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Windows 10 Start Button Not Working: 9 Ways to Enable It

Restarting Windows Explorer from Task Manager can sometimes help

8 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Fix Windows 10 OS errors with Fortect:

If your Windows 10 Start button is not working, you might have some issues accessing certain features on your PC.

Start Menu is an integral part of Windows, but unfortunately, many reported thatStart Menu isn’t workingat all for them.

This can be a major problem, and in today’s guide, we’re going to tackle this issue and show you how to fix it properly.

Why is the Start button not working on Windows 10?

There are several reasons why the Start menu isn’t working on Windows 10, and here are the most common ones:

Start Menu is integral to Windows, but many users reported various issues. Speaking of issues, here are some common problems that users reported:

There are all sorts of issues that can occur with the Start Menu, and many reported anunresponsive Taskbar in Windows 10.

This can be a problem, but it can be fixed by restarting the Windows Explorer process.

In some rare instances, you might get aCritical error in Start Menu, and if this happens, it’s advised to repair your profile or installation.

Luckily for you, fixing these issues isn’t hard, and in today’s guide, we’ll show you how to do it.

What can I do when the Start button is not working in Windows 10?

1. Check for Windows updates

Updates will be downloaded automatically in the background if any updates are available. Once your system is up to date, check if Windows 10 Start button and search are still not working.

2. Use the PowerShell to fix this issue

That would be all, and your Start button should be working now.

You can try this workaround if your Windows button is not working. This isn’t a permanent solution, but it gets the job done and fixes the issue temporarily, so if the problem manifests itself again, you might need to repeat this process.

For the permanent solution, make sure that you check for the latest Windows 10 updates regularly.

3. Sign out of your account

After signing back in, check if the problem is still there.

Sometimes, Windows 10 Start Menu and Taskbar are not working due to glitches. But, according to users, the simplest way to fix this problem is to sign out of your account and log back in.

Since your Start Menu and Start button aren’t working, you’ll need to sign out using the steps we mentioned

4. Restart Windows Explorer

Once Windows Explorer restarts, check if Windows 10 Start Menu is still not working. Remember that this is a temporary solution, so you’ll have to repeat it once the problem reappears.

Many users reported that you could fix the problem with the Start Menu button simply by restarting Windows Explorer.

The Start Menu is a part of Windows Explorer, and by restarting Windows Explorer, you’ll force Start Menu to restart as well.

5. End certain processes

After the commands execute, the damaged files will be rebuilt, and you should be able to use Start Menu again without issues.

Sometimes Windows 10 can’t open Start Menu or Search due to certain Cortana files. According to users, you can fix this problem simply by deleting these files from PowerShell.

These are just temporary files; your PC will recreate them, so there’s no need to worry.

6. Modify your registry

After making these changes, restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved.

Occasionally, issues with the Start Menu button can occur due to Dropbox. Note that Dropbox can sometimes interfere with Windows processes, leading to this and many other problems.

However, you should be able to fix this problem by making a few changes to your registry.

7. Create new values in your registry

After doing that, closeRegistry Editorand restartWindows Explorerfrom theTask Manager. Once the Explorer restarts, your Start Menu should be working again.

The problem might be related to your registry if you’re having issues with the Start Menu button. According to users, they managed to fix this problem simply by creating new value in their registry.

8. Enter Safe Mode

Once you enter Safe Mode, check if everything is working. If so, restart your PC, boot back to your account, and check if the issue is resolved.

According to users, you might be able to solve this problem simply by entering Safe Mode. This is quite simple to do, following the above steps.

9. Create a new user account

After creating a new user account, switch to it, and check if that solves your problem.

If the problem doesn’t appear on the new account, you’ll need to move your files to the new account and check if that solves your problem.

We believe you must have repaired the Start Menu button not working issue by now. Note that these solutions are not written in any particular order, and we recommend starting with whatever solution looks most appropriate to your situation.

Remember that this isn’t the only issue you can encounter, and many reported thatWindows Tiles won’t show in Start Menu.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or maybe some other solutions for this problem, write them down in the comments section.

Windows 10 Start Button Not Working: 9 Ways to Enable It#

Why is the Start button not working on Windows 10?#

What to do if Start Menu and Taskbar are not working on Windows 10?#

What can I do when the Start button is not working in Windows 10?#

1. Check for Windows updates#

2. Use the PowerShell to fix this issue#

3. Sign out of your account#

4. Restart Windows Explorer#

5. End certain processes#

6. Modify your registry#

7. Create new values in your registry#

8. Enter Safe Mode#

9. Create a new user account#