Troubleshooting Windows 10 Start Menu Not Opening or Working
Upgrading to the latest version of Windows often comes with its fair share of bugs and issues. One common problem many users face after upgrading their operating system to Windows 10 is an unresponsive Start menu.
If your Start menu isn’t opening or working properly after upgrading to Windows 10, don’t panic. In this guide, we’ll walk you through several effective troubleshooting techniques to get your Start menu back up and running again.
Try Restarting the Windows Explorer Process
The Windows Explorer process essentially controls the Windows graphical shell – including the Start menu. Sometimes, explorer.exe can encounter issues that prevent the Start menu from functioning properly.
Restarting this process is one of the quickest and simplest solutions that may get your Start menu back in working order.
How to fix Windows 10 startup error?
If Windows 10 encounters a startup error, it may eventually take you to the Advanced Startup Options menu on boot. If you can make it to the Windows 10 login screen, you can get to the Advanced System Options menu. 1. Click the power button icon in the lower right corner. 2. Hold down shift and click Restart. 3.
How do I restart Windows 10?
The simplest method is to: Close all applications. Click the Power button in the Start Menu. Hold the Shift key down, and click Restart. After performing these steps, on restart, Windows will display the Choose an option menu (Figure 1). Figure 1. These are the initial boot options after restarting Windows.
Here is how to restart Windows Explorer:
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Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Task Manager.
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Click "More details" at the bottom to expand Task Manager.
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Select the "Processes" tab.
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Scroll down and locate "Windows Explorer" under Windows processes.
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Right click on Windows Explorer and choose "Restart".
This will end the explorer.exe process tree and immediately relaunch it. If any glitches were causing your Start menu to fail, this should clear them out.
After restarting the process, check if you can now open the Start menu as expected.
Update Your Drivers
Outdated and corrupt drivers are another common culprit behind a dysfunctional Start menu. Windows relies on drivers to communicate with much of your hardware.
Press Windows + X and select "Device Manager" from the power user menu. Expand each category and look for any devices with warning symbols. These likely need driver updates.
You should be able to update most drivers automatically by right clicking and choosing "Update driver". Search online to find the latest driver software for any that cannot update automatically.
How do I access the boot menu on Windows 10?
If you need to access the Boot menu, you can press the F8 key before the Windows starts. You can also open the Boot menu from the Start menu if you’re already logged into your device. Knowing how to access the Boot menu can help troubleshoot your computer if it’s experiencing issues.
How do I access the troubleshoot menu on Windows 10?
From the desktop, it’s easy to access the menu but from a clean/fresh boot, it’s not as simple. The first and easiest method to boot to the Troubleshoot menu is to turn on your PC, and tap the F11 key. Make sure you tap it repeatedly and that you start doing so right away.
How do I boot to the troubleshoot menu?
The first and easiest method to boot to the Troubleshoot menu is to turn on your PC, and tap the F11 key. Make sure you tap it repeatedly and that you start doing so right away. If your system tends to boot quickly, you might have to make a few attempts at booting to the troubleshoot menu.
Prioritize updating chipset, motherboard, and graphics drivers first. Install each update, restart your PC, and check if the Start menu is working after each one.
Boot Into Safe Mode
Booting into Safe Mode loads Windows with only the bare essential drivers and services. This can isolate software and driver-related issues.
To enter Safe Mode, open the Start menu, click the power icon, hold shift while selecting "Restart". Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup settings. Click Restart, then choose Safe Mode.
Once loaded, check if the Start menu now works. If so, a driver or software change made after upgrading was likely the culprit.
You can also use Safe Mode to locate problematic files on the hard drive. While in Safe Mode, open File Explorer and delete any unfamiliar or suspicious looking files.
Restart back into normal Windows afterwards and see if this resolved the Start menu difficulties.
Create a New Admin Account
Corrupted account settings are another possibility. Create a separate admin account as a workaround.
Click Start > Settings > Accounts > Family & other users > Add someone else to this PC.
How do I get Windows 10 Startup Repair?
The quickest way to get to Startup Repair is to hard-power-down your PC while it’s booting three times. You normally do this by simply holding the power button on your PC. So hold the power button on your PC while it’s booting three times in a row, and the fourth time your PC will load up Windows 10 Startup Repair.
