diff --git a/update.go b/update.go
index 37b94b8..12b1c8b 100644
--- a/update.go
+++ b/update.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
 	wruntime "github.com/wailsapp/wails/v2/pkg/runtime"
@@ -159,14 +160,26 @@ func (a *App) DownloadAndApplyUpdate(url string) error {
 		_ = os.Rename(oldExe, exe) // roll back
 		return fmt.Errorf("install new exe: %w", err)
 	}
-	applog.Printf("update: installed new exe, relaunching")
+	// Clear the "downloaded from the internet" mark (NTFS Zone.Identifier stream).
+	// Otherwise Windows SmartScreen wants to prompt "are you sure you want to open
+	// this?" — but since we launch the exe programmatically that prompt never shows,
+	// and the launch is silently blocked. This is exactly why the relaunch failed.
+	_ = os.Remove(exe + ":Zone.Identifier")
+	applog.Printf("update: installed new exe, scheduling relaunch")
 
-	// Relaunch with a flag so the fresh instance waits for THIS one to exit and
-	// free the single-instance mutex instead of bailing out immediately.
-	cmd := exec.Command(exe, "--post-update")
-	cmd.Dir = dir
+	// Relaunch via a detached, hidden PowerShell that WAITS for this process to exit
+	// (so the single-instance mutex is free) and THEN starts the new exe. Launching
+	// the new exe directly while we're still alive raced the mutex and often left
+	// nothing running; waiting for our own exit first makes the restart reliable,
+	// and the launcher outlives us.
+	quoted := strings.ReplaceAll(exe, "'", "''")
+	ps := fmt.Sprintf(
+		"Wait-Process -Id %d -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue; Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 400; Start-Process -FilePath '%s' -ArgumentList '--post-update'",
+		os.Getpid(), quoted)
+	cmd := exec.Command("powershell", "-NoProfile", "-WindowStyle", "Hidden", "-Command", ps)
+	cmd.SysProcAttr = &syscall.SysProcAttr{HideWindow: true, CreationFlags: 0x08000000} // CREATE_NO_WINDOW
 	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("relaunch: %w", err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("schedule relaunch: %w", err)
 	}
 	if a.ctx != nil {
 		wruntime.Quit(a.ctx)