Are you facing problems with Start Menu in Windows 10? Here are a few ways you can fix the Start Menu not working issue in Windows 10.
Microsoft has improved the Start Menu both visually and functionally. However, under some circumstances, you might face some issues with it. One of the significant issues that some Windows 10 users encounter is that the start menu won’t open or work as it should. When you press the Start button, either it will show an error something like “start menu not working” or won’t respond altogether.
If you face that issue, then here are some fixes you can try to fix the start menu not working in Windows 10.
Jump to the fix:
- Restart Windows Explorer
- Run Application Identity Service
- Run Start Menu Troubleshooter
- Try Disabling Automatic Device Set Up with Sign-in Info
- Reinstall Cortana and/or Windows Apps
- Create Local Admin Account
- Check AMD Graphics Drives
- Scan and Repair Windows Files
Fix Start Menu Not Working in Windows 10
There are multiple solutions to fix the start menu in Windows. Some methods work for some and not for others. So, follow the listed fixes one by one and see what sets the issue for you.
1. Restart Windows Explorer
Whenever you face a problem in Windows, the first and foremost thing you should try is restarting Windows Explorer. It just takes a couple of clicks; that’s it.
1. Right-click on the taskbar and select the option “Task Manager.”
2. Go to the “Processes” tab, find “Windows Explorer,” right-click on it and select “Restart.”
Once Windows Explorer has been restarted, try to launch the Start Menu. If failed, proceed to the next fix.
2. Run Application Identity Service
One of the reasons your Start Menu is not working might be because the Application Identity service is not running. Follow the steps below to fix it.
1. Press Win + R, type “services.msc” and press Enter.
2. Find the “Application Identity” service, right-click on it and select the option “Start.”
If everything goes well, your start menu should be working as it should. If failed, proceed to the next fix.
3. Run Start Menu Troubleshooter
To deal with some general problems with the Start Menu, Microsoft released a Start Menu troubleshooter application. This app tries to find and fix issues. So, download the Start Menu troubleshooter and open it. Click on the “Next” button and follow the wizard.
4. Try Disabling Automatic Device Set Up with Sign-in Info
This may not be the actual culprit, but you can try disabling the automatic device setup with sign-in info when updating or upgrading Windows.
1. To disable it, open the Settings app by press Win + I.
2. Here, go to “Accounts > Sign-in Options.”
3. On the right panel, toggle the button to Off under “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish settings up my device after update or restart.”
Once you’ve done that, restart your system and try to open the start menu. If it works, then congratulations. If not, proceed to the next fix.
5. Reinstall Cortana and/or Windows Apps
Sometimes, it is Cortana that is messing things up. In those situations, you can try reinstalling Cortana.
1. Right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager.” Now, select “New > Run New Task.”
2. Enter “PowerShell,” select the checkbox “Create this task with administrative privileges,” and click “Ok.”
3. In the PowerShell window, execute the following code.
Get-AppXPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.Cortana | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
4. Restart your system, and it should be good. If not, you can also try reinstalling all the Windows Store apps (including Cortana) using the below command.
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}
6. Create Local Admin Account
This method is listed on the Microsoft support page, so it is worth trying. Sometimes, if you are using Windows as an administrator with Microsoft account, then it might be causing some problems. To deal with that, we need to create a new local admin account. Since it is a good old local account, you don’t have to sign in with your Microsoft account.
Though you can create a new user account with the new Settings app, I will show you how to do it with the Task Manager. It is much easier.
1. Right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager.” Now, select “File > Create New Task.”
2. Enter the below command, replace <username> with the username of your choice, <password> with the password of your choice, select the checkbox “Create this task with administrative privileges,” and click “Ok.”
net user <username> <password> /add
3. Windows will create a new standard user as per the command. To change it to admin, open the Settings app with the keyboard shortcut Win + I. Navigate to “Accounts > Family and Other People.”
4. Find the user you just created under “Other people,” click on it, and then click on the button “Change account type.”
5. Change the account type to “Administrator” and click on the “Ok” button.
That’s it. Log into the new account, and the Start Menu is working as it should.
7. Check AMD Graphics Drives
Some people complained that AMD graphics Drives are causing problems with the Start Menu. Especially, the AMD External Events Utility service. So, if you have an AMD Graphics Card, then you should try disabling that service.
1. Press Win + R, type “services.msc” and press Enter.
2. Here, find AMD External Events Utility, right-click on it and select “Properties.”
3. Next to Startup Type, select “Disable” from the drop-down menu and click on the “Ok” button.
While you are at it, try disabling or uninstalling any third-party antivirus and malware software. Sometimes, this software might be interfering with the Start Menu and mess things up.
Restart your system to make the changes take effect.
8. Scan And Repair Windows Files
If everything fails, you can try to scan and repair Windows files. It is pretty easy to do and fixes most of the problems.
1. Right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager.” Now, select “New > Create New Task.”
2. Enter “cmd,” select the checkbox “Create this task with administrative privileges,” and click “Ok.”
3. In the Command Prompt window, execute the following code.
sfc /scannow
4. Once that is complete, run the DISM tool to clean up and restore system files.
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
It might take some time to complete the process. So, sit back and wait till the process is complete. After that, restart your system, and the Start Menu should be working.
Wrapping Up
The above-listed fixes are not exhaustive. Since there are many reasons for the Strat Menu not working in Windows 10, not every fix or solution works for you. So, try all the fixes one by one till you fix the issue.
Comment below, sharing what fix worked for you. If you found some other fix to the Start Menu issue in Windows 10, share it with us in the comments form; it will help the community.
