The desktop app issues on Windows
Issues the maintainers labelled both platform:windows and area:desktop.
1,503 issues · 479 open · 1,024 resolved (68%) · first seen Feb 9, 2026
Is this getting better or worse?
This class of problem is still growing. 891 new reports in the last 90 days vs 596 in the 90 before — +49%. The open backlog peaked at 479 in 2026-08 and sits at 479 today.
Derived by counting each matching issue from its creation date until it closed. First-party
computation over the anthropics/claude-code tracker — the trend is not published
anywhere upstream.
Which builds report this
645 of these reports name the Claude Code build they were running, spanning 132 releases. Heaviest reporters:
- Claude Code v2.1.229
- Claude Code v2.1.209
- Claude Code v2.1.246
- Claude Code v2.1.170
- Claude Code v2.1.227
- Claude Code v2.1.237
- Claude Code v2.1.222
- Claude Code v2.1.111
Report volume, not a defect count: an issue can mention a build without that build having caused the failure. Versions come from the version string in the bug-report template, matched against real published tags.
Do these get fixed?
Median time to close is 34 days across 1,024 closures. Of the 1,024 closures with a recorded reason, 21% were closed as completed and 807 as not-planned or duplicate. The most recent completed fix landed in 2026-08.
Workarounds reported by the community
445 of these issues post a workaround someone says worked. The highest-engagement ones:
- [FEATURE] Add font size adjustment for Code tab in Claude Desktop
- …rl+- also do not work inside the Code tab. The only current workaround is to change the entire Windows display scaling, which affects all applications system-wide and is not a practical solution. Proposed Solution Please…
Found in the description of #48237 · resolved - [Feature Request] Native WSL Remote Integration for Claude Code Desktop on Windows
- …l: wrong shell, broken paths, toolchain mismatches. The SSH workaround is too clunky for daily use. VS Code's Remote - WSL solved this years ago. Claude Code Desktop deserves the same. This would unlock the Desktop UI fo…
Found in the thread of #49933 · resolved - Claude Desktop (Windows): provide a way to disable the bundled Cowork background service (CoworkVMService) for users who don't use Cowork
- …esktop is not an option for me — I use it daily. - The only workarounds are user-hostile : take ownership of and force , or schedule a task at logon. Both may break on package updates and feel wrong on a system level. Se…
Found in the description of #57371 · still open - [Regression] Desktop app: session time-range filter only appears when Group by is set to State
- …th its last value, unreachable from any UI. is not a usable workaround Worth flagging since it is the obvious suggestion: in code mode the State renderer buckets sessions into flat / / … lists with no project headers. So…
Found in the thread of #78775 · still open - [FEATURE] Allow configuring VM bundle (vhdx) storage location
- …ve. NTFS junctions ( ) fail. There is no reliable user-side workaround. For me, it's quite unconvenient. I have to move other files to D: to continue use Cowork. - OS: Windows 11 - Latest Claude Desktop Proposed Solution…
Found in the description of #56089 · still open
Excerpts are quoted from the linked issue so you can judge relevance before opening it. Threads that only ask for a workaround, or report that there is none, are excluded. These are community suggestions, not official guidance from Anthropic — read the full thread before applying one.
Matching issues 1–100
Ranked by community engagement (reactions weighted over comments). Listing the top 300 of 1,503 matches; the statistics above cover all 1,503.
