Windows OS is featured with many interesting features and to maintain its popularity Microsoft launches updates from time to time. During the updates, there may be some occurrence of errors due to so many reasons. One such error is the Windows start menu not working. If you have encountered the Windows 10 Start Menu Not Working error, then don’t get worried you have landed in the right place as some effective solutions given in this article can fix the issue.
Why the Windows 10 Start Menu Not Working Error Occurs?
Windows 10 is the best OS and offers ample features to the users and one such is the Windows Update. The updates usually install the latest drivers and the system files so that it can match with the OS, but few updates bring the issue and one such is the Windows 10 Start menu not working or Windows 10 Start button not working.
How to fix Windows Start Menu not working error?
We have a few solutions to this problem. Out of these, some are easy to execute, while others are a little bit tricky. So if your Windows 10 Start menu isn’t working, these fixes should do the trick to you.
Create a new account
This is a basic method will help you to resolve the Windows start button not working issue. The process is simple and the detailed steps are listed below, just follow it and fix the error.
- Hover your mouse cursor to the taskbar, right-click on it and choose ‘Task Manager’.
- Thereafter, a Task Manager window will appear on the screen, click on the ‘File’ tab and select ‘Run new task’ from the drop-down menu.
- Soon, you will find the box, type ‘PowerShell’ in it.
- After completing the above task, click on the ‘OK’ button.
- After that Administrator Windows PowerShell pop-up will appear on the screen, type ‘net user ABC 1234/add’. Here ABC is the username and 1234 is the password, so you can create the one at your convenience. After writing the above command in the box, press the ‘Enter’ key.
- Now restart your computer and then log in to the PC with a new user account.
Uninstall and Reinstall the Video and Sound Card drivers
Most of the users reported that, after updating Windows 10, the Video Card and Sound Card fails to match with the requirements of the OS and due to the same, the issue Windows Start button not working arises. So, it is advised to reinstall the Video and Sound card drivers.
- Hover your mouse’s cursor to the ‘Start’ menu, right-click on it and then click on ‘Device Manager’.
- Soon, you will find the pop-up windows displaying the drivers and adapters of the computer’s peripherals.
- Move to ‘Sound, video and game controller’ section, open it by clicking on down arrow given beside
- Now right-click on the below-listed item and then choose to ‘Uninstall device’ one-by-one.
- Thereafter, a warning box will appear on the screen, click on the Ok button to start uninstalling the device.
- After completing the above task, restart your computer.
Uninstall Dropbox from the PC
If Dropbox is installed in your PC and running the same might conflict with the Start menu and results to start button not working error. So, if you want to resolve the error, then uninstall Dropbox from your system.
- Click on the ‘Start’ menu, type ‘Control Panel’ in the search bar and press the ‘Enter’ key.
- Thereafter, the Control Panel page will appear that will show the list of Windows settings. By default, the view is selected as ‘Category’. If it’s not showing in your system, click on the ‘View by’ section located at the top right end of the page and select ‘Category’ from the drop-down menu.
- Now, move to the ‘Programs’ section and select ‘Uninstall a program’.
- Locate for Dropbox, select it and then click on the ‘Uninstall’ button located at the top of the page.
- Now restart your computer to apply the changes.
Use Windows 10 Start Menu troubleshooter
Microsoft offers an inbuilt tool to repair the OS, i.e. Troubleshooter which will resolve the ‘Windows 10 Start menu not working’ issue. The tool will check the running status of the start menu and will also look for the registry key. The process to access Windows 10 Start Menu Troubleshooter is listed beneath, follow the same and apply the method.
- Click on the ‘Start’ menu and further click on the ‘Settings’ icon which is located above the power menu.
- Thereafter, Windows Settings page will appear, click on ‘Update and Security’.
- Soon, you will get another window which will feature ample options at the left end of the page, click on ‘Troubleshoot’.
- Now, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
Repair the System Files
Corrupted System files always disturb the OS and result in one or other issue and this time, it is the Windows Start button not working issue. So, the quick solution for the same is to fix the corrupt system files. The process is simple and the detailed steps are listed below.
- Hover your mouse’s cursor to the Taskbar, right-click on it and then choose an option ‘Task Manager’.
- Thereafter, a pop-up window will appear on the screen, click on the ‘File’ tab and select ‘Run new task’ from the listed menu.
- In the provided box, type ‘Powershell’.
- Now, click on the ‘OK’ button.
- After that, you will get a command box and here you will have to type ‘sfc/scannow’ and then press the ‘Enter’ key.
- Now give some time to Windows to scan and fix the system files and after the completion of the task, restart your computer.
Disable third-party Antivirus
Microsoft offers the inbuilt Antivirus on Windows 10, i.e. Windows Defender which scans and removes the viruses. On the off chance, if you have installed any third party Antivirus, there might be a conflict between the two which results in the ‘Windows 10 Start button is not working’ error. So, it is better to disable the third-party antivirus and for that, select the antivirus from the taskbar and disable it.
Try Safe Mode
Most of the users reported that after accessing Safe Mode, the issue ‘Windows 10 Start menu not working’ was resolved. So, you must try this method to get rid of this problem. The process to enter the Safe Mode is provided below.
- Click on the ‘Start’ menu and further click on the ‘Settings’ icon.
- Thereafter, Windows Settings will appear on the screen and you need to click on the “Security and Update’ section.
- At the left panel of the page, you will find several options, click on ‘Recovery’. And then scroll down the page and move to the ‘Advanced Startup’ section. And here you will find the ‘Restart now’ button, just click on it.
- After the completion of the above task, your PC will restart and will fetch some advanced options for you, select ‘Troubleshoot’. You will find additional options, click on the ‘Advanced options’.
