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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Cowork/Workspace EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted on Windows 11 — rootfs.vhdx rename fails [2 comments, 3 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#52338•Fetched 2026-04-24 06:09:49
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Error Message

Claude Desktop Workspace/Cowork feature fails to start on Windows 11 with the following error every time: 4. Observe error immediately

Error Messages/Logs

  1. Observe EXDEV error immediately — feature never works

Root Cause

Additional Notes

This is a known bug reported since February 2026 (issues #25476, #30584, #36642, #37094, #38030, #38457, #39029). The root cause is that fs.rename() fails across filesystem boundaries on Windows. The fix should be to use fs.copyFile() + fs.unlink() as a fallback when EXDEV is encountered.

Code Example

EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted, rename 'C:\Users\nitro\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\.wvm-tmp-boqyjb\rootfs.vhdx' -> 'C:\Users\nitro\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\rootfs.vhdx'
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?

Claude Desktop Workspace/Cowork feature fails to start on Windows 11 with the following error every time:

EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted, rename 'C:\Users\nitro\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle.wvm-tmp-XXXXXX\rootfs.vhdx' -> 'C:\Users\nitro\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\rootfs.vhdx'

Environment

  • Claude Desktop version: Latest (.exe from claude.ai/download)
  • OS: Windows 11
  • Install type: Non-MSIX direct .exe installer
  • Hyper-V: Enabled

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Install Claude Desktop on Windows 11
  2. Open Claude Desktop
  3. Click Workspace/Cowork tab
  4. Observe error immediately

What I Tried

  • Clean reinstall (multiple times, including deleting AppData\Roaming\Claude)
  • Resetting TEMP/TMP environment variables to default
  • Disabling OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive
  • Manual file copy via PowerShell
  • Nothing worked

Expected Behavior

Workspace should download and initialize rootfs.vhdx successfully.

Additional Notes

This is a known bug reported since February 2026 (issues #25476, #30584, #36642, #37094, #38030, #38457, #39029). The root cause is that fs.rename() fails across filesystem boundaries on Windows. The fix should be to use fs.copyFile() + fs.unlink() as a fallback when EXDEV is encountered.

Please prioritize this fix as the Workspace feature is completely unusable on Windows for many users.

<img width="1919" height="1079" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/399f3745-81ef-4a2a-9300-3d42567dece0" />

What Should Happen?

Workspace should download rootfs.vhdx and initialize successfully without EXDEV errors.

Error Messages/Logs

EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted, rename 'C:\Users\nitro\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\.wvm-tmp-boqyjb\rootfs.vhdx' -> 'C:\Users\nitro\AppData\Roaming\Claude\vm_bundles\claudevm.bundle\rootfs.vhdx'

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Install Claude Desktop on Windows 11 (.exe from claude.ai/download)
  2. Open Claude Desktop
  3. Click Workspace/Cowork tab
  4. Observe EXDEV error immediately — feature never works

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

N/A

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

This is a known bug reported since February 2026. Related issues: #25476, #30584, #36642, #37094, #38030, #38457, #39029

Root cause: fs.rename() fails across filesystem boundaries on Windows. The fix should be to use fs.copyFile() + fs.unlink() as a fallback when EXDEV is encountered.

I have tried: clean reinstall, clearing AppData, resetting TEMP/TMP variables, disabling OneDrive/Dropbox/Google Drive, manual PowerShell copy. Nothing worked.

<img width="1919" height="1079" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/28897953-e62b-4a19-8a4a-07d1b3114a39" />

extent analysis

TL;DR

The most likely fix is to modify the code to use fs.copyFile() and fs.unlink() as a fallback when EXDEV is encountered, instead of relying on fs.rename().

Guidance

  • The root cause of the issue is that fs.rename() fails across filesystem boundaries on Windows, resulting in an EXDEV error.
  • To verify the issue, try manually copying the rootfs.vhdx file using PowerShell to see if it succeeds.
  • As a temporary workaround, users can try manually copying the file and then deleting the original, but this is not a reliable solution.
  • The fix should involve modifying the code to handle the EXDEV error and use fs.copyFile() and fs.unlink() as a fallback.

Example

No code example is provided as the issue does not include the relevant code snippet, but the fix would involve replacing fs.rename() with a try-catch block that uses fs.copyFile() and fs.unlink() if EXDEV is encountered.

Notes

The issue has been reported since February 2026 and has been documented in several related issues, but a fix has not been implemented yet.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by modifying the code to use fs.copyFile() and fs.unlink() as a fallback when EXDEV is encountered, as this is the recommended solution by the user who reported the issue.

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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Cowork/Workspace EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted on Windows 11 — rootfs.vhdx rename fails [2 comments, 3 participants]