Started Anki Desktop Update. Stopped and can't open

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.

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

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.