fix(windows): start 32-bit builds on OpenGL so launch no longer exits (#839)

* fix(windows): start 32-bit builds on OpenGL so launch no longer exits

DirectX 12 graphics pipeline creation fails on 32-bit Windows, so the app quit before the window appeared.

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>

* Add @odedigo to the contributor names list

The About window credits this username; no real name or display name was chosen.

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
Co-authored-by: Brandon Thomas <echelon@gmail.com>

README.md

@@ -235,6 +235,10 @@ Remove-Item Env:WGPU_BACKEND                     # restore the default for later
 An explicit `gl` override can bring the driver crash back on affected systems. The macOS, Linux
 and web backend defaults are unchanged.
 
+The **32-bit** build uses OpenGL even when a DirectX 12 graphics card is present. On 32-bit
+Windows, creating a DirectX 12 graphics pipeline fails immediately and the app exits before the
+window appears. `WGPU_BACKEND=vulkan` (or `dx12`) still overrides that.
+
 **If the app quits right after its window appears with "Parent device is lost" in the log:**
 WordCraft compiles DirectX 12 shaders with FXC, the compiler built into Windows, so it needs no
 `dxcompiler.dll`/`dxil.dll` and ignores any copy another program put on `PATH` (#603).

ROADMAP.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 **Stage: alpha** · next: beta, ~15 points (60% → 75% ready for real work) and ~150–230 h away
 
-> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-10 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-12 · **Change:** trivial (Turkish interface catalog completed, #774; previously trivial: Hungarian interface landed; previously trivial: Quick Access Toolbar KeyTips and a saved enable/disable option, #620; previously trivial: new documents follow the system region, #838; previously minor: Polish interface and Polish proofing; previously trivial: table borders and the resize handle drag on the page, #217; previously trivial: formatting revisions landed, #41; previously trivial: Draw tab ink, #307, and Draw Table and Eraser, #303, landed: catalog 402/434; previously minor: readiness table with hours per audience; full number back to the additive weighted sum, 60%; mainstream and essentials numbers added; alpha gate checked; previously major: full re-measure against Word for Mac 16.113.4; restructured to the craftrules progress-docs standard) · **Target:** Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) for Mac 16.113.4
+> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-12 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-12 · **Change:** trivial (32-bit Windows starts on OpenGL so launch no longer exits; previously trivial: every measurement follows the Options unit, #755; previously trivial: Insert › SmartArt landed, #497: catalog 429/451 → 437/458 (95.4%); previously trivial: Turkish interface landed; previously trivial: formatting revisions landed, #41; previously trivial: Draw tab ink, #307, and Draw Table and Eraser, #303, landed: catalog 402/434; previously minor: readiness table with hours per audience; full number back to the additive weighted sum, 60%; mainstream and essentials numbers added; alpha gate checked; previously major: full re-measure against Word for Mac 16.113.4; restructured to the craftrules progress-docs standard) · **Target:** Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) for Mac 16.113.4
 
 WordCraft aims for complete parity with Microsoft Word, then goes further on speed, openness and
 agent control. This page is the summary; the assessment is
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ Ranked, to beta (detail and remaining milestones in [docs/roadmap.md](docs/roadm
 ## Progress log
 
 | Date | What landed |
+| 2026-10-12 | 32-bit Windows starts on OpenGL. DirectX 12 graphics pipeline creation returns "The parameter is incorrect" and the app exited before the window appeared |
 | 2026-10-12 | New documents follow the system region (#838): A4 and centimetres outside the US (Letter in the CLDR Letter territories, inches in the US), lengths written with the region's decimal separator (`2,54 cm`) and typed with either; an explicit Measurement units choice wins; `file.options {"region"}` for agents |
 | 2026-10-12 | Paste from other programs keeps their formatting (#687): Ctrl+V and Home › Paste read the system clipboard's HTML (and RTF on Windows and Wayland); Merge Formatting takes the destination's font and paragraph and keeps bold, italic, underline and strikethrough; Paste Special lists what the system clipboard holds (HTML, RTF, picture, text). Linux: pictures copied in a browser or Spectacle paste on KDE and other Wayland desktops (data-control clipboard), and a paste that finds nothing usable names what the clipboard holds instead of "empty" (#833) |
 | 2026-10-12 | PDF export of long documents with many internal links (a linked table of contents) is linear: NIH's 67-page protocol template 10.6 s → 0.9 s |

