diff --git a/source/mrviewerpy/MRPythonViewer.cpp b/source/mrviewerpy/MRPythonViewer.cpp
index f7cbdf4377d2..55ac155f76fe 100644
--- a/source/mrviewerpy/MRPythonViewer.cpp
+++ b/source/mrviewerpy/MRPythonViewer.cpp
@@ -381,6 +381,8 @@ void shutViewerAtExit()
     }
     gViewerFinished.wait_for( std::chrono::seconds( 10 ) ); // a stuck loop must not hold the exit forever
 #else
+    if ( !gLaunchParams ) // the viewer was not launched by this module, e.g. Python embedded in an application
+        return;
     auto& viewer = getViewerInstance();
     if ( viewer.isPreLaunched() )
         postLaunchDefaultViewer( *gLaunchParams, *gLaunchSetup );