Does Windows 10 have a Start menu?
New devices running Windows 10 for desktop editions will default to a Start menu with two columns of tiles unless boot to tablet mode is enabled. Devices with screens that are under 10″ have boot to tablet mode enabled by default. For these devices, users see the full screen Start on the desktop. You can adjust the following features:
How do I reboot a computer running Windows 11/10/8?
The “normal” way to reboot a computer running Windows 11/10/8 is through the Start menu: Open the Start menu. Select the power icon at the bottom (Windows 11/10) or top (Windows 8) of the screen. Start menu (Windows 11). Select Restart . This second method is a little faster and doesn’t require the full Start menu:
How do I restart a Windows 7 computer?
For Windows 7 and Vista, open the small arrow from the Start menu, and select Restart. You can also restart your PC from Ctrl+Alt+Del, or with the shutdown /r command. There’s a right way, and several wrong ways, to reboot (restart) a computer. It’s not an ethical dilemma—only one method ensures that problems don’t pop up after you restart.
Select "I don’t have this person’s sign-in information" and hit Next. Choose "Add a user without a Microsoft account" and enter a username. Check "Administrator" under account type.
Log into this new account. If the Start menu works properly here, your original user profile has problematic files or registry entries.
To fix, load the original profile again. Open the Run dialog with Windows + R and enter “regedit”. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer. Delete the "Start Page" and "Start MenuInit" keys. Sign back in afterwards and retry the Start menu.
Run SFC and DISM Scans
SFC and DISM are integrated Windows utilities that can scan for and replace corrupt operating system files. Using them could fix underlying OS errors that broke the Start menu.
Open an admin PowerShell window and enter:
sfc /scannow
This will scan Windows protected files and replace any broken ones from a cache. Once finished, run:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
DISM scans Windows components stored in image files. The cleanup-image switch attempts to restore any faulty ones.
How to troubleshoot Start menu problems in Windows 10?
This tutorial will show you how to download and use the Start menu troubleshooter to troubleshoot and automatically fix Start menu problems for your account in Windows 10. 1. Download the Start menu troubleshooter ZIP file from Microsoft below. 2. Save the Start_Menu_troubleshooter.zip file to your desktop.
How do I Reboot my PC using the start menu?
Another way to reboot your PC using the Start menu is to right-click on this menu and choose an option. To use this method, first, right-click the Start menu icon (four squares at an angle) in your screen’s bottom-left corner. From the menu that opens, select Shut Down or Sign Out > Restart. And your PC will reboot.
After finishing, reboot and test if these commands resolved the Start menu difficulties. If the scans find errors but can’t repair them, your Windows installation has deeper corruption issues.
Reset or Refresh Windows 10
If all else fails and your Start menu still won’t work, resetting Windows 10 will reinstall the operating system while retaining your personal files and data.
Open the Start menu > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Under Reset this PC, click Get started. Choose either "Keep my files" or "Remove everything" depending on your preference. Windows will reinstall from scratch.
Once the reset completes, the Start menu should function normally again. Although time-consuming, this is often the definitive solution for serious system file and settings corruption after upgrading.
Preventing Start Menu Issues
Resetting Windows is a hassle most users want to avoid. Here are some tips to help prevent Start menu problems when upgrading in the future:
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Before upgrading, use SFC and DISM scans to fix existing corrupt files.
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Ensure all drivers are updated to the latest compatible versions.
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Clean up and optimize your drive to remove clutter and speed degradation.
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Consider doing an in-place upgrade instead of wipe install. This retains your files, apps, and settings.
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Use a local account instead of Microsoft account – fewer settings get synced and can cause conflicts.
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Back up critical data and system image before upgrading in case a reset is needed.
Following this preventative guidance will help ensure your next Windows 10 upgrade proceeds smoothly without Start menu complications. Our troubleshooting steps above will get it back on track if anything still goes wrong.
Wrapping Up
A non-functional Start menu can be incredibly frustrating after upgrading Windows. But in most cases, it can be fixed with a few targeted troubleshooting techniques. Start with simpler solutions like restarting explorer.exe or updating drivers. For persistent issues scan for OS corruption or reset Windows 10 entirely.
What other troubleshooting tips would you suggest for fixing a broken Start Menu in Windows 10? Let us know in the comments below!
