Windows 11 ships with a new Start menu. The all-new Start menu shows a search bar at the top, pinned app icons below it, and recently installed programs and recently accessed files at the bottom.
Although the Start menu in Windows 11 does not support some of the features available in the Windows 10 Start menu, most users are happy with the new Start menu and experience.
However, at times, the Windows 11 Start menu fails to open. Upon pressing the Windows logo key or the Start button, the Start menu does not open at all. We need to try three to four times to open the Start menu. As said, it does not happen always.
Even the Windows 10 Start menu had similar issues when released back in July 2015. Microsoft had even released a Start menu troubleshooter to find and fix Start menu issues. However, there are no such troubleshooters for Windows 11.
Many users want to know if it’s possible to reinstall the Start menu, just like some features and apps.
Reinstall the Start menu in Windows 11?
Since the Start menu is part of the operating system and is not an app, Windows 11 does not support uninstalling or reinstalling the Start menu.
That said, there are troubleshooting methods out there to fix Start menu issues.
How to fix Start menu issues in Windows 11?
Restart the Start menu via Task Manager in Windows 11
When the Start menu fails to open, you can use the Task Manager to restart it. In the Task Manager, under the Processes tab, perform a right-click on the Start process and then click the End option.
The Start process will be automatically started.
Restart the Start menu via Command Prompt in Windows 11
In addition to the Task Manager, you can always execute the following command at an elevated Command Prompt to restart the Start menu process:
taskkill /f /im StartMenuExperienceHost.exe
Reset Windows 11 or create a new user account
If restarting the Start menu does not fix the problem, you can consider rebooting your PC. Creating a new user account and resetting Windows 11 are two other options to fix the Start menu issues.
Refer to our how-to create a new user account and reset Windows 11 without losing data guides for step-by-step directions.
