Windows 11 Start Menu Issues (And How To Fix Them)

During the past year, as we were preparing for the migration from Windows 10 to Windows 11, several Windows Start menu issues arose right after upgrading to Windows 11. Since the topic has resurfaced recently following the latest update (KB5035942), here’s an updated list of things you can try in case you encounter these too.

Note: It’s advisable to save this piece to your reading list, as you may not come across it again.

Photo by Yan Krukau: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-showing-frustrations-on-her-face-4458420/

Windows Start Menu Not Working?

This usually means the user is unable to click it, clicks it but it’s not responding, or it pops out the menu but the applications are not shown or not working when clicked at all.

As you can already sense, these can be vastly different issues, and obviously, one article could not delve into each of them. So let’s see what you can try to remediate those issues, starting from super-specific showstoppers and proceeding via more general means of repairing system corruption

1. Are you using Symantec Endpoint Protection?

If you are using an outdated Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) client application in relation to your Windows version, the Start menu as a feature, applications within it, and/or the search functionality can stop working.

• To confirm, try removing the SEP client from the computer and see if those functionalities start working again.
• To check the compatibility details of the Symantec Endpoint Protection client, consult the chart available here.

Upgrade the SEP client to the latest version to resolve the issue.

2. Are you using the AppLocker feature?

It might be the case that you were using the AppLocker feature to prevent users from executing certain .exe packages, and just after migrating to Windows 11, suddenly the appX packages stopped working (or you are unable to install/register them).

This is an edge case stemming from the incomplete configuration of the AppLocker policy. There is a correlation between EXE\DLL policies and Packaged App policies where both should have default (permissive) rules configured if restrictions are defined. In case they are not, Windows applications might be blocked from executing.

Let’s consider this in two key points:

1. If you are implementing restrictions with AppLocker, you also need to create explicit default allowances.
2. If you are implementing restrictions for EXE\DLL policies, ensure you create default allowance rules for both EXE\DLL and Packaged Apps.

Steps you can take:

1. To confirm the issue, check the logs in the Event Viewer under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > AppLocker.

This error was thrown when “Start menu” button was clicked.

2. To resolve the issue, configure permissive “Default rule” under “Packaged app Rules” as shown below.

Creating default allow rule under “Packaged app Rules” is needed if “Executable Rules” are set.

If you need information about administering the AppLocker, check the Microsoft’s official documentation here.

3. Has this occurred immediately after a specific Windows update?

If this issue started after installing a Windows update, try uninstalling it to see if that resolves the issue.

1. Go to Settings, click “Windows updates” then click “Update History “.
2. At the bottom of “Update History” list, find and click “Uninstall updates”.
3. Choose the latest update and click “Uninstall” to remove it.

There might be more than one “recent” update and depending on your situation, it might not be the most recent one. In that case, a bit of history checking and research about reported issues in those most recent updates might help decide which one to remove.

Alternatively, try performing the update again to see if there are newer builds or pending updates, and install them all. Check if that resolves your issues.

4. Do you have KB5010414 installed?

While on the topic of Windows updates - when KB5010414 was released and relevant, users began reporting issues with the Start menu disappearing. The user interface would hide the Start button so you would not see it when you hover over it. Apparently, Microsoft stated that it’s not a bug but a design feature, but this has since been fixed in more recent Windows updates.

If you are facing this issue due to KB5010414, try these steps:

1. Perform a Windows update and pay attention to optional updates to ensure you receive all the latest updates.
2. If you are stuck with KB5010414 for any reason — disable Widgets to prevent this behavior by right-clicking on the taskbar, then selecting “Taskbar Settings” , then clicking “Turn off Widgets”.

Now to a more general troubleshooting steps you can take to tackle these issues.

5. Reset explorer.exe process

Windows Explorer (explorer.exe) is the executable that provides the graphical interface through which you interact with most of Windows, including the Start menu itself.

To reset it, follow these steps:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del then click “Task Manager”).
2. Once there, click “Details” tab.
3. Locate “explorer.exe” > right-click it and select “End task”.

Now you need to start it again by following these steps:

1. Click “Run new task” under “Details” tab.
2. Write explorer.exe in the “Create new task” pop-up window to run the explorer process again.

5. Reset StartMenuExperienceHost.exe

This is a process responsible for handling the Start menu, including the application list, searches, recommendations, etc.

To reset it, follow same steps to open the Task Manager. Once in the “Details” tab, locate “StartMenuExperienceHost.exe” and right-click it, then select “End process tree”.

It will restart itself shortly, no need to start it manually.

6. Install missing drivers \ update drivers

At this point, you should have already executed the Windows update to pull the latest available packages, including drivers.

Additionally, follow these two steps:

1. Check the Device Manager panel to ensure there are no missing drivers.
2. Check the manufacturer’s site in case there are custom or newer drivers available for your computer, and install them.

