Claude" entry re-presented on each reboot until the shortcut was repaired | user report |
| 2026-07-13 | Duplicate working/broken "Claude" entries observed in Start Menu search | user report |

Common post-migration signature (identical on both machines)

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude — gone (old Squirrel install root deleted)
• No Claude/Anthropic DisplayName in any Uninstall registry hive (HKCU, HKLM, HKLM\WOW6432Node) — Squirrel's uninstall entry removed, MSIX doesn't use those hives
• MSIX package present and healthy: Get-AppxPackage -Name Claude → 1.20186.1.0, AUMID Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc!Claude; auto-generated AppsFolder Start Menu entry works
• Exactly one orphaned Squirrel-era .lnk pointing at C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\AnthropicClaude\claude.exe (target nonexistent, IconLocation resolving to the deleted target → blank icon), untouched by the migration
• User data intact in %APPDATA%\Claude (sessions, storage, settings)

Per-machine detail: on machine A the stale shortcut's "Start in" field referenced a Windows profile directory that no longer exists — the shortcut had survived a profile rename plus this migration. Shortcuts outlive install paths; migrations must account for them.

What Should Happen?

When the installer migrates an existing Squirrel install to MSIX, it should do at least one of:

1. Rewrite existing shortcuts whose target resolves under %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude — desktop and user Start Menu (%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs), the two locations Squirrel itself created shortcuts in — to launch the MSIX app (AUMID Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc!Claude), or
2. Remove the stale shortcuts (and recreate a desktop shortcut to the new app), or
3. At minimum, notify the user that the install location changed and old shortcuts/pins will stop working.

Implementation notes:

• OneDrive-redirected desktops are common (both machines here); resolve the desktop via SHGetKnownFolderPath/[Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop'), not %USERPROFILE%\Desktop.
• Taskbar pins created from the old shortcut should also be considered.
• Leaving the stale Start Menu .lnk in place produces duplicate "Claude" entries in Start Menu search (one broken), which is arguably worse than the desktop case because the working and broken entries are indistinguishable at a glance.

Suggested fix: in the MSIX migration path of the installer, enumerate .lnk files on the user's resolved desktop and in the user Start Menu Programs folder whose target resolves under %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude, and replace them with shortcuts to the package AUMID before deleting the old install tree.

Error Messages/Logs

Windows dialog shown when launching the orphaned shortcut (title: "Location is not available"):

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\AnthropicClaude is unavailable. If the location is on this PC, make sure the device or drive is connected or the disc is inserted, and then try again. If the location is on a network, make sure you're connected to the network or Internet, and then try again. If the location still can't be found, it might have been moved or deleted.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start from a legacy Squirrel install of Claude Desktop for Windows in %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude, with the desktop and/or Start Menu shortcut that installer created (shortcut target: ...\AnthropicClaude\claude.exe).
2. Run the current Claude Setup.exe (the ~7 MB bootstrap installer from claude.ai/download), or receive the equivalent staged auto-update — the app migrates to the MSIX package under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_<version>_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc and %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude is deleted.
3. Observe the Squirrel-era shortcut is left in place, still pointing at the deleted path (Get-AppxPackage -Name Claude confirms the new install; the old folder is gone).
4. Reboot (flushes the icon cache), then launch Claude via the old shortcut.
5. Result: blank icon; launching shows the Windows "Location is not available" dialog. On Start Menu-shortcut machines, search additionally shows two "Claude" entries — the working MSIX one and the broken .lnk — indistinguishable at a glance. Recurs on every reboot until the shortcut is manually fixed.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Legacy Squirrel Desktop builds (0.12.55 and 1.11187.4) — shortcuts worked until the MSIX migration to 1.20186.1.0

Claude Code Version

N/A — Claude Desktop app for Windows, version 1.20186.1.0 (MSIX package), not the CLI

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Workaround (verified on both machines):

1. The app still works — launch Claude from the Start Menu's auto-generated (MSIX) entry, or re-run the signed Claude Setup.exe, which detects the existing package and simply launches it.
2. Fix the stale shortcut to be version-independent:

• Target: %WINDIR%\explorer.exe with arguments shell:AppsFolder\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc!Claude (re-derive the AUMID via Get-AppxPackage -Name Claude rather than hard-coding).
• Icon: extract from the installed Claude.exe to a stable local .ico (e.g. %LOCALAPPDATA%\Claude\claude.ico) — referencing the versioned WindowsApps\Claude_<version>... path breaks again on every update.

1. User data in %APPDATA%\Claude is unaffected throughout.

Impact note: likely a spike of "Claude Desktop won't launch after update" support contacts around the 2026-07 migration rollout — the failure is delayed (icon cache) and disconnected from its cause, so users report it as "broke after reboot," not "broke after update."

Duplicate check — an exhaustive sweep of this tracker (48 candidate issues read and individually ruled out) found no existing report of this defect. Related issues, checked and confirmed NOT duplicates:

• /desktop CLI cluster #62028 / #59692 / #36079 / #69353: the Claude Code CLI failing to locate MSIX installs — CLI launcher defect, says nothing about orphaned .lnk shortcuts. Please don't auto-close against these.
• Same-migration collateral (other artifacts the Squirrel→MSIX migration mishandles, none about shortcuts): #67843 (extension install path), #40044/#37947 (Cowork virtualization path), #25162 (migration failing outright, 0x80073CFA), #68070 (MSIX build crash; its "Secondary Issues" documents the %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude symlink mechanism underlying this bug), #60888 (parallel Squirrel+MSIX installs corrupting Recents).
• Shortcut-lifecycle adjacents: #72665 (updater creates unwanted Start Menu entries), #20160 (unwanted desktop shortcut recreated on shutdown), #56990 (prior art: Squirrel-era shortcuts point at the launcher stub).

Note on template fields: this is a Claude Desktop (Windows) report, so Claude Code Version / Terminal / Claude Model / Platform fields don't apply; filled with closest values.