diff --git a/src/main/java/org/cryptomator/ipc/IpcCommunicator.java b/src/main/java/org/cryptomator/ipc/IpcCommunicator.java
index 0120389c9..776299549 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/cryptomator/ipc/IpcCommunicator.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/cryptomator/ipc/IpcCommunicator.java
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ public interface IpcCommunicator extends Closeable {
 		}
 		// Didn't get any connection yet? I.e. we're the first app instance, so let's launch a server:
 		try {
-			return Server.create(socketPaths.iterator().next());
+			final var socketPath = socketPaths.iterator().next();
+			Files.deleteIfExists(socketPath); // ensure path does not exist before creating it
+			return Server.create(socketPath);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			LOG.warn("Failed to create IPC server", e);
 			return new LoopbackCommunicator();