WhatsApp is one of the most popular chat applications and a pioneer in its niche. Many users love to use it on the big screen and for this purpose, the desktop app of WhatsApp is used. But recently many users reported random crashing of the WhatsApp Desktop app.
Some users encountered the issue when making a call, while some reported facing the issue when downloading or uploading a file. The issue adversely affected older Windows machines (Windows 8, Windows 7, etc.). The issue occurred on the regular clients as well as with the multi-device beta clients.
WhatsApp Desktop App Crashing Fix
The WhatsApp desktop app might crash randomly mainly due to the following factors:
- Outdated OS or WhatsApp Desktop Client : If any of the PC’s Windows or the WhatsApp desktop client is outdated, then it may not be compatible with the other and cause crashing of the WhatsApp desktop app.
- Corrupt or Partially Applied WhatsApp Update : If a new update of WhatsApp is corrupt or is partially applied (in case it could not copy the essential files from the older installation folder), then the WhatsApp desktop client may crash during the operation.
- Corrupt Installation of the WhatsApp Desktop : If the installation of the WhatsApp desktop is corrupting itself, then the client may start crashing randomly.
Update the OS of your PC to the Latest Build
The desktop app may crash randomly if the desktop’s OS is outdated as the OS may not be compatible with the latest WhatsApp client. Here, updating the OS of your PC to the latest build may solve the problem.
- Click Windows , type, and open Check for Updates . Open Check for Updates
- Now, in the right pane of the resulting window, click on the Check for Updates button. Check for Windows Updates
- Then, wait till the updates are fetched and if some updates are available, download and install the updates / optional updates.
- Once the system is updated, restart your system and upon restart, check if the WhatsApp Desktop app crashing issue is resolved.
Update WhatsApp’s Desktop App to the Latest Build
If the WhatsApp desktop app is outdated, then it may become incompatible with the OS of your system, resulting in the crashing issue at hand. Here, updating the WhatsApp desktop app to the latest build may solve the problem.
For MS Store Version
- Click Windows , search, and open Microsoft Store . Open Microsoft Store
- Now, search for WhatsApp and then open the result of WhatsApp Desktop . Search and Open WhatsApp Desktop in the Microsoft Store
- Then, check if an update of WhatsApp is available, install the Update. Update WhatsApp Desktop App in the Microsoft Store
- Once updated, restart your system, and upon restart, check if the WhatsApp desktop app has stopped crashing.
For EXE Version
Firstly, try to update the desktop app through the WhatsApp client but If you are not offered an update in the WhatsApp window or it crashes before that, then you may follow the undermentioned steps:
- Launch a web browser and navigate to the following path: https://www.whatsapp.com/download Download WhatsApp for Windows
- Now download the version as per your OS and once downloaded, launch it as administrator (do not uninstall the older one).
- Then follow the prompts to complete the process and afterward, reboot your PC to check if the WhatsApp desktop client is working fine.
Disable Sound and Notifications of WhatsApp
You may see the crashing of the WhatsApp desktop client if the Sound and Notifications API of WhatsApp (due to a software glitch) is not compatible with the OS. In such a case, disabling the Sound and Notifications of WhatsApp may solve the problem.
- Launch the WhatsApp Desktop client and click on the three horizontal ellipses (near the top of the right panel). Open Settings of WhatsApp Desktop
- Now select Settings and open Notifications . Open Notifications in the WhatsApp Desktop Settings
- Then uncheck all the options present there like Sound, Desktop Alerts, Incoming Call Alerts, etc. Disable WhatsApp Notifications and Sounds
- Now relaunch the WhatsApp desktop app and check if it is working normally.
Re-Run the Update.exe File of WhatsApp
If a WhatsApp update failed to be properly applied to the client, then the WhatsApp desktop app may start crashing randomly. In this context, re-running the Update.exe file of WhatsApp may patch the bug and thus solve its crashing problem.
- Firstly, make sure no process related to the WhatsApp client is running on your system.
- Then, right-click Windows and select Run . Open the Run Command Box from the Quick Access Menu
- Now navigate to the following path: %localappdata%\WhatsApp Open WhatsApp Folder in the LocalAppData Directory
- Then, in the resulting File Explorer window, right-click on Update.exe and select Run as Administrator . Open Update.exe from the WhatsApp Folder as Administrator
- Now, wait till the update process is completed, and afterward, restart your PC.
