Uninstall and Reinstall the Autodesk Desktop App

Issue:

The Autodesk Desktop App is a great tool to obtain updates for your installed Autodesk applications. Sometimes the program may appear stuck or frozen when launched. The program may not completely open, and you may only see a spinning wheel or the outline of the Desktop App.

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Causes:

The Autodesk Desktop App may have tried to auto-update or a Windows update may have interfered with the program. The default behavior for the Desktop App Settings is to “Automatically install any updates for this app”. If the update process was not able to complete, then the program may appear stuck and will not open. Starting on March 16th, 2023, the Autodesk Desktop App is being retired and replaced with a similar program called Autodesk Access. The problem could be caused by the program trying to update to Autodesk Access.

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Solution:

The best solution is to stop the program, uninstall the program, and install the latest version of Autodesk Access.  

  1. Close out of any open or semi-open Autodesk Desktop App session.
  2. Open Task Manager and go to the Details tab. Look for each process listed below. Right click on each and select End Task.
  • AdAppMgrSvc.exe
  • AutodeskDesktopApp.exe

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  1. Open Control Panel>Programs and features (type appwiz.cpl into Windows search).

             Select Autodesk Desktop App and then uninstall.

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  1.  Use the link below to download and install the latest version of the Autodesk Access.https://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-access/overview

The Autodesk application should now start properly. It may take a few minutes for the application to scan your system and recommend the correct updates.

About the Author

Shawn Heator

Technical Support Specialist

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