diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d43568a..15ae172 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -97,7 +97,13 @@ Notice: `WhatsNew` is not supported.
 
 ### File based deployment
 
-The app uri can be a file:// based url instead of an web uri if your application is hosted on a common network location for your users.
+The app uri can be a `file://` based url instead of a web uri if your application is hosted on a common network location for your users.
+
+#### UNC Paths
+FXLauncher can deal with [UNC paths], if you ask it nicely. Instead of `\\server\share\myapp` use `file:////server/share/myapp`.
+Yes, that's four forward slashes; two for the `file://` protocol and two for the UNC path.
+
+[UNC paths]: https://www.lifewire.com/unc-universal-naming-convention-818230
 
 ### Native installers
 
@@ -116,16 +122,26 @@ Check out these prebuilt installers for a more complex demo application
 
 ## Specify cache directory
 
-By default, the artifacts are downloaded to the current working directory. This is usually fine for native installers, but if you distribute
-your application via just the launcher jar, you might want to specify where the downloaded artifacts land. See the 
-[cache dir documentation](https://github.com/edvin/fxlauncher/wiki/Optional-Cache-Directory) for more information.
+By default, the artifacts are downloaded to the current working directory. This is usually fine for per-user native 
+installers, but if you distribute your application via a system-wide native installer, or just the launcher 
+jar, you might want to specify where the downloaded artifacts land. See the 
+[cache dir documentation] for more information.
+
+[cache dir documentation]: https://github.com/edvin/fxlauncher/wiki/Optional-Cache-Directory
 
 ## Installation location
 
-It's worth noting that the two package alternatives for Windows, (EXE and MSI) have different install location defaults.
-While EXE will default to %APPDATALOCAL%, the MSI installer will default to %ProgramFiles%. If you use the MSI installer you
-might therefore need to specify the cache dir parameter as `cacheDir 'USERLIB/MyApp'` to make sure that the launcher has
-write access to download the artifacts for your application.
+It's worth noting that the two package alternatives for Windows, (EXE and MSI) have different default install locations.
+While EXE will default to [`%AppDataLocal%`], the MSI installer will default to `%ProgramFiles%`.  To write to 
+`%ProgramFiles%` one definitely does need admin privileges—that poses a problem for FXLauncher which, by default, 
+downloads updates to where it was installed. 
+
+If you use the MSI installer you will therefore need to tell FXLauncher to cache artifacts somewhere it is allowed
+to put them. For an OS-independent answer to this problem, look no further than the 
+[two magical strings][cache dir documentation], `USERLIB` and `ALLUSERS`. 
+
+
+[`%AppDataLocal%`]: https://www.howtogeek.com/318177/what-is-the-appdata-folder-in-windows/
 
 Read more about Java Packager in the official documentation:
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/fxlauncher/AbstractLauncher.java b/src/main/java/fxlauncher/AbstractLauncher.java
index 172932a..6d097fe 100644
--- a/src/main/java/fxlauncher/AbstractLauncher.java
+++ b/src/main/java/fxlauncher/AbstractLauncher.java
@@ -125,7 +125,12 @@ protected boolean syncFiles() throws Exception {
             Path target = cacheDir.resolve(lib.file).toAbsolutePath();
             Files.createDirectories(target.getParent());
 
-            URI uri = manifest.uri.resolve(lib.file);
+            URI uri;
+
+            // We avoid using uri.resolve() here so as to not break UNC paths. See issue #143
+            String separator = manifest.uri.getPath().endsWith("/") ? "" : "/";
+            uri = URI.create(manifest.uri.toString() + separator + lib.file);
+
 
             try (InputStream input = openDownloadStream(uri); OutputStream output = Files.newOutputStream(target)) {
 
@@ -184,6 +189,10 @@ protected void syncManifest() throws Exception {
             log.info(String.format("Loading manifest from 'app' parameter supplied: %s", appStr));
         }
 
+        if (appStr != null && !appStr.endsWith("/")) {
+            appStr += "/";
+        }
+
         if (namedParams.containsKey("uri")) {
             // get --uri-param
             String uriStr = namedParams.get("uri");
@@ -192,9 +201,15 @@ protected void syncManifest() throws Exception {
             }
             log.info(String.format("Syncing files from 'uri' parameter supplied:  %s", uriStr));
 
+            if (!uriStr.endsWith("/")) {
+                uriStr += "/";
+            }
             URI uri = URI.create(uriStr);
+
             // load manifest from --app param if supplied, else default file at supplied uri
-            URI app = appStr != null ? URI.create(appStr) : uri.resolve("app.xml");
+            URI app = (appStr != null)
+                    ? URI.create(appStr)
+                    : URI.create(uriStr + "app.xml"); // We avoid using uri.resolve() here so as to not break UNC paths. See issue #143
             manifest = FXManifest.load(app);
             // set supplied uri in manifest
             manifest.uri = uri;
diff --git a/src/main/java/fxlauncher/FXManifest.java b/src/main/java/fxlauncher/FXManifest.java
index c020a92..62df620 100644
--- a/src/main/java/fxlauncher/FXManifest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/fxlauncher/FXManifest.java
@@ -65,10 +65,11 @@ public String getFilename() {
 	}
 
 	public URI getFXAppURI() {
-		if (uri.getPath().endsWith("/"))
-			return uri.resolve("app.xml");
 
-		return URI.create(uri.toString() + "/app.xml");
+		String separator = uri.getPath().endsWith("/") ? "" : "/";
+
+		// We avoid using uri.resolve() here so as to not break UNC paths. See issue #143
+		return URI.create(uri.toString() + separator + "app.xml");
 	}
 
 	public Path getPath(Path cacheDir) {