Windows 10 start menu not Opening after update (Solved)

If the issue is specific to your user profile, creating a new account can sometimes resolve Start menu problems.

By Gaurav P Last updated Oct 23, 2023 0

With the latest Windows 10 the start menu still looks the same but the company has introduced a number of changes to the experience, such as now the Start menu has its own process (StartMenuExperienceHost.exe) new simplified default tile layout, and more. But still, some bugs causing the Windows 10 start menu not Working. A few users report the Windows 10 start menu not responding after update, The Windows 10 Start menu not opening even click several times on it. The exact cause of this problem varies on different combinations of PC environments, well here we have different solutions that probably help to fix the Windows 10 start menu problem.

All of a sudden my windows start button has stopped working. I cannot launch windows or any apps on my Toshiba Satellite Laptop.

Post Contents :-

1 Why Windows 10 start menu not Opening

Why Windows 10 start menu not Opening

Several reasons cause the Windows 10 start menu not Opening or freeze after update, corrupted system files, Third-Party Application Conflicts, issues with Windows Services or User Profile Corruption are common.

System files are crucial components that allow Windows to function properly. If these files become damaged or go missing, it can lead to various issues, including an unresponsive Start menu.
Some third-party programs, like PC optimizers or antivirus software, can conflict with the core operations of the Windows system, including the Start menu. This often arises due to conflicting processes or settings.
Windows relies on various background services to perform tasks. If essential services that the Start menu depends on are not functioning correctly or are disabled, it can result in a non-responsive Start menu.
User profiles store personalized settings and configurations. If a user profile becomes corrupted, it can lead to a range of system malfunctions, including issues with the Start menu.
Sometimes, changes made to system settings or configurations can inadvertently affect the behavior of the Start menu. This could be due to user-initiated adjustments or even software conflicts.

Occasionally, transient conflicts or glitches can occur in the system, leading to the Start menu becoming unresponsive. In such cases, a simple restart can often resolve the issue.

Restart your Windows 10 machine this is the first and best Old Working Solution.

Restart Windows Explorer

Press Alt + Ctrl + Del on your keyboard to bring up the Task Manager.
Under the “Processes” tab, locate “Windows Explorer.”
Right-click on “Windows Explorer” and select “Restart.”
Check if the Start menu is now working normally.

If you have an antivirus or other security software installed, temporarily disable it to see if it might be causing conflicts with the Start menu.

Perform a Windows 10 Clean Boot

A clean boot helps identify if third-party services are conflicting with the Start menu.

Press Windows key + R, type “msconfig,” and press Enter.
In the System Configuration window, go to the “Services” tab.
Check the box for “Hide all Microsoft services.”
Click “Disable all” to disable all non-Microsoft services.
Go to the “Startup” tab and click “Open Task Manager.”
Disable all startup items.
Close the Task Manager and click “OK” on the System Configuration window.
Restart your computer.

Install Windows 10 updates

Microsoft regularly releases security patches with a number of bug fixes. Installing the latest Windows update may contain the bug fix for the Windows 10 start menu, that causing the problem.

Press the keyboard shortcut Windows + I to open the settings app,
Click on Update & security then Windows Update,
Here hit on check for updates button,
Let Windows download and install updates if available there,
Restart windows and check if start menu working properly.

It’s crucial to keep your operating system up-to-date to ensure optimal performance, security, and compatibility with software and hardware.

Restart Application Identity Service

The Application Identity Service in Windows 10 uses a service called Applocker to decide which applications are and aren’t allowed to run on your PC. Check if the service is running state.

Press Windows + R, type services.msc and ok
This will open the Windows services console,
scroll down and look for application identity service,
Right-click and restart the service, if it’s already running.
Otherwise Right click on application identity service select start

Reregistering Start menu and apps

One of the possible causes of this issue is that registration of Cortana and ShellExperienceHost apps is failing, in which case left clicking the Start Menu or clicking on the search box may not work,

Press Windows + X on the keyboard, select PowerShell (admin)
Or open task manager using the keyboard shortcut ctrl + shift + Esc
Here on Task Manager click on file -> Run New Task -> Type PowerShell
Tick mark on Create this task with Administrative privileges -> click OK.
This will open Power Shell with Administrative privilege.

Now copy the Bellow command, paste on power shell and hit the enter key to execute the command.

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

Reboot the computer after the command execution completes. And see if the start menu working properly.

Windows 10 start menu Registry tweak

Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key and the R key together.
Type Regedit and hit the Enter key, to open the Windows registry editor
Take a backup of the registry then Navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WpnUserService
Here on the right-hand pane > Double-click on ‘Start’
Change its value data to 4 and hit ‘OK’.Reboot the computer and check the status.

Create a new user account

Also, create a new administrator account to ensure that the user profile is not corrupted. Create a user account using the command prompt is simple and easy.

Open command prompt as administrator
Type command net user USERNAME PASSWORD /add and press enter key.

Note: here replace USERNAME with the new user name that you want to create and PASSWORD that you want to create a new password for the newly created user account.

Also, you can use Windows key + I to open settings,
Select Accounts then click on Family & other people
Here Under Other people, click on Add someone else to this PC.
Enter the username and password (optional) and click Next and then Finish.
Now, under the Family & Other People, select a newly created account
Open Change account type Select Administrator and confirm with OK.
Now, Log off from the current login and log in again with the newly created user account.
Check if the Start Menu problems should be gone.

Run System file checker Utility

Sometimes Corrupted system files cause different problems on your Windows computer. Run the system file checker utility that helps restore missing files with the correct one.

Open the command prompt as administrator,
Type the command sfc /scannow and press enter key.
This will detect missing corrupted system files,
if found any corruption sfc utility restores them with the correct one from a compressed folder.
Restart Windows after 100% completing the scanning process,
Now check if the start menu working smoothly.

Rollback Window previous version

If the problem started after upgrade Windows 10, and the above solutions didn’t fix the problem. Uninstall the current version following the steps below and let the build get stable.

Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app,
Click on Update & security in the Recovery tab.
Here click get started under Go back to the previous build option.
And follow on-screen instructions to uninstall Windows 10 update