Fix Spark 40 / MINI / GO Firmware Update on Windows 25H2 (MIDI API Mode Switcher) – Help Center

Applies only to Windows users who upgraded to version 25H2 (or later) from an earlier Windows version and are unable to update the firmware on Spark 40, Spark MINI, or Spark GO. If your computer shipped with Windows 25H2 already installed (or was clean-installed with 25H2), this workaround may not work as expected.

Windows 25H2 changed the default MIDI stack, which prevents Spark 40 / MINI / GO firmware updates from completing. Use the MIDI API Mode Switcher to switch Windows back to Legacy MIDI (Compatibility) mode - the firmware update will then work as expected.

Download

Download MIDI API Mode Switcher (.zip)

Extract the zip file and locate MidiApiModeSwitcher.exe.

How to Switch to Legacy MIDI Mode

Open MidiApiModeSwitcher.exe. The default setting is Mode 0 - Full Windows MIDI Services. Select Mode 1 - Legacy MIDI (Compatibility), then click Apply Change and confirm when prompted.
Restart your computer. After the restart, open MidiApiModeSwitcher.exe again and confirm the Active mode shows Mode 1 - Legacy MIDI.

Once Mode 1 is active, open the Spark app and try updating the firmware again.

Revert to Default

After the firmware update completes, you can switch back to the default mode if you prefer:

Open MidiApiModeSwitcher.exe.
Select Mode 0 - Full Windows MIDI Services and click Apply Change.
Restart your computer.