- Now select ‘Startup Settings’.
- In the next window, you need to click on the ‘Restart’ button that is located beneath the same page.
- Once your computer restarts, it will give you multiple options and your job is to press the key F5 to enter the Safe Mode.
- You can exit the Safe mode by restarting your computer.
Disable Cortana
Cortana is a great tool that enables the users to access the OS smoothly, but sometimes, it can create an issue and to resolve the same, you must disable it temporarily.
- Click on the ‘Start’ menu and then go with the ‘Settings’ icon.
- Now go to the Privacy section of the settings.
- At the left panel, you will find multiple options. Here, you need to look for the ‘Speech’ or ‘Microphone’ Click the same.
- Now, turn off the speech feature by sliding the button from ON to OFF.
- After completing the above task, move to the left panel and then click on ‘Speech, Inking and typing’ section.
- Turn off this feature using the slider or the similar option and keep it in off mode.
- Now restart your computer.
Disable Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer is the inbuilt browser of Windows OS, it works smoothly but often creates an issue when the OS is upgraded. So, if you have recently upgraded Windows 10 from the previous version, then IE is the prime cause of this issue and to resolve the same, you must disable it.
- Click on the Start button, type ‘Control Panel’ in the search bar and then press the Enter key.
- Soon, a Control Panel page will open and you need to click on the ‘Programs’ section.
- In the Program section, you will find ‘Programs and Features’ sub-section and beneath the same, you will find ‘Turn Windows features on or off’, click on it.
- Thereafter, a new pop-up window will open, move to the ‘Internet Explorer 11’ section and then uncheck the box.
- You will get a confirmation notification to delete the same, just click on the ‘Yes’.
- After completing the above task, click on the OK.
Update Windows 10
Most of the times, the problem occur when the OS is not updated, so it is your responsibility to update it on a regular interval of time to avoid the issue. Usually, Windows do this task by itself, but if you have restricted the Update feature, then you will have to do it manually.
- Click on the Start button and further click on the ‘Settings’ icon.
- Soon, ‘Windows Settings’ page will open, click on the ‘Update and Security’ icon.
- Thereafter, Windows Update page will open and here you need to click on ‘Check for Updates’ icon.
- The Windows will start collecting the updates and soon it will install the same. After completing the update process, make sure to restart your computer to continue the further steps.
Turn off Local Security Authority Process using Task Manager. To perform this task, follow the steps mentioned below.
- Hover your cursor to the ‘Taskbar’, right-click on it and then select ‘Task Manager’ from the featured list.
- Thereafter, Task Manager’ window will open and here you need to navigate for ‘Local Security Authority Process’, after getting the same, just click on it and select an option ‘End Task’.
- Now, close the ‘Task Manager’ window and then restart your computer to apply the changes.
Refresh Windows 10 OS
Microsoft provided a unique feature in Windows 10, i.e. ‘Refresh this PC’. This feature enables the users to repair the corrupt file by reinstalling the OS without losing their personal files. It also helps to fix the major issues. To get rid of Windows 10 Start Menu not working issue, you must refresh your PC and the process for the same is listed below.
- Move to the Login screen of Windows 10 by pressing Windows and L key together. And then press and hold the ‘Shift’ key and click on the ‘Restart’ button followed by the ‘Power’ key located at the bottom of the screen.
- Soon, a blue screen will appear that will fetch you some options, select ‘Troubleshoot’.
- In the ‘Troubleshoot’ section, you will get 2 options for your PC. Just go with the ‘Reset this PC’ option.
- Again, in the next screen, you will get two options to accomplish the task, either you can keep your files secure or else can choose to erase everything. Select the option as per your convenience by clicking on it.
- That’s it; the Windows will start reinstalling and your PC will get refreshed.
Reinstall Windows Start Menu Application
If the Windows application registration is missing or gets corrupted, then the issue Windows Start Menu not working arises. But, you don’t have to worry as you have an option to reinstall such an application and for that, just follow the process mentioned below.
- Hover your mouse cursor to the Start menu, right-click on it and then choose ‘Windows Powershell (admin)’ from the featured list. Or search for the same to open the PowerShell.
- Now type the command provided here or else you can copy it and paste the same in the Windows Powershell command prompt
Get-AppXPackage-AllUsers | Foreach{Add-AppxPackage-DisableDevelopmentMode-Register”$($_InstallLocation)\AppXmanifest.xml”}
- Now wait for a few minutes and let the OS download and install the corrupted files and missing applications.
- After finishing the process, just restart your computer.
Go for System Restore Option
This is a feature that enables you to restore your system to that point where it was working smoothly. So, if you have created a restore point earlier then follow the process listed below. But, make sure you might lose your personal data amid the process.
- Hover your mouse cursor to the Start menu, right-click on it and then choose ‘Settings’. If it’s not showing in the Menu, just type Settings in the Search bar.
- Now click on the ‘Update and Security’ icon.
- At the left panel of the Update and Security page, you will get a few options, click on ‘Recovery’. And here, you will get the ‘Advanced Startup’ option and beneath the same, ‘Restart’ button is located, click on it.
- Thereafter, Windows will restart and will fetch a few options, click on ‘Troubleshoot’. And inside that, you will get ‘Advanced options’, select the same.
- The top chart of ‘Advanced option’ will fetch ‘System Restore’ option, click on it.
- Now, select the restore point that you had created earlier and apply to execute.
- That’s it; your PC will get back to the state where it was working.
Conclusion
Hence, these were the effective and comprehensive solutions against the issue ‘Windows 10 Start menu not working’. Wanna some more DeviceTricks? Stay tuned to this space to get latest updates on errors related to Windows, Mac and Android.
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