This complete tutorial will walk you through fixing start menu errors in Windows 11 from A to Z.
Windows 11 start menu not working
The easiest and quickest way to fix most Windows issues include the start menu problem is to reboot your windows 11 computer. And the next best thing you can do to resolve issues with the Windows 11 Start menu is to restart Windows Explorer. Sometimes corrupted system files, botched windows updates or virus malware infection are also the reason why the windows 11 start menu not working.
1 Windows 11 start menu not working1.1 Install the latest windows updates1.2 Restart Windows Explorer1.3 Repair system files with DISM and SFC command1.4 Rebuild the search index1.5 Restore frozen start menu default1.6 Create a New Local Account1.7 Reset Windows 11
Install the latest windows updates
In addition, Make sure the latest windows 11 updates are installed on your device. Install the latest windows updates not only fix previous bugs but also patch security holes and secure your system and optimize performance as well.
Press Windows key + I to open settings,Go to windows update and hit the check for updates button,If new updates are available there allow them to download and install on your device.Once done you need to restart your PC to apply them.
To restart your windows 11 PC Press Alt + F4 key, Then select Restart from the drop-down menu and click ok to reboot your system.
Restart Windows Explorer
Again few users report, restarting windows explorer and StartMenuExperienceHost.exe process help them fix the start menu not working problem on windows 11.
First of all, open Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC at the same time,From the “Processes” tab, scroll down until you find the “Windows Explorer” process – right-click this and select “Restart” from the menu.
Now check if the start menu working normally. Still, you are experiencing the windows 11 start menu not responding or stuck?Move to the details tab and look for a process named StartMenuExperienceHost.exe right click on it and select end task.Usually, this service automatically starts again, If not reboot your system.
Note: This process StartMenuExperienceHost.exe is related to the start menu, if something is wrong there or the service is stuck running you may experience problems with the start menu.
Repair system files with DISM and SFC command
Again if something is wrong with the system image or system files you may encounter different errors or windows stop functioning properly, and the start menu not work on windows 11. Let’s run the DISM and sfc command that repairs the system image and replaces corrupted system files with correct ones. We need open the command prompt to run these utilities, hence start menu not working we need to open the command prompt from task manager.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the taskmanager,Click on file then run new task, type cmd and check mark on the run this task with administrative privileges and click ok
When the command prompt opens first run the DISM command DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Let the scanning 100% complete, once done run the system file checker command sfc /scannowThe first command repairs the system image and the second command check for and repairs or replaces system files with the correct one.Once the scanning process completes close the command prompt and reboot your system.Now check if the windows 11 start menu not working problem solved.
Rebuild the search index
Windows 11 start menu is integrated with windows search and something wrong with widows search also causes the windows 11 start menu not open or not respond.
Press the Windows key + R, and type control /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions and press enter key to open indexing options,Click on modify then show all locations,
Now click on the advanced option then click on Rebuild,
It will take around 20-25 minutes to complete the process, or longer if you have stored a large amount of files and foldersOnce done reboot your system and check if the Start menu has started working on Windows 11.
Restore frozen start menu default
A number of windows 11 users reported, that re-register the start menu using PowerShell help them fix the problem and the start menu started working normally.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open task manager, Click on the run new task,Here type PowerShell then checkmark on run this task with administrative privileges,
When the PowerShell window opens type the following command and press enter key,
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
You may get a read notice in the box – this can be safely ignoredOnce the process is complete, simply restart the machine to see if the fix worked.
Create a New Local Account
Sometimes corrupted user profiles also cause some apps not working include the windows 11 start menu not open or responding. To deal with such issues, creating a new local account and signing into it fixes most of the issues on other user accounts as well. It’s simple and easy to create or add a user account on windows 11 PC using the command prompt.
First, open task manager using Ctrl + shift + Esc, click on file then create a new task,type cmd and check mark on run this task with administrative privileges, then click ok to open the command prompt as administrator,Now type the command net user USERNAME PASSWORD /add and press enter key you will get the command completed successfully.
Note – Replace the USERNAME and PASSWORD with your own
Now sign out from the current user account or reboot your PC and loign with the newly created user account And check if the start menu working without any problem.
Reset Windows 11
This is the last solution, if the above methods fail to fix the windows 11 start menu problem, then try reset the operating its default settings. Microsoft offers a built-in option in Windows 11 to reset the OS to the latest version with all your files intact.
Press Windows key + I to open the settings appGo to the system then click on recoveryNext, click the “Reset PC” button next to the “Reset this PC” option.After that, select “Keep my files” and follow the on-screen instructions.
Your PC will now reset to a clean Windows 11 build with a working Start menu.
Again it’s always recommended to perform a full system scan with the latest antivirus or antimalware applications. That help fix the windows 11 start menu if any virus or malware infection freezes the system that results start menu not working or responding. Also read:
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