apps/wordcraft/src/graphics.rs

@@ -20,18 +20,28 @@ pub struct Dx12Adapter {
 /// The backends to initialize on Windows.
 ///
 /// An explicit `backend_override` (normally `Backends::from_env()`, i.e. `WGPU_BACKEND`) always
-/// wins. Otherwise DirectX 12 only, as long as `dx12_adapters` (what a DirectX 12-only probe found)
+/// wins. Otherwise DirectX 12 only, as long as `dx12_graphics` is set and `dx12_adapters` (what a
-/// contains a usable hardware GPU. Without one, OpenGL is the way to the GPU: graphics chips whose
+/// DirectX 12-only probe found) contains a usable hardware GPU. Without one, OpenGL is the way to
-/// driver has no DirectX 12 support (Intel 4th generation on Windows 11, #316) still have an
+/// the GPU: graphics chips whose driver has no DirectX 12 support (Intel 4th generation on Windows
-/// OpenGL driver, and GL can't reach the AMD driver crash described in [`configure_backends`],
+/// 11, #316) still have an OpenGL driver, and GL can't reach the AMD driver crash described in
-/// because an AMD GPU with a driver shows up as a DirectX 12 adapter and keeps us on DirectX 12.
+/// [`configure_backends`], because an AMD GPU with a driver shows up as a DirectX 12 adapter and
-/// When DirectX 12 offers only WARP, it stays enabled next to GL as a last resort for machines
+/// keeps us on DirectX 12. When DirectX 12 offers only WARP, it stays enabled next to GL as a last
-/// without an OpenGL driver either (virtual machines): wgpu prefers any GPU over a software
+/// resort for machines without an OpenGL driver either (virtual machines): wgpu prefers any GPU
-/// adapter, so it's only picked when GL has nothing better.
+/// over a software adapter, so it's only picked when GL has nothing better.
-pub fn choose_backends(backend_override: Option<Backends>, dx12_adapters: &[Dx12Adapter]) -> Backends {
+///
+/// `dx12_graphics` is false on 32-bit Windows. wgpu creates the graphics pipeline through
+/// `ID3D12Device2::CreatePipelineState`, and that stream is aligned to 8 bytes. The 32-bit runtime
+/// expects pointer alignment (4), so creation returns `E_INVALIDARG` ("The parameter is incorrect")
+/// and the process exits before the first frame. Compute pipelines use the older API and succeed,
+/// which is why startup gets as far as the egui pipeline and then quits. OpenGL does not use that
+/// stream.
+pub fn choose_backends(backend_override: Option<Backends>, dx12_adapters: &[Dx12Adapter], dx12_graphics: bool) -> Backends {
     if let Some(backends) = backend_override {
         return backends;
     }
+    if !dx12_graphics {
+        return Backends::GL;
+    }
     let hardware = |a: &&Dx12Adapter| a.device_type != DeviceType::Cpu;
     if dx12_adapters.iter().filter(hardware).any(|a| a.meets_limits) {
         Backends::DX12
@@ -94,9 +104,16 @@ pub fn configure(options: &mut NativeOptions, backend_override: Option<Backends>
             backends
         }
         None => {
-            let adapters = probe_dx12(options);
+            // 32-bit: skip the DirectX 12 probe. A capable GPU would be selected, then
-            let backends = choose_backends(None, &adapters);
+            // CreatePipelineState fails and the app exits with no window.
-            log::info!("graphics: {} DirectX 12 adapter(s) {adapters:?}, backends {backends:?}", adapters.len());
+            let dx12_graphics = cfg!(not(target_arch = "x86"));
+            let adapters = if dx12_graphics { probe_dx12(options) } else { Vec::new() };
+            let backends = choose_backends(None, &adapters, dx12_graphics);
+            if dx12_graphics {
+                log::info!("graphics: {} DirectX 12 adapter(s) {adapters:?}, backends {backends:?}", adapters.len());
+            } else {
+                log::info!("graphics: 32-bit Windows uses OpenGL; DirectX 12 graphics pipeline creation fails");
+            }
             backends
         }
     };
@@ -157,7 +174,7 @@ mod tests {
         };
         assert!(eframe_default.instance_descriptor.backends.contains(Backends::GL));
         let gpu = [adapter(DeviceType::IntegratedGpu, true)];
-        assert_eq!(configured_backends(choose_backends(None, &gpu)), Backends::DX12);
+        assert_eq!(configured_backends(choose_backends(None, &gpu, true)), Backends::DX12);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -165,8 +182,8 @@ mod tests {
         let warp_only = [adapter(DeviceType::Cpu, true)];
         for backends in [Backends::VULKAN, Backends::GL, Backends::DX12, Backends::VULKAN | Backends::DX12, Backends::empty()] {
             // Whatever the probe would have found, the override wins (the probe doesn't run then).
-            assert_eq!(choose_backends(Some(backends), &[]), backends);
+            assert_eq!(choose_backends(Some(backends), &[], true), backends);
-            assert_eq!(choose_backends(Some(backends), &warp_only), backends);
+            assert_eq!(choose_backends(Some(backends), &warp_only, true), backends);
             assert_eq!(configured_backends(backends), backends);
         }
     }
@@ -192,13 +209,23 @@ mod tests {
     fn gl_when_dx12_has_no_usable_gpu() {
         // #316: no DirectX 12 driver, so DirectX 12 offers only WARP (or nothing) and lags.
         let warp_only = [adapter(DeviceType::Cpu, true)];
-        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &warp_only), Backends::GL | Backends::DX12);
+        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &warp_only, true), Backends::GL | Backends::DX12);
-        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &[]), Backends::GL);
+        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &[], true), Backends::GL);
         // A GPU that can't create eframe's device: GL alone, so it isn't picked over the GL one.
         let weak_gpu = [adapter(DeviceType::IntegratedGpu, false), adapter(DeviceType::Cpu, true)];
-        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &weak_gpu), Backends::GL);
+        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &weak_gpu, true), Backends::GL);
         // Any usable GPU keeps DirectX 12 only, next to WARP or a weaker GPU.
         let mixed = [adapter(DeviceType::Cpu, true), adapter(DeviceType::IntegratedGpu, false), adapter(DeviceType::DiscreteGpu, true)];
-        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &mixed), Backends::DX12);
+        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &mixed, true), Backends::DX12);
+    }
+
+    /// 32-bit Windows: a usable DirectX 12 GPU still starts on OpenGL. `WGPU_BACKEND` still wins.
+    #[test]
+    fn x86_uses_opengl_even_with_a_usable_gpu() {
+        let gpu = [adapter(DeviceType::IntegratedGpu, true)];
+        assert_eq!(choose_backends(None, &gpu, false), Backends::GL);
+        assert_eq!(choose_backends(Some(Backends::DX12), &gpu, false), Backends::DX12);
+        assert_eq!(choose_backends(Some(Backends::VULKAN), &[], false), Backends::VULKAN);
+        assert_eq!(configured_backends(choose_backends(None, &gpu, false)), Backends::GL);
     }
 }

