How to Fix Windows 11 Start Menu & Taskbar not Working or Stuck?

Since its release, a bug persists on Windows 11: the taskbar and Start menu bug remains blocked. The years go by, but the problem is strangely still not solved. With this bug, it is impossible to use the Start menu, the search bar, the notification area and the various buttons on the taskbar.

Here are the different symptoms that you may experience:

• The Start menu does not respond/does not open.
• The taskbar is blocked / inactive/Stuck.
• Unable to click on the icons in the notification area.

This tutorial will show how to fix the Start menu and taskbar freezing issues in Windows 11 operating system with different solutions.

Ways to fix Windows 11 Start Menu and Taskbar not working error

1. Shut down Windows 11 completely

By default, when you shut down Windows 11, it doesn’t shut down completely but goes into a hibernation state to load faster. To find a functional Start menu and taskbar, the first solution is to shut down Windows 11 entirely so that it reloads all of its components, then restart your PC.

2. Repair system files

Repairing missing or damaged Windows 11 system files with System File Checker (sfc.exe) can also help resolve stuck Start menu and taskbar issues:

• Run a command prompt as an administrator
• Repair damaged Windows 11 system files by entering the following commands:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

• Wait until the check and any repairs are complete. The screenshot below shows that the tool has detected and repaired damaged files, which is a good sign.
• Restart your PC

3. With a PowerShell command

Another solution to fix this taskbar / Start menu stuck issue on Windows 11 is using a PowerShell command.

• Open a command prompt as administrator.
• Come in PowerShell.
• Paste and run the following command in the Powershell window :
  Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
• Wait for the process to complete.
• Even if you have errors that display messages, restart your PC.

Note: The Windows Firewall service must be started for this solution to work! To verify that it is active or to restore it, follow these few steps:

• Open the Execute command using the keys Windows + R
• Type services.msc and press enter.
• Right-click on the Windows Firewall service and select Properties.
• From the Startup type drop-down menu, choose Manual and click Apply.
• Finally, right-click on the Windows Firewall service again and select Start.

4. Repair Windows 11

The ultimate solution is to run a Windows 11 repair. The taskbar and start menu should work again after this.

5. Through Task Manager (Official Method)

After updating to Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22449 and 22000.176, users reported that Start and Taskbar were unresponsive. So Microsoft has provided official steps to fix the issue.

• Open Task Manager (Use CTRL+ALT+DEL).
• At the bottom of Task Manager, choose “More Details” to expand it.
• Head over to “File” and choose “Run new task”.
• Enter “cmd” in the “Open” field.
• Now Paste the following line in Bold:

• Click on the enter button and restart the PC to fix the unresponsive Windows 11 Start/Taskbar problem.