Fix for Claude Desktop Workspace VM Service Issue on Windows 11 Home
Workspace Feature Broken on Windows 11 Home
The workspace/Cowork feature in Claude Desktop has been failing on Windows 11 Home installations for months, displaying the error: "Failed to start Claude's workspace — VM service not running."
Root Cause
The CoworkVMService cannot verify its own executable path within the locked WindowsApps directory. Signature verification fails before the VM even starts.
Manual Fix via PowerShell
Run these commands in an Admin PowerShell session:
Stop-Service CoworkVMService -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Copy-Item "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_*_x64__*\app\resources\cowork-svc.exe" "$env:USERPROFILE\cowork-svc.exe"
& "$env:USERPROFILE\cowork-svc.exe"Keep the PowerShell window open, then launch Claude Desktop. The workspace should load successfully.
Automated Solution
A GitHub tool automates this process with auto-start at logon and auto-sync when Claude updates: https://github.com/tiranmoskovitch-dev/claude-vm-fix
This solution works on Windows Home edition without requiring an upgrade to Windows Pro.
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
👀 See Also
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