7. Check and repair system files

To check for any corruption in the system files and fix it, you’ll be looking at a two-step procedure, first with the DISM tool, then with the SFC.

Make sure do execute both.

DISM Procedure

Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a command-line tool used to prepare or service Windows images but can also be used to repair broken builds and replace corrupted system files.

To execute it, follow these steps:

1. Run CMD as administrator.
2. Execute the following command:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

This command will use Windows Update to install files needed to remove corruption. If there is an issue with your update client, you can point to an existing Windows installation as a source using: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\your-source\Windows /LimitAccess syntax.

If you encounter errors in step 2, execute:

dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

This can take a long time to complete, so be sure to check the results. If it returns the error 0x800F081F, reboot your computer and then execute:

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore

In case it finds corrupted files, follow the on-screen instructions to repair them, and then restart your computer for the changes to take full effect.

SFC Procedure

System File Checker can be used to scan Windows and restore corrupted files.

To execute it, follow these steps:

1. Run CMD as administrator.
2. Execute:

sfc /scannow

This process can take a long time, allow it to complete. If it asks for a reboot, restart the computer.

8. Rebuild the Start Menu to a default

This process will download numerous files and rebuild the Start menu from scratch. It might generate errors for some packages - those can be ignored.

To execute it, follow these steps:

1. Open PowerShell as administrator.
2. Execute the following script:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Once it’s completed, reboot the computer and see if that resolved your issues.

9. Re-register DLL files

Sometimes, it’s necessary to re-register certain dynamic libraries. This can be achieved using the Regsvr32 command-line tool.

To re-register a single DLL file, if you’ve troubleshooted the issue and identified the suspect, use this command: regsvr32.exe /s absolute-path-to-your-dll-file or learn more about it here.

To re-register all available DLL files in the System32 directory, follow these steps:

1. Open CMD as administrator.
2. Execute this command:

for %i in (%windir%\system32\*.dll) do regsvr32.exe /s %i

Once it’s completed, reboot the computer and see if that resolved your issues.

10. Rebuild the Search index

If your issue is specific to the functionality of the Search bar, such as missing some or all results, you can try rebuilding the Search index database.

To rebuild the Search index, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, then start typing “search settings”. Click on “Windows Search Settings”.
2. Go to “Privacy and Security”.
3. In the newly opened window, choose “Advanced”, then click on “Rebuild”.

11. Try with another (new) Windows user profile

Sometimes, the corruption might be within the current user’s profile.

Test if the Start menu works normally by logging into an account that has never been logged into on that machine. If you do not rely on Active Directory domain accounts, create a new local user account and observe the result.

If you confirm that the issue is related to the specific user profile (where the Start menu worked on the new account), the easiest course of action is to delete the user profile by following these steps:

1. Backup the data from the user’s profile first (Desktop, Downloads, Documents, and other user folders).
2. From another account on that machine, run CMD as admin, then execute:

rundll32.exe sysdm.cpl,EditUserProfiles

This will bring up the elusive “User profiles” panel.

Alternatively, you can find it in the Settings by clicking through “System” > “Advanced system settings” > then the “Advanced” tab in the “System Properties” window, then click on “Settings” under “User Profiles”.

3. Once in the “User Profiles” panel, select the problematic user and delete it.

Please note that this action will remove all user data from the computer.

For domain users, a new profile will be created automatically when they log in to Windows next time, resolving the issue.

For local users, make sure to create them again.

12. Reset Windows to default while keeping the user data

Booting with minimal configuration often resolves issues present during normal boot, allowing for further troubleshooting of the underlying issue by pinpointing the problematic service or software.

To schedule booting into Safe Mode, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key and the “R” key together to open the “Run” panel.
2. Type msconfig and press Enter.
3. Under the “Boot” tab, click on “Safe boot” with the “Minimal” option selected.
4. Reboot the machine to enter the Safe mode on the next boot

13. Reset Windows to default while keeping user data

Ultimately, if everything else fails, you can reset the Windows system to default with an option to keep the user data.

To reset the system to default with user data preserved, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select “System”, then “Recovery”.
3. Under “Recovery options”, click “Reset PC”.
4. Make sure to select “Keep my files” when asked.

This goes without saying, but investing some time to troubleshoot things will often result in a cleaner solution with the underlying cause properly recognized. In this sense, delving into System and other logs in the Event Viewer is definitely my final recommendation.

Be aware that there will be many errors shown there which are not related to the problem at hand, so caution and thorough research are advised.

For those dealing with single-machine incidents and individuals in a hurry, resetting/reinstalling the OS will probably be the way to go.

Author’s Note

You made it to this point! Well, kudos to you my friend — either I’m a decent writer or you’re an excellent reader. Let’s go with the latter😅.

I’m Danilo, a seasoned IT Service Delivery engineer navigating the corporate chaos. I write about scripting, sysadmin stuff, and topics that are poorly documented elsewhere, with the aim of sharing knowledge and improving my writing skills.

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