Started Anki Desktop Update. Stopped and can't open

Anki Help
1

While opening Anki on my Windows 11 PC, a pop-up window offered an update. I clicked it, but the download stopped halfway. I then clicked the icon several times, but the application did not open. Next, I tried to uninstall it, but I kept getting an error: ‘Windows cannot find C:\Users\edixo\AppData\Local\Programs\Anki\uninstall.exe. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.’

I went to Task Manager to close the app. I found it and successfully stopped it, so I could try uninstalling it again, but that did not work. I restarted the computer, but that didn’t help either.

I searched YouTube for ways to force an uninstall, but I do not trust third-party software. I also searched Google but found nothing specific to this issue. Finally, I searched this forum, but the solutions do not apply to me because I cannot even open the application. No add-ons have been installed in months. I need help fixing this or forcing the uninstallation without third-party tools.

2

Have you tried the trial version? It seems to be working fine for me so far.

https://github.com/ankitects/anki/releases/download/26.05b1/anki-26.05b1-win-x64.msi

3

You can download the latest version of the launcher from the main site – Anki - powerful, intelligent flashcards . Install that launcher, then it will let you install the most recent release. This 2-step launcher/installer process will look a little different from when you’ve updated before.

4

I found a solution. Step 1: Force Delete the Broken Files

Since the Windows uninstaller is broken, you must delete the program files manually.

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.

  2. Paste this path into the box and hit Enter: %localappdata%\Programs

  3. Locate the folder named Anki.

  4. Right-click the Anki folder and select Delete (or the trash can icon).

Step 2: Clear the Broken Shortcuts

  1. Go to your Windows Desktop.

  2. If there is an Anki icon, right-click and delete it.

  3. Open your Start Menu, search for Anki, right-click the icon, and select Open file location.

  4. Delete the Anki shortcut from that folder if it appears.

Step 3: Download and Reinstall Anki

  1. Open your web browser and go to the official website: apps.ankiweb . net

  2. Download the latest installer for Windows 10/11.

  3. Run the downloaded .exe file.

  4. Complete the setup wizard to overwrite the broken installation registry keys.

Once the installation finishes, open Anki. It will automatically detect your existing data profile, and all your decks will reappear exactly where you left them.

5

Your (I assume, from a chatbot?) instructions aren’t quite right.

You should probably delete the folders at both of these locations: Managing Files - Anki Manual .

Completely unnecessary.

That’s not what the launcher/installer process looks like for the current version (but hopefully it will look like that again once the new package installer is released).

6

@Danika Can you offer then a better solution? This is exactly what I did in my case and it worked. I would like to keep your solution in my files in case this happen again.

7

It’s just as I said above [1] –

  • If you’re having a problem uninstalling – delete files at both of the program locations, not just one.
  • Download the latest version of the launcher, install it, and run it to install the latest version of Anki.

  1. [but it only applies to the launcher/installer process in versions 25.07 and 25.09, so I don’t think you need to keep these instructions around for long] ↩︎