How to fix Windows Start menu button not working

Restart the Start process (fastest fix)

Windows runs the Start menu as a separate background process. Ending this process forces Windows to restart the Start menu process.

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Escape) keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open Task Manager (or right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager).
2. Find the Start process.
3. Right-click Start and choose End task.

The process will close and automatically restart itself within a few seconds. Click the start menu button again to test if it's working.

Restart the Windows Explorer process

If restarting the Start process didn't work, restarting the Windows Explorer process will shut down and restart the Windows shell—removing the desktop, taskbar, Start menu, notification area, and system tray from view before reloading them. Restarting this process will refresh the user interface and fix issues like an unresponsive Start menu without closing your other running programs or affecting your data.

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Escape) keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open Task Manager (or right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager).
2. Find the Windows Explorer process.
3. Right-click Windows Explorer and choose Restart.

Your desktop icons, taskbar, start menu, notification area, and system tray will disappear for a short moment while the process restarts.

Update Windows

A bug in the Windows operating system might be causing the Start menu issue. Installing the latest update may fix it.

• If you're using Windows 11, go to Settings > Windows Update. On Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
• On the right side of the Settings window, click Check for updates, then download and install any available updates.

Repair System Files (DISM & SFC)

System File Checker (SFC) is a built-in Windows tool that checks system files and repairs them if required.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open the Run dialog.
2. Type cmd.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt as administrator.
4. Type (or copy and paste) the following command:

   
   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   
   

5. Press Enter.
6. Wait for the verification to reach 100%. This process may take some time. It may appear stuck at around 60% for a few minutes. Do not close the window.
7. Once DISM is finished, type:

   
   sfc /scannow
   
   

8. Press Enter.
9. Wait for the scan to complete. This process may take some time. SFC will show you whether it found corrupt system files and successfully repaired them.
10. Restart your computer.

Note: DISM provides the files required to repair your corrupted system files; therefore, Microsoft recommends running DISM prior to running the System File Checker (sfc /scannow).

If the System File Checker tool is unable to fix corrupt files, visit my fix 'SFC unable to fix corrupt files' page.

Uninstall a recent Windows update

If the Start menu button stopped working after a recent Windows update, you can uninstall the update to try to get the Start menu button working again.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click Windows Update.
3. Click Update history.
4. Click Uninstall updates in the “Related settings” section.
5. Click Uninstall next to the update you want to remove.
6. Once the update is uninstalled, restart your computer.

If uninstalling a recent update fixed your problem, wait a week or so before installing the update again. Quality updates get released on patch Tuesday, and sometimes these updates cause problems. And if Microsoft releases a bad update and the update causes a lot of problems, they usually pull back the update two or three days after the release day. And by the weekend, when your computer searches for updates, it's either fixed or already been pulled.

Update graphics drivers

Outdated graphics drivers can cause problems with Windows graphical user interface elements, including the Start menu. Updating these drivers can fix problems with UI elements.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open the Run dialog.
2. Type devmgmt.msc.
3. Press Enter or click OK.
4. Expand Display adapters.
5. Right-click your graphics card.
6. Select Update driver.
7. In the next window, select Search automatically for drivers.
8. If Device Manager says that you already installed the best drivers, click Search for updated drivers on Windows Update.
9. Close the window if your driver was updated successfully.
10. If you have more than one display adapter, repeat the above steps for every display adapter.

Reregister Start menu

The Shell Experience is a core component of the Windows operating system responsible for rendering the graphical user interface, including the Start menu. This tutorial will show you how to reregister the packages that are responsible for displaying the Start menu.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open the Run dialog.
2. Type wt (or powershell).
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Terminal or PowerShell as administrator.
4. Copy and paste the following command:

   
   Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost
   
   

5. Press Enter.
6. Copy and paste:

   
   Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost
   
   

7. Press Enter.
8. Restart your computer.

Note: You may see a few errors in red text while the command is running. Don't worry about them—most are just warnings about why a certain program cannot be reinstalled.