[BUG] Claude Desktop: "failed to launch" error on startup (no window renders, clean install, Windows 11)

[Triiinitrotoluol]

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?

Claude Desktop fails to start on my system.
Upon launch, the generic dialog "Claude Desktop failed to Launch. We are so sorry, Claude Desktop failed to launch. Please check for updates and try again. If the issue persists, contact support." appears immediately. No window renders.
The issue persists even after a complete cleanup (app, data, config, services) and fresh reinstall.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 (Version/Build from winver: 25H2 Build 26100.8037)
• Language/Region: German (Germany)
• Claude Desktop Version(s):
  • Installed MSIX/Store build: 1.1.6679.0 (from C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.1.6679.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc)
  • Local Desktop folder: %LOCALAPPDATA%\AnthropicClaude\app-1.1.4173
• Hardware: [AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight-Core Processor, 16 GB RAM, Asus Strix GTX 970]

What Should Happen?

• Claude Desktop should open a window and start normally after installation.
• In case of errors, more specific logs or error messages beyond the generic "failed to launch" should appear.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to reproduce

1. Complete cleanup (see attached logs for proof)
2. Fresh install from https://claude.ai/download
3. Launch from Start menu → immediate crash

Logs attached: cowork-service.log, chrome-native-host-2.log
Cowork service healthy but app never connects [file:79][file:80].

Matches issues #28304, #28470, #28892 [web:11][web:75][web:13].

cowork-service.log
chrome-native-host.log

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

No response

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] Claude Desktop crashes on startup with EBADF rename error on Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200) - MSIX sandbox filesystem conflict #33055
2. [BUG] Claude Desktop fails to launch on Windows 11 Home — "Claude Desktop failed to Launch" error dialog on every attempt #25194
3. Claude Desktop 1.1.4173 crashes on startup — no window renders, process visible in Task Manager #28304

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
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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[CoreyDalePeters]

Environment:

• Windows 11 Home, Build 26200 (Core edition)
• Claude Desktop 1.1.6679 (latest as of March 14, 2026)

Symptoms:

• Claude Desktop crashes immediately on launch with "Claude Desktop failed to Launch" dialog
• App installs successfully (ClaudeSetup.log confirms MSIX install success, exit code 0)
• CoworkVMService registers on first install, becomes locked and cannot be removed even with full admin elevation
• Older version (1.1.1520 via Chocolatey) installs but auto-updates to 1.1.6679 during install, then spawns multiple zombie claude.exe processes with no UI window

Steps already attempted:

• Multiple clean uninstalls and reinstalls
• Manually removed MSIX package via Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers
• Stopped and deleted CoworkVMService via sc.exe delete with elevated privileges
• Cleared all AppData folders (Roaming and Local)
• Installed older version 1.1.1520 via Chocolatey and renamed Update.exe to block auto-update
• Older version still fails to show a window despite multiple claude.exe processes running in Task Manager

Root cause (confirmed): Windows 11 Home lacks Hyper-V. CoworkVMService fails to initialize, crashing the entire app rather than gracefully disabling Cowork only.

Request: Please allow Claude Desktop to launch normally on Windows 11 Home with Cowork gracefully disabled, rather than blocking the entire application.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.