How To Fix “Start Menu Not Working in Windows 10” Issue?

Last Updated on: 15th May 2019, 11:23 am

If you are one of those million people who recently upgraded your current system to Windows 10 and facing Start Menu issues like Windows 10 start button not working, Windows 10 Start menu stopped working, Start Menu does not open or not working in Windows 10, then you are not the only one.

For some strange reason, if you are confronted with a strange message telling you that specific functions of your system are not functioning. It is, understandably, a frustrating feeling that nobody wants to go through.

INDEX:

• Turn it off and restart
• Uninstall the anti-virus/malware software
• Make a Registry Tweak
• Run Application Identity Service
• Make a new user account
• Restart Windows Explorer
• Use SFC Scan
• Repair Windows Image
• Reinstall sound card and video card drivers
• Restart Windows in Troubleshooting mode
• Reset your PC & Run Windows Update

People also ask

• How do I fix Start menu in Windows 10 not working?
• How do I fix Windows 10 Start menu has stopped working?
• Why is my Windows 10 Taskbar not working?
• How do I restart Windows 10 without the Start menu?

“Start Menu Not Working in Windows 10” [FIXED]

Wait, before you go ahead with the fixes, make sure you have taken the back up of all the essential files you can’t afford to lose.

Turn it off and restart

In the IT sector, one of the familiar catchphrases you will come across is ‘have you tried turning it off and on again’. Believe it or not, in most of the cases, this is pretty much all you need to fix the issues you are facing with your laptop or PC.

Without a doubt, it is by far the easiest method out there to try out as well. Try to restart your PC, even if you have to try it a couple of times, and see that if it helps in resolving the issue. Understandably, you don’t have to do this on a daily basis, but if it does work, then you will have the issues resolved in minutes.

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Uninstall the anti-virus/malware software

It has been found that in most of the cases, bug-like these get resolved with the release of next Windows Update. Microsoft tend to initiate updates in its varied products; therefore, it makes sense to keep your system updated.

Usually, Windows 10 is made in a manner that it automatically installs new versions. But, if this is not the case, then the updates can also be created manually, even without the Start Menu.

You can try out the following procedure –

•      Hold down the Windows key and push I, this will open up the Settings.
•      Once you have done that and you are still not able to use the Start Menu, follow the same procedure of pressing the Windows Key, but this time around pushing R instead of I, this will run the command.

Make a Registry Tweak

A solution to the Start menu not working cropped up some months ago, and quite a few people are reporting success with it. It’ll require you to tweak your registry, so make sure to back up your registry first.

Once you’ve done that, open the registry editor by hitting Win + R and entering regedit into the box.

In the registry editor, navigate to the key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WpnUserService

Double-click “Start” in the right-hand pane and change the “Value” here to 4. Reboot your PC and you’re good to go.

Run Application Identity Service

Windows 10 comes with Application Identity Service, and it uses the service known as Applocker. This service determines which application can run on your PC. Well, you don’t need to be worried about this, as it is already well-versed with what is beneficial for your computer or laptop. But, using at the time when you are facing issues with the Start Menu can help in fixing the problem instantly.

To run the Application Identity Service, you need to follow the below-discussed methods –

•      Press Win and R simultaneously.
•      Once you have done this, now you need to type in services.msc into the box.
•      You need to right click in the Services Windows and hit Start.
•      Restart your PC and the issue related to the Start Menu should be resolved.

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Make a new user account

You can also opt for creating a new user account. When you create a new user account in Windows 10, it tends to re-register the Start Menu and various other essential system components. This particular method has proved beneficial, for multiple users, in resolving the issue.

Creating an altogether new user account does seem like a big step, but in actuality, it is just a baby step when compared to following the tedious process of installing Windows 10 from scratch to resolve the issue. If the Start Menu works fine in the newly created user, then you can transfer all your data to this account.

In order to create a new user account in Windows, you will have to

open the start menu

-> click on the Settings

-> click on the Accounts

-> click on Family & other users towards the left pane

-> finally click on Add someone else to this PC which you will find under different users.

Restart Windows Explorer

Restarting the Windows Explorer is one of the easiest things you can do on Windows 10. For this, you need to open the Task Manager which can be done by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Let us assume you are in the simple view; you need to click on More Details. Under the Processes tab, choose Windows Explorer, and you need to right click on it and finally clicking on Restart.

Use SFC Scan

Another effective way of fixing the issue is to use SFC scan. For this, you need to open the command prompt as administrator, and then you need to type the command – sfc /scannow. Since it’s a scan, you have to be patient as it will take time. After completion, close the command prompt and check whether the Start Menu is functional or not.

Repair Windows Image

If you are not happy with the points mentioned above, you can also try out this method. This will comprise of repairing your Windows image. To do this, you will have to –

•      Hit Win + X to open the Admin.
•      You will have to type the code – Dism /online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in the command prompt to scan and repair the Windows image.

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Reinstall drivers

Some users have even blamed their sound and video card drivers as the main culprits, especially following the latest Windows update. Some of the users did manage to resolve the issue of Start Menu after reinstalling or updating their sound and video card drivers to the latest one. You can do the following to get your Start Menu running once again.

• Download Display Driver Updater and with the help of the updater uninstall your existing display card driver.
• Hit the Windows logo key along with X simultaneously and then hit Device Manager.
• Visit game and video controller by making a double-click on the sound, video and game controller. You need to uninstall the audio card driver, for which you need to click on the uninstall device.
• As and when you are being prompted with the following notification, you will have to tick the box to delete the software and click uninstall.
• When you have uninstalled both the drivers, restart your computer.
• Moving ahead, you will have to update both the video and sound card drivers.

Updating drivers manually – It is quite easy to update the drivers by visiting the official website of the manufacturer and looking for the latest drivers. In case you are a laptop user, then you need to visit your laptop manufacturer for the apt video driver.

Updating drivers automatically – If you don’t have the patience or lack computer proficiencies, then you can opt for Driver Restore. This tool will recognize your system on its own and will also find out apt drivers for the precise video and sound card. Besides, it will even acknowledge the variant of Windows 10 and will install accordingly.

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• Download and install Driver Restore.
• Now, you need to run the tool and hit the Scan Now button. The tool will then scan your system PC to find out problem drivers.
• Hit the Update button, which is located next to the flagged video and audio card. This will automatically help in downloading the apt versions of the drivers.
• Finally, check whether the Star Menu is working.

Restart Windows in Troubleshooting mode

Close any open applications and press the [Windows] + [L] keys to log out of your Windows account — or just restart Windows. On the login screen, click the Power icon at the bottom right, hold down the [Shift] key and select the Restart option.

Reset your PC

When the blue Choose an option screen appears, click Troubleshoot, followed by Reset this PC. finally, click the Keep my files option and follow the on-screen instructions.

Run Windows Update

These are some of the best-known ways to get your Start Menu up and running in Windows 10.