apps/wordcraft/src/main.rs

@@ -274,8 +274,8 @@ fn main() -> eframe::Result {
         options.viewport = options.viewport.with_icon(icon);
     }
     // Before eframe creates the wgpu instance: default Windows to DirectX 12 only, or OpenGL when
-    // DirectX 12 has no GPU driver, and compile DirectX 12 shaders with FXC, which needs no
+    // DirectX 12 has no GPU driver or this is a 32-bit build, and compile DirectX 12 shaders with
-    // DLL of ours (#603; see graphics.rs).
+    // FXC, which needs no DLL of ours (#603; see graphics.rs).
     #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
     graphics::configure(&mut options, eframe::wgpu::Backends::from_env());
     load_user_fonts();

contributors/people.toml

@@ -64,3 +64,6 @@ sync_github_name = false
 [people.alexanderalber]
 real_name = "Alexander Alber"
 [people.edurbs]
+sync_github_name = true
+
+[people.odedigo]

docs/gaps.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Where WordCraft falls short of Word
 
-> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-11 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-11 · **Change:** trivial (formatted paste from other programs and Wayland clipboard pictures, #687, #833; previously trivial: DOCX complex-script formatting inheritance fixed; broader RTL work remains; previously trivial: #24 narrowed: Customize Keyboard and Customize Ribbon landed; previously trivial: formatting revisions landed, #41; previously trivial: Draw Table and Eraser landed, #303; previously minor: beta distance restated: ~15 points, ~150–230 h; previously: first version; every known shortfall from the 2026-10-10 re-measure, ranked) · **Target:** Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) for Mac 16.113.4
+> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-12 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-12 · **Change:** trivial (32-bit Windows no longer exits at launch on DirectX 12; previously trivial: Word XML Document and Word 2003 XML landed, #548) · **Target:** Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) for Mac 16.113.4
 
