[BUG] Windows Desktop fails to relaunch after updates — 0x80070020

Preflight Checklist

• [ ] 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?

Claude Desktop repeatedly fails to reopen after updates with “Another program is currently using this file”. Rebooting Windows resolves it temporarily, but the problem returns after another update.

Environment:

• Windows 11 25H2, build 26200.9168
• Claude Desktop MSIX 1.46388.4.0
• Package status: Ok

Logs from September 7, 2026 (UTC+3):

• 09:44:00: “beforeQuitForUpdate handler fired, going down for update”
• Subsequent launches: AppModel-Runtime events 215/208, error 0x80070020, “error encountered converting the job”.

Restarting CoworkVMService, closing the Chrome native-host helper, and re-registering the app did not help. No git.exe process was running when checked.

Could you investigate and provide a recovery method without rebooting or signing out? This interrupts ongoing work.

Related: #53247, #91763.

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should reopen normally after an update without requiring a Windows reboot or sign-out. Background processes should be cleaned up during the update so they do not block the app from launching.

Error Messages/Logs

User-facing error:
“Başka bir program şu anda bu dosyayı kullanıyor.”
(“Another program is currently using this file.”)

main.log — September 7, 2026, UTC+3:
09:44:00 [info] beforeQuitForUpdate handler fired, going down for update
09:44:00 [info] Windows session ending (close-app) - quitting the app

Subsequent launch attempts:
AppModel-Runtime Event 215: 0x80070020 — error encountered converting the job while creating the Desktop AppX container.
AppModel-Runtime Event 208: 0x80070020 — runtime configuration failed [LaunchProcess].

Windows event descriptions above are translated from Turkish.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use Claude Desktop on Windows normally.
2. Apply a Claude Desktop update and let the application close.
3. Attempt to reopen Claude Desktop from the Start menu.
4. The “Another program is currently using this file” error appears.
5. Retry launching: the same error persists.

On this PC, restarting Windows has resolved previous occurrences, but the issue returns after another update. Another PC does not reproduce it, so the exact triggering conditions are unknown. No specific project or code sample has been identified as necessary.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Unknown. The application worked before updating, but the previous version number was not recorded.

Claude Code Version

N/A — this affects Claude Desktop MSIX version 1.46388.4.0, not the standalone Claude Code CLI.

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_