Claude Desktop 1.1.4173 crashes on startup — no window renders, process visible in Task Manager

[Duanes-Tech-Hub]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Title: Claude Desktop 1.1.4173 crashes on startup — no window renders, process visible in Task Manager
Description:
After auto-updating to version 1.1.4173, Claude Desktop on Windows no longer launches. The process appears in Task Manager but no window or UI is ever displayed. The application crashes on start.

Claude Desktop version: 1.1.4173
Windows version: Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (OS Build 26200.7623)
Previous version worked: Yes (version unknown — was working before auto-update)
Claude Code TUI: Works fine
Impact: Browser integration (MCP connectors, desktop extensions) requires the Desktop GUI on Windows, so this blocks that functionality entirely

Steps to reproduce:

Let Claude Desktop auto-update to 1.1.4173
Launch Claude Desktop
Process appears in Task Manager but no window renders
Application crashes

Workaround: None found. Using Claude Code TUI and claude.ai in browser as fallback, but without desktop extension/MCP support.

What Should Happen?

The Claude Desktop should show a GUI.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Let Claude Desktop auto-update to 1.1.4173
Launch Claude Desktop
Process appears in Task Manager but no window renders
Application crashes

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

1.1.39

Claude Code Version

1.1.4173

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

No response

[github-actions]

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] Claude Desktop 1.1.4173 fails to show GUI — @formatjs/intl unhandled promise rejection crashes renderer #28271
2. [BUG] Windows ARM64 and the app runs in Task Manager but no window appears. #28270

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[Gunuie]

Claude Desktop version 1.1.4173 (CCD 2.1.51) fails to create/show any window on launch. The app processes start (4 Electron processes visible in Task Manager) but no window appears — MainWindowHandle is 0 for all processes. The root cause is an unhandled @formatjs/intl error thrown during startup that prevents the BrowserWindow from being created.

Rolling back to version 1.1.4088 (CCD 2.1.49) resolves the issue — the window opens normally.

This error originated either by throwing inside of an async function without a catch block,
or by rejecting a promise which was not handled with .catch(). The promise rejected with the reason:
Error: [@formatjs/intl] An `id` must be provided to format a message. You can either:
1. Configure your build toolchain with [babel-plugin-formatjs](https://formatjs.io/docs/tooling/babel-plugin)
or [@formatjs/ts-transformer](https://formatjs.io/docs/tooling/ts-transformer) OR
2. Configure your `eslint` config to include [eslint-plugin-formatjs](https://formatjs.io/docs/tooling/linter#enforce-id)
to autofix this issue
    at nZe (app.asar\.vite\build\index.js:83:2748)
    at Sae (app.asar\.vite\build\index.js:83:4203)
    at WOt (app.asar\.vite\build\index.js:705:12468)
    at RDe (app.asar\.vite\build\index.js:705:14365)
    at Hd (app.asar\.vite\build\index.js:705:15535)
    at EventEmitter.<anonymous> (app.asar\.vite\build\index.js:1234:79020)

• Sentry log confirms the error:

[error] Sentry caught: {
  eventId: '4afb8d3e76b9454893d8aa5ac892e102',
  type: 'Error',
  value: '[@formatjs/intl] An `id` must be provided to format a message. ...',
  stack: undefined
}

Troubleshooting Attempted

• Clearing all cache/session data (Cache, Code Cache, Session Storage, Local Storage, IndexedDB, blob_storage, Network, WebStorage) — did NOT fix
• Clean reinstall of 1.1.4173 from the cached .nupkg package — did NOT fix (same error, confirming it's not a corrupted update)
• Rolling back to 1.1.4088 — FIXED the issue, window opens normally

Environment

• App version: 1.1.4173 (commit 12766c56e46a0f6bf202bfa397fceafe4468d7de)
• CCD version: 2.1.51
• Working version: 1.1.4088 (CCD 2.1.49)
• OS: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-Core
• RAM: 32 GB
• Display: ASUS PG32UCDP 2560x1440 @ 240Hz, 1.5x scaling
• Node version (Electron bundled): 24.13.0
• Locale: en-US (config.json)

Workaround

Delete the app-1.1.4173 folder from the installation directory (%LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude\) so the Squirrel launcher falls back to the previous working version (1.1.4088). Note: the auto-updater may re-download 1.1.4173.