 The work list. One entry per shortfall, ranked by how much it stops a Word user from switching
 (**B** = blocks beta). Each says what's missing, the evidence, who it hurts, an Opus 5.5 agent
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Native save reliability: synthetic cases on macOS reproduced loss through the pr
 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | **DOCX never tested on real-world files.** No corpus of files from Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice and Pages has been opened, rendered and round-tripped and compared with Word page by page | B | No corpus in the repo; `crates/docx/tests` are synthetic fixtures (including omitted/empty paragraph defaults and imported TOC range preservation); "DOCX fidelity corpus: not started" since 2026-10-06 | Everyone: the files people receive are the files that break | 30–50 | [file-format-parity.md](file-format-parity.md) |
 | 2 | **Remaining native ink forms are dropped on open and lost on save, silently**; OLE objects show only their picture | B | Drawing-level native ink is preserved with its optional picture fallback; direct run-level content parts and ink nested in groups/canvases remain unsupported. Drawing canvases are read and written (#344); group shapes (`wpg`) read and written (#267). Charts and SmartArt are drawn (#292) and, with OLE objects, written back with all their parts on save (#319) | Documents with diagrams drawn in Word or pen notes lose content without warning | 4–8 to preserve remaining native ink forms; 45–70 to render and edit charts and SmartArt (#13) | [file-format-parity.md](file-format-parity.md) |
-| 3 | **Crashes and freezes in the field**: startup crash on Intel UHD Graphics (#170) (lag on GPUs without a DirectX 12 driver fixed, #316), freezes (#77, #59 Thai fonts, #31 font selector), no writes without admin on Windows 11 (#218), broken shape tool (#142), images can't be moved (#82) | B | 62 open issues, ~15 of them crashes, hangs or data-path failures | Anyone hit loses work or trust; the never-crash standard covers panics, not hangs or GPU driver faults | 20–30 | [target-app-parity.md](target-app-parity.md) (Stability) |
+| 3 | **Crashes and freezes in the field**: startup crash on Intel UHD Graphics (#170) (lag on GPUs without a DirectX 12 driver fixed, #316; 32-bit Windows exited at launch because DirectX 12 graphics pipeline creation failed, now OpenGL), freezes (#77, #59 Thai fonts, #31 font selector), no writes without admin on Windows 11 (#218), broken shape tool (#142), images can't be moved (#82) | B | 62 open issues, ~15 of them crashes, hangs or data-path failures | Anyone hit loses work or trust; the never-crash standard covers panics, not hangs or GPU driver faults | 20–30 | [target-app-parity.md](target-app-parity.md) (Stability) |
 | 4 | **Pagination differs from Word**: Aptos has no metric-matched substitute; legacy compatibility options ignored; no page-by-page comparison harness | B | [layout-parity.md](layout-parity.md); [typing-parity.md](typing-parity.md) Known gaps | Page counts and line breaks differ, which matters for forms, legal and academic work | 30–50 + owner (font) | [layout-parity.md](layout-parity.md) |
 | 5 | **Content controls** landed (#381): `w:sdt` kept, shown and edited (Developer tab, Design Mode, Properties). Move tracking landed (#400): `w:moveFrom`/`w:moveTo` with their named ranges round-trip, a tracked cut and paste of a paragraph or sentence records a move, either end accepts/rejects both, green double strike/underline markup and "Moved from/to" balloons; still missing: drag-and-drop moves (no text drag yet) and move options in Track Changes Options. Formatting revisions landed (#41): `w:rPrChange`/`w:pPrChange`/`w:tblPrChange`/`w:trPrChange`/`w:tcPrChange`/`w:sectPrChange`/`w:numberingChange` round-trip, are recorded while tracking, accepted/rejected and shown in balloons; still missing: tracked style-definition changes and table/section changes made in WordCraft. Opaque custom XML backing stores now survive saves; binding evaluation remains absent. | B | Issues #41, #400; source grep | Legal and editorial review workflows; templates with form controls | 5–8 | [file-format-parity.md](file-format-parity.md) |
 | 6 | **No native printing** on desktop: File › Print opens the PDF in the system viewer, which prints (#286); File › Print has a preview, page range, odd/even, copies and collate (#641); printer choice, duplex and pages per sheet are still the system's; web prints through the browser (#209) | B | `ui.print` → `apps/wordcraft/src/print.rs`; issue #15 | Everyone who prints | 5–8 | [hardware-parity.md](hardware-parity.md) |
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ The same gaps grouped the way the parity documents are, for agents working in on
 
