# Joplin fails to start

**URL:** <https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [13 January 2026 19:12 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328 "2026-01-13T19:12:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rp1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@rp1](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/rp1)\
**Post date:** [13 January 2026 19:12 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/1 "2026-01-13T19:12:10Z")

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### Operating system

Windows

### Joplin version

2.13.12

### What issue do you have?

Hi,

Joplin does not start after latest update. It appears in task manager for a moment and then closes. Restart did not help. Windows 11.

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**Author:** ![laurent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/laurent)\
**Post date:** [13 January 2026 19:27 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/2 "2026-01-13T19:27:22Z")

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Which version are you using? Does it work if you download the latest version directly from there? [https://joplinapp.org/](https://joplinapp.org/)

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**Author:** ![rp1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@rp1](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/rp1)\
**Post date:** [13 January 2026 19:31 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/3 "2026-01-13T19:31:59Z")

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I downloaded clicking the popup from the app. Downloaded again using the link and surprisingly it worked. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![antoonvdr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@antoonvdr](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/antoonvdr)\
**Post date:** [13 January 2026 22:55 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/4 "2026-01-13T22:55:04Z")

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Happened to me too. It was suggested to allow for automatic updates, get pre-releases and enable auto-updates, but that did not prevent Joplin to close after a few seconds. I have Joplin 3.4.12 installed. The way that seemed to work is to disconnect from Internet, start Joplin and then re-establish internet connection….. For sure not an ideal situation.

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**Author:** ![TheBeezKneez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TheBeezKneez](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/TheBeezKneez)\
**Post date:** [14 January 2026 21:07 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/5 "2026-01-14T21:07:24Z")

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I am also having a similar issue where Joplin is not starting. Though, I am on Fedora Linux (using the Flatpak (Unofficial?)). I am not sure if this issue is caused by the same thing as the Windows one.

## OS

- Fedora 43 KDE

## Joplin Version

- 3.4.12

## Issue

When I click on the Joplin Icon, it bounces up and down like it is trying to launch. It then does not open. The issue also happens with Joplin if I use the official download method.

## Temporary Workaround

I have found that it does launch a Joplin process. The process also does not exit automatically — it even appears to persist after a reboot. If I kill the process (killall joplin) and click on the Joplin icon, it exhibits the same problematic behavior. However, if I kill the process, delete the “window-state-prod.json” file from “~/.config/joplin-desktop/”, and then click the Joplin icon, Joplin opens normally. However, sometimes after I close Joplin, I have to redo the “fix” steps mentioned in the previous sentence.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![antoonvdr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@antoonvdr](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/antoonvdr)\
**Post date:** [15 January 2026 20:39 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/7 "2026-01-15T20:39:38Z")

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Upgrading fixed my issue 😀

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![enriquein](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/enriquein/32/27757_2.png) [@enriquein](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/enriquein)\
**Post date:** [16 January 2026 14:53 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/8 "2026-01-16T14:53:47Z")

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I am having the same issue on Windows. The log states that the problem is that the updater is not signed by the actual project owner:

```auto
Code: ERR_UPDATER_INVALID_SIGNATURE
Error: New version 3.5.11 is not signed by the application owner: publisherNames: Cozic Ltd, raw info: {
  "SignerCertificate": {
    "FriendlyName": "",
    "IssuerName": {
      "Name": "CN=SSL.com Code Signing Intermediate CA RSA R1, O=SSL Corp, L=Houston, S=Texas, C=US",
      "Oid": "System.Security.Cryptography.Oid"
    },
    "NotAfter": "/Date(1854154596000)/",
    "NotBefore": "/Date(1759546596000)/",
    "PrivateKey": null,
    "PublicKey": {
      "Key": "System.Security.Cryptography.RSACryptoServiceProvider",
      "Oid": "System.Security.Cryptography.Oid",
      "EncodedKeyValue": "System.Security.Cryptography.AsnEncodedData",
      "EncodedParameters": "System.Security.Cryptography.AsnEncodedData"
    },
    "SerialNumber": "73CFC43AF68F0F279BDD4C285494F440",
    "SignatureAlgorithm": {
      "Value": "1.2.840.113549.1.1.11",
      "FriendlyName": "sha256RSA"
    },
    "Thumbprint": "AF0C1B9451567F9AF077DD0646D2927153B05DAF",
    "Version": 3,
    "Issuer": "CN=SSL.com Code Signing Intermediate CA RSA R1, O=SSL Corp, L=Houston, S=Texas, C=US",
    "Subject": "CN=Joplin, O=Joplin, L=Nancy, C=FR"
  },

```

Interestingly enough, downloading the installer from the website also prompts me because of “unverified publisher”, which I don’t remember if this happened when I installed Joplin originally.

With the amount of supply chain attacks going on in javascript-land, I think I’d rather disable automatic updates until there’s official word on what’s happened.

Disabling automatic updates fixes the crash.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![personalizedrefriger](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/personalizedrefriger/32/13210_2.png) [@personalizedrefriger](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/personalizedrefriger)\
**Post date:** [16 January 2026 16:04 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/9 "2026-01-16T16:04:18Z")

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> [@enriquein](#):
>
> Interestingly enough, downloading the installer from the website also prompts me because of “unverified publisher”, which I don’t remember if this happened when I installed Joplin originally.

For reference, I'm linking to two related forum posts: [Windows Defender objects to the installer - #3 by laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/windows-defender-objects-to-the-installer/48320/3), [Joplin crashes shortly after launch - #2 by laurent](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-crashes-shortly-after-launch/47629/2).

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![enriquein](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/enriquein/32/27757_2.png) [@enriquein](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/enriquein)\
**Post date:** [16 January 2026 21:04 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/10 "2026-01-16T21:04:09Z")

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Thank you for sharing this! Having gone through the exact pain they describe in getting code certificates to get accepted generally in Windows, I understand the issue now. The fix indeed then is to just update to the latest version.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/uploads/cozic/original/3X/1/c/1c948e33314e232a0927789508474d8624f4270b.png) [@system](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [15 February 2026 21:04 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/joplin-fails-to-start/48328/11 "2026-02-15T21:04:11Z")

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