BrowserDeskHelp › When something does not work › H18
"BrowserDesk does not start properly" — repair and reinstall
BrowserDesk does not start, vanishes at once, is stuck on an old version or the installation aborts. The repair cleans up and reinstalls — ID, password and access are kept.
Preview this guide has not yet been clicked through on a real device. Button names and steps come from the program but may differ in details.
- For
- Private helper · Technician · Account administrator
- Applies to
- Free · Cloud · Own relay
- Right in the console
- administrator on the Windows device
- Controlled device
- Windows
- from version
- 20260930.3
What it is for
BrowserDesk does not start on a Windows computer, shows no window, only appears briefly in the Task Manager, is stuck on an old version, or the installer aborts. For all of this there is a repair: it cleans up BrowserDesk and reinstalls the current version. ID, password, certificate and access are kept — the device then signs in as before.
What you need
- Administrator rights on the Windows computer.
- A PowerShell (as administrator) and internet.
How to do it
- Save the logs first. The repair deletes the logs. If you want to report the error, collect the logs beforehand.
- Is the device only stuck on an old version? Then force the update first (Force an update, H11).
- Repair. The article Repair a client contains the command to copy. Paste and run it in a PowerShell as administrator. The repair - stops BrowserDesk and removes the service and tasks, - empties the program folder, the cache and the logs, - downloads the current version and sets it up again.
Kept: ID, password, device certificate, the sign-in to the access, relay address, settings, proxy — and the address book and history of the program.
- Does BrowserDesk start afterwards? Then check in EinstellungenFernzugriff (Settings > Remote access) → card Systemdienst (system service) whether the service is running, and on the start page in Ihr Desktop (your desktop) whether "Zugang: …" (access) shows your access.
- If that does not help: remove completely and reinstall. Fully uninstall a client removes everything; then you install again (C1). > Caution: afterwards the device comes back with the same ID, but with a new password and without an > access. Add it to the access again (C2) and pass on the new password. The same applies to the repair with > the switch
-FullWipe.
- Still not? Send the logs you saved before to info@browserdesk.de (H19).
How you know it worked
- The program starts, and the start page shows the ID in Ihr Desktop as before.
- The card Systemdienst says "Status: Läuft (Autostart + Auto-Update)" (running).
- In the console the device is online again, in the same access as before.
Good to know
- Most common cause of stuck old versions is a damaged cache that BrowserDesk unpacks itself into at start. The repair always empties it.
- Installer aborts (error 1603): this affected packages before version 20260911.2. Use the current package or repair.
- Remove only the service and keep everything else: see the note in the article Fully uninstall a client.
If it does not work
| You see | Meaning and fix |
|---|---|
| PowerShell reports that the script needs administrator rights | Open PowerShell with right-click → "Run as administrator". |
| After the repair the line "Zugang: …" (access) is missing in Ihr Desktop | The sign-in to the access got lost. Add it again (C2, H24). |
| Another error | Send the logs to info@browserdesk.de (H19). |