 | Date | Change | Summary |
 |---|---|---|
+| 2026-10-12 | trivial | #3: 32-bit Windows no longer exits at launch; DirectX 12 graphics pipelines fail to create, so that build starts on OpenGL |
 | 2026-10-12 | trivial | Custom dictionary persists across sessions (`custom-dictionary.txt` in the settings folder; #40) |
 | 2026-10-11 | trivial | #8 narrowed: runs in a proofing language without a dictionary are skipped instead of flagged against the English dictionary (#100); dictionaries still English-only |
 | 2026-10-11 | trivial | #16: DOCX open/save preserves independent complex-script formatting inheritance; RTL sections, tables and typography remain open |

docs/hardware-parity.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Hardware parity with Microsoft Word
 
-> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-10 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-10 · **Change:** major (first version) · **Target:** Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) for Mac 16.113.4 and Word for Windows
+> **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-12 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-12 · **Change:** trivial (32-bit Windows starts on OpenGL; previously major: first version) · **Target:** Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) for Mac 16.113.4 and Word for Windows
 
 Word is not a hardware-heavy app, but a few devices matter to its users: printers above all, then
 pens, microphones (Dictate) and speakers (Read Aloud), and displays.
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ pens, microphones (Dictate) and speakers (Read Aloud), and displays.
 | Hardware | Word | WordCraft macOS | Windows | Linux / BSD | Web | Parity | Hours |
 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Printers: native print dialog, printer choice, copies, duplex, page ranges, tray, scaling | ✅ (`WordPDE.plugin` print-dialog extension on Mac) | 🟡 PDF opens in Preview to print (#286) | 🟡 PDF opens in the default viewer (#286) | 🟡 PDF opens in the default viewer (#286) | ✅ browser print dialog (#209) | 35% | 5–8 |
-| GPU rendering, HiDPI/Retina, pixel-aligned text | ✅ | ✅ wgpu + vello_cpu rasteriser, whole-pixel text (#110, #165) | ✅ DirectX 12 default (#50), OpenGL when DirectX 12 has no GPU driver (#316); startup crash on Intel UHD (#170) | ✅ (soft text on KDE at some zooms, #140) | ✅ | 80% | 3–5 (bugs) |
+| GPU rendering, HiDPI/Retina, pixel-aligned text | ✅ | ✅ wgpu + vello_cpu rasteriser, whole-pixel text (#110, #165) | ✅ DirectX 12 default (#50), OpenGL when DirectX 12 has no GPU driver (#316) or on 32-bit; startup crash on Intel UHD (#170) | ✅ (soft text on KDE at some zooms, #140) | ✅ | 80% | 3–5 (bugs) |
 | Multiple monitors, per-monitor DPI, remembered window position | ✅ | ✅ (#38, #76) | ✅ (winit DPI fix pending, #155) | ✅ | — | 85% | 1 |
 | Pen / stylus: ink, pressure, eraser, ink to shape/math | ✅ (Draw tab, `InkRender.bundle`) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | 0% | (Draw tab, 15–25) |
 | Microphone: Dictate | ✅ (cloud speech service) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | 0% | 8–15 + owner (speech model choice) |
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ pens, microphones (Dictate) and speakers (Read Aloud), and displays.
 
 | Date | Change | Summary |
 |---|---|---|
+| 2026-10-12 | trivial | 32-bit Windows starts on OpenGL: DirectX 12 graphics pipeline creation returns "The parameter is incorrect" and the app exited before the window appeared |
 | 2026-10-10 | trivial | Windows falls back to OpenGL when DirectX 12 offers only the software adapter (#316) |
 | 2026-10-10 | trivial | Desktop File › Print opens the PDF in the system viewer (#286) |
 | 2026-10-10 | trivial | Inertial touchpad scrolling landed (#252) |