Additional Context

The @formatjs/intl error suggests a missing message id in an internationalization call within the bundled app code. Since the error has stack: undefined in the Sentry report and throws as an unhandled promise rejection, it likely crashes the main process initialization before BrowserWindow creation. The error fires twice on each launch attempt. Version 1.1.4088 with CCD 2.1.49 does not have this error.

[CabCore]

Same issue 1.1.4173 will not start. No previous version available.

[samiraguiar]

@Duanes-Tech-Hub I don't suggest downloading from unofficial websites. Please check #28271 for proper workarounds

[Duanes-Tech-Hub]

I got a link from another thread, I also did not have a previous version to use and thought the recommendation via Claude Web was an official site. I should have realized. Thanks

[Etoooool]

Caused the issue by clicking the reinstall dropdown when prompted after clicking the greyed out cowork button. Program hung with dropdown open, upon restarting, encountered the above bug. Deleting appdata folders and reinstalling 1.1.4010.0 got it working again. Claude thinks based on logs it was failing to load GUI based on this line from the log:

[@formatjs/intl] An 'id' must be provided to format a message

[rjk123456]

Same issue here. Claude Desktop 1.1.4173 on Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200.7623), Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, dual GPU (Intel Graphics + NVIDIA RTX 5080 Laptop).
Process spawns 4 instances in Task Manager (0% CPU, ~190MB total), no window renders. Frameless Electron window means nothing is visible at all when the renderer fails.
Root cause confirmed via verbose logging:
& "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\AnthropicClaude\claude.exe" --enable-logging --v=1
Produces two unhandled promise rejections:
Error: [@formatjs/intl] An id must be provided to format a message.
at nZe (...\app.asar.vite\build\index.js:83:2748)
at Sae (...\app.asar.vite\build\index.js:83:4203)
at WOt (...\app.asar.vite\build\index.js:705:12468)
The compiled Vite bundle has a missing message ID in the i18n layer. The renderer crashes before painting, but the main process stays alive — hence the "running but invisible" behaviour.
What I've ruled out:

• --disable-gpu flag — no effect
• --lang=en-US flag — no effect
• Setting intl.accept_languages in Preferences — no effect
• Full uninstall + delete %APPDATA%\Claude + delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude + restart + reinstall — no effect
• Mixed DPI scaling (3 monitors, 1.5x + 1.0x + 1.0x) — not the cause, formatjs error occurs regardless

This is a build defect in 1.1.4173, not environment-specific configuration. Needs a patched release.

[JamminBreeze]

Same issue here. v1.1.4173, Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200), AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB RAM.
The main.log reveals the likely root cause. The app never creates a BrowserWindow. Here's the sequence:

App starts and initializes services (CCD, IdleManager, Chrome Extension MCP, etc.)
Two @formatjs/intl errors fire immediately before any window is created:

[@formatjs/intl] An id must be provided to format a message.

On the first launch attempt, the app triggers beforeQuit within the same second it started, never rendering a window
A second instance auto-starts, initializes services again, logs desktop_windows_elevation_detected with elevation_type: 'limited', then goes silent after flushing events. Still no window.

The @formatjs/intl error appears to be a build-level i18n bug: a message string is missing its ID, which would crash the Electron renderer before it can paint. This isn't something users can fix on their end.
What I've tried (none resolved it):

Full uninstall/reinstall
Renaming %APPDATA%\Claude to force fresh state
Enabling Windows Developer Mode
Multiple reboots

System: Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (10.0.26200), AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB RAM, x64

[Deelout]

Confirming: v1.1.4173 crashes on startup — no window renders (Windows 10 x64, Squirrel install)

Environment

• OS: Windows 10 Pro 22H2 (Build 10.0.19045), x64
• CPU: Intel Core i7-10700 @ 2.90GHz
• RAM: 64 GB
• Claude Desktop Version: 1.1.4173 (Squirrel installer, non-MSIX)
• Previous Working Version: 1.1.3189
• Node Version (bundled): 24.13.0

Symptoms

After auto-updating from v1.1.3189 to v1.1.4173, the application process starts (visible in Task Manager) but no window or UI is ever rendered. The app silently fails on every launch attempt.

v1.1.3189 was working perfectly before the auto-update. Unfortunately, the Squirrel updater deleted v1.1.3189 during the upgrade, making rollback impossible.

