## https://sprecho.ai/help/troubleshooting/the-windows-app-will-not-update — The Windows app will not update

> The Sprecho update stops with "Error opening file for writing". A file is locked — close Sprecho from the tray, end your remote-desktop session and retry.

*Updated: 2026-08-23* *Platforms: windows*

The update downloads, the installer starts, and then it stops — often on a dialog
offering **Abort**, **Retry** and **Ignore**, with a message like
**"Error opening file for writing"** and a file name. Nothing is broken. Windows
will not let the installer replace a file that a running program still has open,
and the installer stopped rather than leave you with a half-updated app.

### Try this first

1. **Close Sprecho completely.** Closing the window is not enough — Sprecho keeps
   running in the notification area. Open the hidden-icons arrow next to the
   clock, right-click the Sprecho icon and choose **Quit**.
2. **End any remote-desktop session.** Close Remote Desktop Connection
   (`mstsc.exe`), the Windows App, or whatever you use to connect to a remote
   machine. Disconnecting is not always enough — close the client window.
3. **Run the update again**, either from **Settings → System → Updates** in
   Sprecho or by running the installer you downloaded.
4. **Reboot if the installer asked you to**, then run the update once more.

For most people step 1 alone is the whole fix. Step 2 is the one that catches
Terminal-Server users, and it is the reason this article exists.

### Why a remote-desktop session blocks the update

Sprecho ships a small plugin so that dictation works properly when the
applications you type into run on a Terminal Server. Sprecho itself never loads
that plugin — your remote-desktop client does, at the moment it connects.

Windows maps a loaded plugin into memory and locks the file against being
written. The installer knows to close Sprecho before updating, but it has no
reason to know about your remote-desktop client. So while any remote session is
open, the file cannot be replaced and the update stops. That affects exactly the
people the plugin exists for, on every single update.

Current installers work around it: they move the locked file aside instead of
trying to overwrite it, so the update completes and your remote session is left
alone. The plugin first shipped in version 2.48.0, so if you have not updated
since around then, closing the client by hand once is the reliable route.

After any update, the new plugin takes effect on your **next** remote-desktop
connection. An already-open session keeps using the version it loaded.

### The name in the error message tells you which program to close

| File named in the message | Close this |
|---|---|
| `Sprecho.exe` | Sprecho itself — quit it from the notification area |
| `sprecho-rdp-plugin.dll` | Your remote-desktop client (Remote Desktop Connection, Windows App, `mstsc.exe`, `msrdc.exe`) |
| Anything under `resources\` | Sprecho, then retry; if it repeats, reboot |

### The update fails without any error at all

If **Settings → System → Updates** reports that it could not check for updates,
this is a network problem rather than a locked file. Corporate firewalls and
filtering proxies commonly block the download. Ask your IT team to allow
`api.sprecho.ai` and `sprecho.ai`, then try again.

On managed devices, updates may be handled by your IT department instead of the
app. In that case new versions arrive when they are pushed, and the button in
Sprecho will not do anything.

### Last resort: install over the top

If the update still refuses after a reboot, download the current installer from
[sprecho.ai/download](https://sprecho.ai/download) and run it. It installs over
your existing copy and keeps your settings, dictionary and history — you stay
signed in.

Do not uninstall first. Uninstalling is not necessary, and it is the slower path
to the same result.

### Symptom → cause

| What you see | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| "Error opening file for writing … Sprecho.exe" | Sprecho is still running in the notification area |
| "Error opening file for writing … sprecho-rdp-plugin.dll" | A remote-desktop session has the plugin loaded |
| Abort / Retry / Ignore, retry does not help | The lock is still held — close the program named in the message first |
| Installer asks for a reboot and then fails again | The reboot was skipped; Windows finishes the cleanup during it |
| "Could not check for updates" | Network, firewall or proxy — not a locked file |

### Still stuck?

[Contact support](/help/contact) with the exact file name from the error
message, your current Sprecho version from **Settings → System → Updates** and
whether you use Remote Desktop. That combination is usually enough to answer on
the first reply.

If you use Sprecho with a Terminal Server every day,
[Use Sprecho over Remote Desktop and Terminal Server](/help/troubleshooting/use-sprecho-over-remote-desktop-and-terminal-server)
covers what to expect from that setup in general.

### FAQ

#### What does "Error opening file for writing" mean during a Sprecho update?
The installer tried to overwrite a file that Windows has locked because a running program still has it open. Closing that program releases the lock. For Sprecho the two candidates are Sprecho itself, still running in the notification area, and your remote-desktop client.

#### Why does my remote-desktop session block the Sprecho update?
Sprecho ships a small plugin that your remote-desktop client loads when it connects, so dictation understands the remote app you are typing into. Windows locks any loaded plugin against being overwritten, and the installer closes Sprecho but has no reason to close your remote session.

#### Will reinstalling Sprecho delete my settings and history?
No. Running the installer from sprecho.ai/download over an existing installation keeps your settings, dictionary and history. You stay signed in.