- Upon restart, launch the WhatsApp desktop app and check if it is working fine.
Rename the Update.exe File of WhatsApp
If the EXE file of the downloaded WhatsApp update is corrupt, then the WhatsApp desktop app might crash randomly, and renaming the same may solve the problem. When we update it, it will automatically fetch the new file from the servers.
- Firstly, make sure no WhatsApp-related process is operating in the Task Manager of your system.
- Then, right-click Windows and select Run .
- Now navigate to the following: %localappdata%\WhatsApp
- Now right-click on the Update.exe file and select Rename . Rename the Update.exe in the WhatsApp Folder
- Then, rename the file (e.g., oldupdate.bk) and restart your system.
- Upon restart, launch the WhatsApp desktop app and check if it is working fine.
Use the Older Installation Folder of WhatsApp
If the new update could not be completely applied to the previous installation and some files are missing from the installation directory, then the WhatsApp desktop client may start crashing randomly. In this scenario, copying the older installation files to the new update directory may solve the problem.
Launch the WhatsApp Client from the New Update Folder
- Navigate to the following folder: %localappdata%\WhatsApp
- Now, open the newest of the folders present there (e.g., e.g., 2.2144.11) and right-click on the WhatsApp file. Open the Newest Folder in the WhatsApp Directory
- Then select Run as Administrator and once WhatsApp is launched, check if it is working fine. If so, then you may create a shortcut for the new WhatsApp client from the above-mentioned folder as the newer update could not replace the older shortcut. Launch the WhatsApp.exe from the Newest Folder as Administrator
If launching from the newer version did not work, then check if launching the WhatsApp client from the older folder (e.g., app-2.2142.12.0) in the AppData directory solves the problem.
Launch WhatsApp.exe from the Older Folder in the WhatsApp Directory
Copy Files from Older Installation Folder of WhatsApp to the New Update Directory
- Firstly, exit the WhatsApp desktop client and end its related processes from the Task Manager.
- Now, right-click Windows and select Run .
- Then, navigate to the following path: %localappdata%\WhatsApp
- Now, you may notice two folders with the app in the name (e.g., app-2.2142.12.0 and app-2.2144.11), if so, then open the older folder (e.g., app-2.2142.12.0) and copy all the files in it. Copy the Files from the Older Installation Folder to the Newer Installation Folder
- Then, navigate to the newer folder (e.g., app-2.2144.11) and paste the files.
- If asked to, do not overwrite any files in the new update directory and let the system only copy the ones that are not present in the folder.
- Once done, restart your system and upon restart, check if the WhatsApp client is working fine.
Delete New Update Folder of WhatsApp
- Close all the WhatsApp-related processes in the Task Manager of your system and navigate to the following folder: %localappdata%\WhatsApp
- Now delete the newest folder e.g., app-2.2144.11 (if you want to play safe, just rename the folder), and restart your system. Delete the Newest Folder in the WhatsApp Directory
- Upon restart, check if the WhatsApp desktop is working fine.
- If not, navigate to the above-mentioned path and open the older installation folder (e.g., app-2.2142.12.0).
- Now, right-click on the WhatsApp.exe folder and select Run as Administrator .
- Once the app is launched, check if it is clear of the crashing issue.
Reinstall WhatsApp’s Desktop Client
The installation of the WhatsApp desktop app may become corrupt due to many factors like a sudden power failure of the system or due to a partially applied WhatsApp update. This corrupt WhatsApp installation may cause the crashing issue at hand. In this context, reinstalling the WhatsApp desktop app may solve the problem.
- Right-click Windows and open Apps & Features .
- Now expand WhatsApp and click on Uninstall . Uninstall the WhatsApp Desktop App
- Then confirm to uninstall WhatsApp and follow the prompts to complete the process.
- Once uninstalled, restart your PC and upon restart, right-click Windows and select Run .
- Now navigate to the following path: %localappdata% Open the Local App Data Folder Through the Run Command Box
- Then delete the WhatsApp folder and afterward, reinstall the WhatsApp client from the Microsoft Store to check if the issue is resolved. Delete the WhatsApp Folder in the Local App Data Directory
- If that did not work, then check if uninstalling the WhatsApp desktop client (as discussed above) and installing WhatsApp from the following URL solves the issue: https://www.whatsapp.com/download
- If the issue persists, then check if using the other architectural installer clears out the issue (i.e., if the issue is occurring with 32-bit, then install the 64-bit client and vice versa). Download Other Architectural Installer for WhatsApp
If none of the above worked for you, then you may use the WhatsApp web in a browser (till the complete resolution of the issue).
