claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Claude Desktop autostart entry crashes Windows 11 Settings > Apps > Startup (SettingsHandlers_Startup.dll 0xc0000005)

Official PRs (…)
ON THIS PAGE

Recommended Tools

×6

Utilities matched from this issue’s tags and category — try them while you read without losing context.

GitHub issue graph ai analysis

Paste a GitHub issue URL. We fetch that issue, discover linked issues from bodies/comments/timeline, collect linked pull requests, and produce a structured English report.

The report is written in English Markdown for sharing and archival.

Helpful · Quick feedback

Loading…

Error Message

  • Exception code: 0xc0000005 (memory access violation)

Error Messages/Logs

Root Cause

Additional notes: The issue appears to be caused by how Claude Desktop writes its autostart registry entry, in a format that causes SettingsHandlers_Startup.dll to crash when enumerating startup entries.

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

Workaround: Disable autostart in Claude Desktop settings. To still launch Claude Desktop on login, manually place a shortcut in the Windows Startup folder (shell:startup).

RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

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?

Bug Report: Enabling Claude Desktop autostart crashes Windows 11 Settings > Apps > Startup

Claude Desktop Version: 1.7196.1 (abcd65) 2026-05-16T00:57:20.000Z Windows Version: Windows 11 Build 26200.8457

Description: When the autostart option is enabled in Claude Desktop settings, the Windows 11 Settings app crashes every time Apps > Startup is opened. Disabling autostart in Claude Desktop immediately resolves the issue.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Install Claude Desktop
  2. In Claude Desktop settings, enable the autostart option
  3. Open Windows Settings > Apps > Startup
  4. Settings app crashes immediately

Expected behavior: Windows Settings > Apps > Startup opens normally and displays all autostart entries.

Actual behavior: Settings app crashes. Windows Event Log shows:

  • Faulting application: SystemSettings.exe
  • Faulting module: SettingsHandlers_Startup.dll
  • Exception code: 0xc0000005 (memory access violation)
  • Fault offset: 0x0000000000027a63

Workaround: Disable autostart in Claude Desktop settings. To still launch Claude Desktop on login, manually place a shortcut in the Windows Startup folder (shell:startup).

Reproducibility: Confirmed reproducible across multiple clean Windows installations. Tested by restoring system backups and re-enabling/disabling the Claude Desktop autostart toggle — the crash appears and disappears consistently with the toggle state.

Additional notes: The issue appears to be caused by how Claude Desktop writes its autostart registry entry, in a format that causes SettingsHandlers_Startup.dll to crash when enumerating startup entries.

What Should Happen?

Enabling autostart should autostart Claude Desktop as expected, but without causing Windows startup options to crash.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Install Claude Desktop
  2. In Claude Desktop settings, enable the autostart option
  3. Open Windows Settings > Apps > Startup
  4. Settings app crashes immediately

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.7196.1 (abcd65) 2026-05-16T00:57:20.000Z

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

No response

Vote matrix · Quick signals

Works
Did the solution work? Tap to confirm.
Easy Fix
Was it a quick fix?
Time Saver
Did it save you time?
Blocking
Was it severely blocking?
Common Issue
Are others likely hitting this too?
Flaky / Intermittent
Is it intermittent?
Verified / Reproducible
Can you reproduce it reliably?
Loading…

Still need to ship something?

×6

Another batch ranked right after the header list — different links, same matching logic.

Back to top recommendations

TRENDING