[BUG] Windows Workspace VM fails with EXDEV (rootfs.vhdx cannot be moved)

[jsyssauw]

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:
Windows Workspace VM fails with EXDEV (rootfs.vhdx cannot be moved)

Description:
Claude Desktop installs successfully and normal chat works.

However, Workspace fails to start with the following error:

EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted, rename
'C:\Users\jansy\AppData\Local\Temp\wvm-XXXX\rootfs.vhdx'
-> 'C:\Users\jansy\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\rootfs.vhdx'

Observed behavior:

• rootfs.vhdx downloads successfully
• checksum validates
• failure occurs during rename step
• VM bundle never completes
• Workspace cannot start

Environment:

• Windows 10/11
• Claude Desktop version: (fill your version)
• Installed via MSIX (Microsoft Store / WindowsApps)

What I already tried:

• Full uninstall + reinstall
• Removed AppData folders
• Verified TEMP, TMP, APPDATA on same drive
• Rebooted multiple times

Notes:
This appears to be caused by MSIX filesystem virtualization (Temp vs Roaming boundary), causing rename() to fail with EXDEV.

Expected:
Fallback to copy+delete instead of rename across filesystem boundaries.

Impact:
Workspace/Cowork completely unusable on Windows.

What Should Happen?

after install & going to claude cowork i get the error msg Failed to start Claude's workspace
EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted, rename 'C:\Users\jansy\AppData\Local\Temp\wvm-ldaqo8\rootfs.vhdx' -> 'C:\Users\jansy\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\rootfs.vhdx'
Restarting Claude or your computer sometimes resolves this. If it persists, you can reinstall the workspace.

iso just working

Error Messages/Logs

Failed to start Claude's workspace
EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted, rename 'C:\Users\jansy\AppData\Local\Temp\wvm-ldaqo8\rootfs.vhdx' -> 'C:\Users\jansy\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\rootfs.vhdx'
Restarting Claude or your computer sometimes resolves this. If it persists, you can reinstall the workspace.

Steps to Reproduce

1. clean install from claude.ai install for windows as admin
2. startup claude
3. go to claude cowork

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

latest claude windows app downloaded from your website

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

No response

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] Cowork VM download fails with EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted on Windows 11 Pro (MSIX install) #36642
2. [BUG] [Desktop App] Cowork VM completely broken on Windows 11 Insider (MSIX) - Unresolved EXDEV rename bug in v1.1.4010 #27897
3. [BUG] Cowork EXDEV error on Windows - MSIX virtualization causes cross-device link failure between temp and vm_bundles #36440

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

[github-actions]

Closing for now — this doesn't appear to be about Claude Code. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

[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.