- [FEATURE] Add font size adjustment for Code tab in Claude Desktop
- [Feature Request] Native WSL Remote Integration for Claude Code Desktop on Windows
- Claude Desktop (Windows): provide a way to disable the bundled Cowork background service (CoworkVMService) for users who don't use Cowork
- [BUG] Inline $...$ LaTeX does not render in Claude Code desktop tab (macOS/Windows) — display $$...$$ works
- [Regression] Desktop app: session time-range filter only appears when Group by is set to State
- [FEATURE] Allow configuring VM bundle (vhdx) storage location
- Persistent always-on Remote Control option for desktop app
- [BUG] GitHub connector shows "Connected" but exposes no tools in Cowork (Windows 11, app v1.8555.2.0)
- [BUG] Claude Desktop fails to launch on Windows — orphaned Silo / Job Object after app crash, only logoff or reboot recovers (HRESULT 0x80070020 in AppModel-Runtime EventID 215/208)
- Add Russian language support for voice input in desktop app
- [Feature] Cowork desktop app: support host proxy settings (HTTP/HTTPS/NTLM) for enterprise network environments
- [BUG] Cowork tab missing in desktop app v1.2581.0 on Windows 11
- [BUG] Claude Code process exited with code 1
- [BUG] Claude Desktop persistent blank/white screen on Windows — Cowork unusable, multiple reinstalls have no effect
- [BUG] Windows (MSIX): update fails with 'Another program is currently using this file' — app unlaunchable until reboot (every update)
- [Regression, Windows+macOS] Cross-session messaging silently broken since CCD 2.1.224+ — messages dropped, recipient sessions wedged 15-20 min (hadFirstResponse=false); fixed in 2.1.237 for some installs, stable channel still affected
- [FEATURE] CLAUDE_DATA_DIR env var or config key to relocate %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows
- [FEATURE] Plan mode panel: use available window width on Desktop (currently narrow centered column)
- [BUG] Claude Desktop installer falsely detects Windows S Mode on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC
- Desktop app: No way to remove entries from the "Recent" folders list
- [BUG] Claude Desktop/Code : impossible to resume a session ( further to /remote-control use )
- Desktop app: cannot change primary working directory or open new chat
- [BUG] Shift+Enter in Claude for Windows No Longer Works for NewLine
- [BUG] Another program is currently using this file (AFTER UPDATE)
- [BUG] Claude Desktop Windows installer fails with AddPackage HRESULT 0x80073CF6 after an earlier "successful" install left the package in an inconsistent state
- [BUG] Claude Desktop update fails with 0x80073CF6 when CoworkVMService is running (Windows)
- Cowork fails on ARM64 (Snapdragon X) despite passing readiness check
- [BUG] 1M context window removed from Desktop Code tab model picker after v1.1.7714 update on Max plan
- [BUG] Archived Code sessions not visible in Archive filter on Claude Desktop (Windows)
- [BUG] Cowork desktop app — bash workspace fails to start repeatedly across sessions
- [BUG] Claude Desktop opening when running "claude" in Powershell ( Windows )
- [BUG] Scroll wheel intercepted by prompt history navigation — no way to disable
- [BUG] Claude Code in Claude Desktop is Missing Project Level Folders
- [BUG] Claude Desktop blank screen on Windows + Cowork unusable + sandbox API errors — Max subscriber, 9-day outage
- Remote Control never connects: "Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'session_url')" on desktop app
- [BUG] Spell checking cannot be turned off, making all entered text hard to read
- [BUG] Windows: Claude Code Desktop app shows sessions in sidebar but all message content missing after auto-update — content not persisted to claude-code-sessions JSONL files
- [BUG] Claude Code Desktop is crashing with new version
- Desktop app: bypassPermissions mode still prompts for confirmation
- Windows desktop app: cross-session send_message silently fails (reports success, never delivered) after runtime 2.1.222→2.1.227 auto-update
- [BUG] Windows desktop: 'Claude Fable 5 is currently unavailable' banner hides the working-directory switcher in active sessions
- [BUG] /desktop fails on Windows - "Failed to open Claude Desktop" despite app being installed and running
- [BUG] showing Mac Key-symbols on windows
- [BUG] /desktop fails on Windows when Claude Desktop is installed as MSIX/Store package (refile of #36079)
- [BUG] App intermittently goes permanently blank/white during active session — no crash logged, no recovery
- Desktop (Windows): 'Auto-fix CI and address comments' checkbox is a silent no-op since 1.22209.0 (worked in 1.21459.3)
- [BUG] Claude Desktop: extension install fully broken — "Install Extension" no-ops and drag-and-drop falls through the modal into the chat
- Regression: 'Last activity' date-range filter gone from desktop Sessions sidebar (overnight, no app update)
- Cowork VM fails on Windows 11 Home: wrong DNS config, missing sessiondata.vhdx, no NAT
- [BUG] Desktop app: Claude code edit approval diff view changed after April 15 update — red/green diff no longer shown by default
- [BUG] Claude Desktop VM bundle uses 11.3 GB — requesting optimization.
- Desktop app (Windows): cross-session messages silently dropped — held for an approval the UI never offers, then expire (~5 min); regression since app 1.28929.0
- [BUG] Claude VM workspace does not launch for ARM64 Claude Code.