Root Cause from Logs

Every launch of v1.1.4173 produces the following @formatjs/intl error before any UI is created:

[error] Sentry caught: {
  eventId: '...',
  type: 'Error',
  value: '[@formatjs/intl] An `id` must be provided to format a message. You can either:\n' +
    '1. Configure your build toolchain with [babel-plugin-formatjs]...\n' +
    'or [@formatjs/ts-transformer]... OR\n' +
    '2. Configure your `eslint` config to include [eslint-plugin-formatjs]...\n' +
    'to autofix this issue',
  stack: undefined
}

This error fires twice on every startup. After this error, the app either:

1. Falls through to Not main instance, returning early from app ready (if a zombie process from a previous attempt is still running), or
2. Reaches the event logging stage (desktop_windows_elevation_detected, desktop_project_detection_completed) but never renders a window.

What I've Tried

Action	Result
Kill all Claude processes and relaunch	Same @formatjs/intl error, no window
Full uninstall (Squirrel) + delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude + delete %APPDATA%\Claude + reboot + clean reinstall	Same error persists — confirms this is not a cache/config issue
Launch without any MCP config (bare install, no claude_desktop_config.json)	Same error
Run as Administrator (elevation_type: 'full')	Same error
Multiple restart attempts across several hours (~15+ attempts logged)	Consistent failure every time

Additional Observations

1. Squirrel updater deletes previous version: After upgrading from 1.1.3189 → 1.1.4173, only app-0.9.3, app-0.14.10, and app-1.1.4173 remain under %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude\. v1.1.3189 was removed, preventing rollback.

2. VM service errors (non-blocking): The logs also show repeated VM service not running. The service failed to start. errors, with the message Skipping VM warm download - YukonSilver not supported (Requires MSIX installation). This is expected since I'm on the Squirrel install, but these errors do NOT cause the crash — the @formatjs/intl error occurs independently.

3. MSIX not available: The download page at claude.ai/download only offers the Squirrel (.exe) installer for my system. No MSIX option is provided.

4. Fallback to v0.14.10 is degraded: The oldest available version (0.14.10) partially works but receives HTTP 403 on challenge_redirect, causing Health Check failures (<!DOCTYPE parsed as JSON). This suggests v0.14.10 is no longer fully supported server-side.

Impact

• Complete loss of Claude Desktop functionality on Windows 10 x64 (Squirrel install)
• No rollback path available (Squirrel deleted the working version)
• MCP integrations (filesystem, puppeteer, desktop extensions) are inaccessible since they require the Desktop GUI
• Forced to use claude.ai in browser as a workaround, losing all local integration capabilities

Request

1. Please investigate the @formatjs/intl missing message ID error in v1.1.4173 on Windows 10 — it appears to be a build/bundling defect
2. Consider preserving the previous working version during Squirrel updates to allow user rollback
3. If possible, provide a direct download link for v1.1.3189 (or the next patched version) so affected users can recover

Relevant Log Excerpt (v1.1.4173 startup)

2026-02-25 10:13:45 [info] Starting app { appVersion: '1.1.4173', platform: 'win32', arch: 'x64', nodeVersion: '24.13.0' }
2026-02-25 10:13:45 [error] Sentry caught: { type: 'Error', value: '[@formatjs/intl] An `id` must be provided to format a message...' }
2026-02-25 10:13:45 [error] Sentry caught: { type: 'Error', value: '[@formatjs/intl] An `id` must be provided to format a message...' }
2026-02-25 10:13:45 [info] [CCD] Initialized with version 2.1.51
2026-02-25 10:13:46 [info] [growthbook] loaded 30 features (30 changed)
2026-02-25 10:13:47 [info] desktop_windows_elevation_detected | elevation_type: 'limited'
2026-02-25 10:13:50 [info] desktop_project_detection_completed
(No further log entries — app hangs with no window rendered)