diff --git a/tools/chatgui/src/main.cpp b/tools/chatgui/src/main.cpp
index ede51b60..f15caf66 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui/src/main.cpp
+++ b/tools/chatgui/src/main.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 #include "gui_language.h"
 #include <cstdio>
 #ifdef _WIN32
+#include <QStandardPaths>
+#include <QTemporaryFile>
 #include <windows.h>
 #include <tlhelp32.h>
 #endif
@@ -85,9 +87,44 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     app.setQuitOnLastWindowClosed(false);
     debug_config_init();
 
+    QString cfgDir = QCoreApplication::applicationDirPath();
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    QString storageReason;
+    if (!QFile::exists(cfgDir + "/vibechat.cfg") && !QFile::exists(cfgDir + "/chatgui.cfg")) {
+        storageReason = QStringLiteral("config missing in executable directory");
+    } else {
+        /* Реальная проверка записи учитывает ACL Windows, а не только атрибуты каталога. */
+        QTemporaryFile probe(cfgDir + "/.vibechat-write-XXXXXX");
+        if (!probe.open()) {
+            storageReason = QStringLiteral("executable directory is not writable: %1").arg(probe.errorString());
+        } else if (!probe.remove()) {
+            DEBUG_ERROR(DEBUG_CATEGORY_CONFIG, "Cannot remove write probe %s: %s",
+                        qPrintable(probe.fileName()), qPrintable(probe.errorString()));
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
+    if (!storageReason.isEmpty()) {
+        cfgDir = QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::AppLocalDataLocation);
+        if (cfgDir.isEmpty() || !QDir().mkpath(cfgDir)) {
+            DEBUG_ERROR(DEBUG_CATEGORY_CONFIG, "Cannot create LocalAppData directory %s; fallback reason: %s",
+                        qPrintable(cfgDir), qPrintable(storageReason));
+            return 1;
+        }
+    } else {
+        storageReason = QStringLiteral("config found in writable executable directory");
+    }
+#endif
+
     /* Блокировка до любых изменений конфига/БД; предупреждение после загрузки языка. */
-    QLockFile lock(QCoreApplication::applicationDirPath() + "/vibechat.lock");
+    QLockFile lock(cfgDir + "/vibechat.lock");
     const bool locked = lock.tryLock();
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    if (!locked && lock.error() != QLockFile::LockFailedError) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR(DEBUG_CATEGORY_CONFIG, "Cannot lock data directory %s: error=%d; selection reason: %s",
+                    qPrintable(cfgDir), static_cast<int>(lock.error()), qPrintable(storageReason));
+        return 1;
+    }
+#endif
 
     app.setStyle(QStyleFactory::create("Fusion"));
     QPalette p;
@@ -108,7 +145,6 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     p.setColor(QPalette::Disabled, QPalette::ButtonText, QColor(127, 127, 127));
     app.setPalette(p);
 
-    QString cfgDir = QCoreApplication::applicationDirPath();
     QString cfgPath = cfgDir + "/vibechat.cfg";
     /* миграция: старый конфиг chatgui.cfg → vibechat.cfg */
     if (locked && !QFile::exists(cfgPath) && QFile::exists(cfgDir + "/chatgui.cfg"))
@@ -166,13 +202,13 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     QString dbPath = cfg.dbPath();
     if (dbPath.isEmpty()) dbPath = "chat_data";
     if (!QDir::isAbsolutePath(dbPath))
-        dbPath = QCoreApplication::applicationDirPath() + "/" + dbPath;
+        dbPath = cfgDir + "/" + dbPath;
     QDir(dbPath).mkpath(".");
 
     QString debugFile = cfg.debugFile();
     if (debugFile.isEmpty()) debugFile = "chatgui.log";
     if (!QDir::isAbsolutePath(debugFile))
-        debugFile = QCoreApplication::applicationDirPath() + "/" + debugFile;
+        debugFile = cfgDir + "/" + debugFile;
 
     /* ранняя инициализация лога в GUI-потоке: SoundManager::init() вызывается в
      * конструкторе MainWindow ДО старта utun-потока, поэтому без этого его диагностика
@@ -183,6 +219,11 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     if (lvl.isEmpty()) lvl = QStringLiteral("info");
     debug_apply_global_level(lvl.toUtf8().constData());
     DEBUG_INFO(DEBUG_CATEGORY_GENERAL, "vibechat: version=%s", qPrintable(app.applicationVersion()));
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    DEBUG_INFO(DEBUG_CATEGORY_CONFIG, "Windows storage: reason=%s config=%s db=%s log=%s lock=%s",
+               qPrintable(storageReason), qPrintable(cfgPath), qPrintable(dbPath), qPrintable(debugFile),
+               qPrintable(cfgDir + "/vibechat.lock"));
+#endif
     DEBUG_INFO(DEBUG_CATEGORY_CONFIG, "GUI language: preference=%s system=%s selected=%s",
                qPrintable(cfg.language()), qPrintable(QLocale::system().uiLanguages().join(',')), qPrintable(language));
 
diff --git a/tools/chatgui/src/mainwindow.cpp b/tools/chatgui/src/mainwindow.cpp
index 9b543a68..e98a8c25 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui/src/mainwindow.cpp
+++ b/tools/chatgui/src/mainwindow.cpp
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ extern "C" {
 #include <QFile>
 #include <QTextStream>
 #include <QDir>
+#ifdef _WIN32
+#include <QFileInfo>
+#endif
 #include <cmath>
 #include <QJsonDocument>
 #include <QJsonObject>
@@ -362,7 +365,11 @@ void MainWindow::setupSoundFromConfig() {
     }
 
     if (soundDir.isEmpty()) soundDir = "sounds";
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    QDir binDir(QFileInfo(m_cfgPath).absolutePath());
+#else
     QDir binDir(QApplication::applicationDirPath());
+#endif
     QString baseDir = QDir::isAbsolutePath(soundDir) ? soundDir : binDir.absoluteFilePath(soundDir);
     auto resolvePath = [&baseDir](const QString& f) { return f.isEmpty() ? QString() : QDir::cleanPath(baseDir + "/" + f); };