Darktable 5.4 and 5.2 won't open interface on win 11

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I checked and did not find my issue in the already reported ones

Describe the bug

When using (at least) 5.4 and 5.2, the program will run but there is no UI. Attempting to open from my taskbar results in a bunch of tiny windows opening up momentarily and then closing and still not UI. I have disabled openCL with no luck still.

Steps to reproduce

1. Download darktable
2. Open darktable
3. nothing

Expected behavior

Darktable should be opening the UI

Logfile | Screenshot | Screencast

my log is empty since this is my first time using it

Commit

No response

Where did you obtain darktable from?

darktable.org / GitHub release

darktable version

5.4.1, 5.4.0, 5.2.1

What OS are you using?

Windows

What is the version of your OS?

Windows 11 version 25H2

Describe your system

AMD ryzen 7 5700x
32gb 3200mhz ram
EVGA 1080ti

Are you using OpenCL GPU in darktable?

Yes

If yes, what is the GPU card and driver?

EVGA 1080ti

Please provide additional context if applicable. You can attach files too, but might need to rename to .txt or .zip

It happens in all versions listed above with or without OpenCL straight out of a fresh download and a computer restart and update

Start by reproducing the launch failure on Windows 11 version 25H2 with darktable 5.4.1, then compare behavior with OpenCL enabled and disabled. Gather useful startup diagnostics beyond the empty log and check whether the interface failure occurs consistently across the listed releases. Done means identifying the cause of the missing UI or documenting the specific environment condition responsible.