### Preflight Checklist - [x] I have searched [existing issues](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3Abug) 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? In the desktop app, the Home and Code tabs are both visible but cannot be switched between. One is always disabled. In the browser, signed in to the same

[BUG] Desktop: cannot switch between Home and Code tabs, one is always disabled. Browser works fine on same account

Status Open

Reported on v2.1.217

Maintainer reply None cached

Workaround ✓ Mentioned in description ↑

Activity 3 comments · opened Jul 23, 2026

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?

In the desktop app, the Home and Code tabs are both visible but cannot be switched between. One is always disabled. In the browser, signed in to the same account, the two tabs flip freely as expected.

Because the browser behaves correctly on the same account, this is a desktop client issue rather than an entitlement, seat, plan, or authentication problem.

This is not the previously reported "tabs missing after auto-update" behaviour (#55181, #48310, #71536) - the tabs render normally, they simply cannot be switched between.

This is a single personal Max account with no organisation membership, so seat type and admin console controls (Code in the desktop) are not applicable.

What Should Happen?

Clicking either tab switches to it, as it does in the browser on the same account.

Error Messages/Logs

No errors accompany the fault. This is stated explicitly because the obvious suspects have already been ruled out.

An earlier stale OAuth session was found and cleared. A full sign-out and sign-in produced a clean auth cycle, and the tab remained unswitchable throughout:

17:41:30 [info] [account] Login-state transition (loggedOut: false -> true)
17:41:30 [info] [oauth] clearing token cache, had 4 cached tokens
17:42:04 [info] [account] Login-state transition (loggedOut: true -> false)
17:42:04 [info] [oauth-v2] performing fresh /authorize for orgId=<redacted>
17:42:04 [info] [oauth-v2] performing fresh /authorize for orgId=<redacted>

Fresh /authorize calls completed for both cacheKeys, covering the user:sessions:claude_code scope. No errors follow in main.log.

Unrelated warnings present in the same log, included only for completeness:

[info] Failed to set title bar overlay, this is probably expected
[warn] [CCD] System proxy resolution failed: resolveProxy timed out after 2000ms
[info] [remote-tools-device] socket error: getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND bridge.claudeus...
[error] [updater] Auto-update error: net::ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED

Steps to Reproduce

Launch Claude Desktop on Windows and sign in.
Observe that both the Home and Code tabs are visible in the sidebar, with one showing as disabled.
Click the disabled tab. Nothing happens.
Type a prompt asking Claude to switch to that tab. The switch then occurs.
The tab that was previously active is now the disabled one, and can only be returned to by the same means.

Clicking never works in either direction. Prompting always does.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.217 (bundled in Claude Desktop 1.24012.1)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

<html>
<body>
Workaround: asking Claude in a prompt to switch tabs works reliably. The underlying mode switching therefore appears to function correctly, and the fault looks confined to the sidebar tab controls not responding to clicks.

Browser comparison (control case): same account, same session, browser at claude.ai. Home and Code tabs switch freely. The fault is present only in the desktop app.

Environment:

</div>

Already ruled out:

<ul dir="ltr" class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1" data-sourcepos="134:1-139:100;4071-4766">
<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2" data-sourcepos="134:1-134:75;4071-4145">Authentication. Full sign-out and sign-in, clean OAuth cycle, no change.</li>
<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2" data-sourcepos="135:1-135:51;4146-4196">Version. App updated the day before this report.</li>
<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2" data-sourcepos="136:1-136:234;4197-4430">Configuration. <code class="bg-text-200/5 border border-0.5 border-border-300 text-danger-000 whitespace-pre-wrap rounded-[0.4rem] px-1 py-px text-[0.9rem]">claude_desktop_config.json</code> contains no keys gating either tab. It holds <code class="bg-text-200/5 border border-0.5 border-border-300 text-danger-000 whitespace-pre-wrap rounded-[0.4rem] px-1 py-px text-[0.9rem]">"sidebarMode": "epitaxy"</code> and nothing else relevant. Per #53340 this key is not writable in practice, since the sidebar reads from IndexedDB.</li>
<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2" data-sourcepos="137:1-137:171;4431-4601">Subsystem initialisation. Three MCP servers connect, 10 skills sync, 1 plugin loads, growthbook loads 227 features. No preload script errors of the kind seen in #48310.</li>
<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2" data-sourcepos="138:1-138:65;4602-4666">Restart. Full quit and relaunch does not change the behaviour.</li>
<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2" data-sourcepos="139:1-139:100;4667-4766">Account scope. Single personal Max account, no organisation, so no admin console control applies.</li>
</ul>

Minor separate observation: there is no Help menu in this build on Windows, and pressing Alt does not reveal a menu bar, so Help > About is unavailable as a route to the version number. The version had to be read from main.log. Documentation at code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop still instructs Windows users to click Help then About.
</body>
</html>

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3 Comments

paulfilkin · 1 month ago

A note that I now cannot get back to the Home environment of Claude Desktop at all. I am stuck in Claude Code. I have the browser which is useful, but I would like the desktop environment back!