How to Fix “Printer is in an error state” Issue?
The error “ WinRAR Error: Next Volume Is Required ” usually appears when you’re extracting a multi-part RAR archive and WinRAR can’t find (or can’t correctly identify) the next file in the sequence . This often happens when a volume is missing , stored in a different folder , or renamed in a way that breaks the archive’s expected order .
In this guide, we’ll go over the most reliable fixes confirmed by affected users, along with what each method is doing behind the scenes so you can choose the right one for your situation.
Important: To extract multi-volume archives, you should always start extraction from the first file in the set. This is usually file.part1.rar , or (in older sets) the main .rar file that comes before .r01 , .r02 , and so on.
1. Download and Place the Missing RAR File
WinRAR needs all parts of a multi-volume archive to complete extraction. This error usually appears when one of the volumes in a set like .part2.rar , .r01 , .r02 , .001 , and similar naming formats is missing . Downloading the missing volume and placing it in the same folder as the other parts allows WinRAR to continue extracting normally .
- Look at the error message or review the list of archive parts in the folder.
- Identify which volume is missing (for example, part2.rar , .r02 , .001 , etc.).
- Go back to the website or source where you downloaded the archive.
- Locate and download the exact missing file using the same naming format as the others.
- Make sure the new file name matches the pattern of the rest. Example: If you have file.part1.rar and file.part3.rar , the missing one must be file.part2.rar .
- Move the downloaded missing volume into the same folder as the other archive parts.
- Confirm that all parts are in a single folder before extracting.
- Right-click the first file in the series (usually part1 or the main .rar file) and select Extract Here or Extract to Folder .
- WinRAR should now detect all volumes and continue extraction normally .
2. Manually Browse & Select the Next Volume
Use this method only if the next volume already exists , but WinRAR is failing to detect it automatically. This can happen due to incorrect naming , the file being in a different location , or a temporary file access issue. Manually browsing helps WinRAR locate the correct volume and resume extraction without interruption .
- Right-click the first file in the series (usually .rar or part1.rar ) and select Extract Here or Extract to Folder .
- When WinRAR cannot find the next volume, it will show the “ Next Volume Is Required ” message.
- A small window will appear, allowing you to manually select the next volume .
- Use the file explorer window to locate the folder where the other archive parts are saved.
- Select the next part based on the naming order (example: select file.part2.rar after file.part1.rar ).
- Make sure the selected file matches the naming format of the archive (no extra characters like (1) and no mismatched numbering).
- WinRAR will resume extraction using the selected volume .
- If additional volumes are missing or stored separately, WinRAR may prompt you again. Repeat the same process until extraction completes.
3. Rename the RAR files in Order
WinRAR relies on a proper naming sequence (such as file.part1.rar , file.part2.rar , file.part3.rar ) to extract multi-volume archives. If a file is named incorrectly, contains extra characters, or is out of order, WinRAR may fail to locate the next volume and show this error. Renaming the files correctly helps WinRAR follow the sequence and extract the archive without interruptions .
Note: Renaming only changes the file name , not the file contents. The goal is to restore the correct sequence so WinRAR can detect the next volume.
- Go to the folder where all the RAR files are saved.
- Make sure all parts of the archive are present and stored in the same folder .
- Check how the parts are currently named . Common patterns include:
file.part1.rar, file.part2.rar, file.part3.rar
file.rar, file.r01, file.r02, file.r03
- Look for files that don’t match the expected numbering pattern (for example, file.part01.rar , file.part1(1).rar , or unrelated names).
- Rename each file so it follows the same order without extra characters or mismatched numbering. Example:
Incorrect: file.part1.rar, file.part3.rar, file.part2(1).rar
Correct: file.part1.rar, file.part2.rar, file.part3.rar
- Make sure the text before the number is exactly the same for all files.
- Only the last part number should change.
- Right-click the first file in the series (usually part1.rar or the main .rar file) and select Extract Here .
- WinRAR should now recognize the sequence and continue extraction normally .
If you still get the same prompt: the archive set is likely incomplete (a part was never downloaded or was removed), or one of the volumes is corrupt and must be re-downloaded from the original source.