- [FEATURE] Localize auto-generated session titles in "Recents" sidebar
- [BUG] "Run on Startup" toggle cannot be turned off
- [BUG] indows 11 Pro: Cowork, Connectors, and Claude Code all broken after latest auto-update — ERR_CONNECTION_RESET + OAuthError
- /desktop command fails on Windows Store (MSIX) installation
- Desktop 3p Code sessions disappear from UI after restart while JSONL transcripts remain on disk
- [BUG] Cowork mode - Linux bash sandbox never starts on Windows (Workspace unavailable since first launch)
- [BUG] [CRITICAL] Cowork Dispatch responses never render in desktop UI — backend processes successfully but TypeError crashes renderer
- Desktop: file paths outside the working directory no longer open inline ("This file is outside the working directory" → Show in Finder) — regression after update
- Desktop (Windows): remote SSH session loses UI message history after reboot
- [BUG] SSH connection fails after 2.xupdate — password-auth fallback no longer triggered
- [BUG] Desktop app ignores `permissions.allow` rules — prompts for everything, even Claude's own config directory
- Persistent "Fable 5 unavailable" banner has no dismiss and is redundant with the disabled selector entry
- New session always opens in last used project directory instead of selected one
- [BUG] All sessions lost after Claude Desktop update on Windows (data intact on disk)
- [BUG] Regression: desktop sidebar "Last activity" filter hidden for all Group by modes except State
- [BUG] Claude Desktop silently hangs installing any local .mcpb with a deflated entry larger than ~16 KB
- Desktop app always starts sessions in "Accept Edits" mode instead of "Bypass Permissions", even though defaultMode: "bypassPermissions" is set in ~/.claude/settings.json
- [BUG]
- [BUG] Desktop app v2.1.108: /remote-control fails with "Remote Control initialization failed" and CLI sessions not shown in sidebar
- [BUG] SSH Remote: `projects` field in remote ~/.claude.json becomes null after desktop restart — jsonl files intact, UI shows 'No messages yet' for every session
- [BUG] Titlebar buttons overlap and hide Claude’s top menu on RTL Windows languages (Hebrew/Arabic)
- [BUG] Cowork tab missing after update on Windows 11
- [BUG] Claude Code desktop ignores permission configurations for WSL projects, requiring approval for every file operation despite proper settings
- SSH session connects but prompt input stays disabled on Windows
- [BUG] Remote Control not respecting Permissions set in Claude Code Desktop
- Feature request: continuous voice conversation mode (like mobile app) in Desktop/Cowork
- [BUG] Session folders/groups reset after app update
- [BUG] UserPromptSubmit hook rejection reason never displayed (Desktop + VS Code)
- [BUG] compact
- [BUG] 400 "cache_control cannot be set for empty text blocks" when pasting an image without a caption
- [BUG] Claude in Chrome MCP: navigate and read_page denied on ALL domains from Claude Desktop (Windows 11) — no approval popup renders
- Slash-command picker does not open unless "/" is the first character of the composer, but the command still runs on submit
- Feature request: visible scratchpad folder in the desktop app
- Status indicator dots for sessions are hard to distinguish (running / awaiting input / unread) — improve contrast or make configurable
- False Usage Limit and Request blocked
- Bug: Desktop app shows "Usage Limit Reached" incorrectly
- [BUG] Dispatch pairing permanently failing — Windows 11 Pro 25H2
- Desktop app should support a configurable default startup directory
- [BUG] Windows application closes automatically after a minute in CODE-Mode (after updating to 1.2581.0)
- [BUG] SSH remote connection fails with "All configured authentication methods failed" after Desktop update to v1.2581.0.0 (Windows MSIX)
- Claude Desktop: allow opening/resuming local sessions not present in the account's sidebar (multi-account support)
- Feature Request: Russian (and other language) UI localization
- [BUG] Desktop App: AskUserQuestion tool hides most of the message
- [BUG] [Bug] SSH connection fails on Windows: "Failed to spawn /usr/bin/ssh: spawn /usr/bin/ssh ENOENT"
- [BUG] Cowork (Windows): project context folders never mount in new sessions; Add-folder dialog cannot confirm — reproduced on two machines after latest update
- Claude Desktop (Windows): ~25% CPU + ~5 MB/s sustained disk writes when idle -- TanStack Query persistQueryClient rewrites entire conversation cache (~45 MB) under one IndexedDB blob on every mutation
- [BUG] Read tool (Claude Code Desktop): optional `pages` sent as "" fails validation on non-PDF