[BUG] Claude Desktop arm64 fails to launch on Snapdragon X2 Elite — GPU process crashes (exitCode 101457950)

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?

Title

[BUG] Claude Desktop arm64 fails to launch on Snapdragon X2 Elite — GPU process crashes (exitCode 101457950)

What's Wrong?

Claude Desktop launches, initializes the main process fully, then the GPU
process crashes and the window never renders. A brief black window appears
and closes immediately. Reproducible on every launch.

This appears specific to the new Adreno X2 GPU architecture (Snapdragon X2
generation, shipped Q1 2026). The Adreno X2 is a ground-up redesign with a
64-wide wave size (up from 12) and sliced execution, which may not be
covered by Chromium/Electron's GPU compatibility paths.

Environment

• Device CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-80-100 (12 cores, 4.03 GHz)
• GPU: Qualcomm Adreno X2-85
• OS: Windows 11 (ARM64)
• RAM: 64 GB
• Claude Desktop: 1.32885.1.0 (arm64)
• Node: 24.18.1
• GPU driver: latest available via Windows Update

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Desktop arm64 MSIX (248 MB) via:

Add-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackagePath "Claude.msix" -SkipLicense -Regions "all"

1. Verify: Get-AppxPackage -Name "Claude" returns Status: Ok
2. Launch Claude from Start menu
3. Black window appears briefly, then closes

Relevant Log Output

From LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\logs\main.log — main process initializes
completely (protocols registered, MCP servers registered, growthbook loaded),
then:

2026-08-19 18:00:27 [info] GPU process gone: {
type: 'GPU',
reason: 'crashed',
exitCode: 101457950,
serviceName: 'GPU'
}

Same exitCode on every launch attempt.

What Was Already Tried

• Clean uninstall + removal of AppData\Claude and LocalAppData\Claude, reboot
• Reinstall using the full 248 MB arm64 MSIX (the 6 MB stub installer from the

download page was also tried and produced the same result)

• Add-AppxProvisionedPackage (machine-wide) instead of Add-AppxPackage
• Add-AppxPackage -Register against AppxManifest.xml
• GPU driver confirmed up to date
• config.json / developer_settings.json with disableHardwareAcceleration: true

(MSIX packaging prevents passing --disable-gpu as a CLI argument)

Expected Behavior

App window renders, or the app falls back to software rendering when the GPU
process fails.

Note

Devices with Snapdragon X2 silicon began shipping Q1 2026 with broader OEM
availability through 2026, so this is likely to affect an increasing number
of users.

Note:

Adreno X2 driver instability has also been reported to Qualcomm in
other contexts (Vulkan rendering crashes in Blender on X2-90, Windows 11
ARM64), suggesting a driver-level issue affecting the X2 generation broadly
rather than something specific to Claude Desktop.

What Should Happen?

The application window should render and the app should be usable. If the
GPU process crashes, Electron should fall back to software rendering rather
than failing to display any window.

Error Messages/Logs

2026-08-19 18:00:27 [info] Starting app {
  appVersion: '1.32885.1',
  isPackaged: true,
  platform: 'win32',
  arch: 'arm64',
  nodeVersion: '24.18.1'
}
...
2026-08-19 18:00:27 [info] GPU process gone: {
  type: 'GPU',
  reason: 'crashed',
  exitCode: 101457950,
  serviceName: 'GPU'
}

Steps to Reproduce

1. On a device with Snapdragon X2 Elite (X2E-80-100) / Adreno X2-85, Windows 11 ARM64
2. Download the arm64 MSIX (248 MB) from:

https://claude.ai/api/desktop/win32/arm64/msix/latest/redirect

1. Install machine-wide from an elevated PowerShell:

Add-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackagePath "Claude.msix" -SkipLicense -Regions "all"

1. Verify registration: Get-AppxPackage -Name "Claude" → Status: Ok
2. Launch Claude from the Start menu
3. A black window appears for a fraction of a second, then closes. No window renders.
4. Check LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\logs\main.log → "GPU process gone ... exitCode: 101457950"

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

1.32885.1.0

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_