How To Fix Windows 11 Start Button Not Working

The all-new operating system – Windows 11 has tons of minor bugs. Users who’ve recently upgraded to the new OS version are facing issues related to Windows Taskbar, Start Menu Not Working, Search Bar Getting Disappeared and other common PC errors. But don’t worry, these problems can be easily troubleshooted by following some simple workarounds shared below. 

Windows 11 Start Button Not Working

In case your Start Button suddenly gets stuck or frozen, try these multiple workarounds to easily resolve the issue.

How To Fix Start Button Not Working In Windows 11

All the workarounds shared below are pretty useful and you can follow each of them one by one to know which one works for you. 

FIX 1: Restart Your Computer 

By far one of the most straightforward fixes that comes to the mind of several users for fixing problems related to Windows 11 is restarting your PC. As soon as you perform the action, you force the computer to restart all their services and processes. This essentially restarts the process related to Start Menu and hence it will help you get rid of ‘Windows 11 Stops Working Issue’. 

FIX 2: Relaunch Windows Explorer 

Restarting the Windows Explorer via Task Manager is another effective fix to fix the Start Menu that refuses to respond to your clicks and commands. Simply, follow the instructions shared below to perform this workaround: 

STEP 1 = Launch Task Manager on your Windows 11 PC. Press the shortcut keys – CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to open it. 

STEP 2 = From the Task Manager window, navigate and click on the More details section. 

Start Button Not Working

STEP 3 = From the next window, you need to scroll through the list of processes and locate Windows Explorer entry. As soon as you find one, simply right-click on the same and choose the Restart option! 

choose the Restart option

STEP 4 = As soon as you hit the Restart button from the context menu, Windows Explorer should restart in a jiffy and all the issues related to your Windows 11 Start Button should get fixed automatically. 

To be honest, most of the Windows users were able to fix the annoying Start Button Getting Stuck/Frozen issue. If the issue persists, we suggest you try another workaround shared below. 

FIX 3: Rollback To The Previous PC Update

Most of the Windows 11 users suggested that switching back to the previous update helped them to fix the common issues related to Start Button. To execute this fix, simply follow the instructions shared below: 

STEP 1 = Launch Windows Settings on your PC. You can press the shortcut keys – Windows + I to open the same. 

STEP 2 = Navigate to the Windows Update module from the left-side panel. 

Start Button Not Working in windows 11

STEP 3 = From the next window, simply head towards the Advanced Options. 

Advanced Options

STEP 4 = Under the Advanced Options header, you need to find and choose option Recovery. 

Recovery

STEP 5 = That’s all, simply press the Go Back button to initiate the process of rolling back to the previous version of the Windows 11. 

choose option Recovery

At this point, you need to click on the “Go back to earlier build’ option and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process of rolling back to the previous update. After this, you can try accessing the Start button and hopefully you should not face any issues now! 

FIX 4: Check For System Updates 

Well, it is important to understand that the all-new OS version is still under several bugs, hence, you may face plenty of issues related to Start Menu, Search Bar and more. However, keeping your system up-to-date with the latest patches will help you get rid of common computer errors. To check and update with latest Windows 11 versions, all you need to do is: 

STEP 1 = Launch Windows Settings on your PC. You can press the shortcut keys – Windows + I to open the same. 

STEP 2 = Navigate to the Windows Update module from the left-side panel and hit the Check for Updates button. 

Check for Updates

If there are any latest patches available for your computer, install the update and instantly fix the issues related to the Start menu. In case the issue persists, go ahead with another workaround shared below. 

FIX 5: Disable Your Current Antivirus Software 

Here comes another effective method to resolve Windows 11 start button not working problem. Oftentimes, third-party security solutions and antivirus tools interfere with Windows processes and result in common problems, including Start menu not responding. Hence, we recommend our users to temporarily disable or pause the antivirus solution installed on your system. If you detect it to be the main culprit behind Start Button Not Working on Windows 11, we suggest you consider another reliable security software or the built-in Windows Defender utility for hassle-free experience. 

FIX 6: Use System File Checker (SFC) Utility 

Running the built-in SFC tool on Windows 11 also helps in fixing Start button getting stuck and similar issues. The dedicated utility will detect and replace the corrupted system files with fresh ones. To run the SFC utility, simply follow the instructions shared below: 

STEP 1 = Launch Run window on your PC. You can press the shortcut keys – Windows + R to launch the same. 

STEP 2 = On the Run window, simply type powershell and hit the OK button! 

Run window

STEP 3 = Now you need to type sfc/scannow in the Powershell window and hit the Enter button. 

Powershell window

Keep patience and let the Windows Operating System locate all the corrupted system files and repair them on your behalf. 

FIX 7: Re-Sign With Your Local Administrator Account 

For most of the users, signing out of the Microsoft Account and signing in with the local administrator account helped in getting rid of the Windows 11 Start Button Not Working issue. Simply, follow the step-by-step instructions shared below to get started: 

STEP 1 = Launch Windows Settings on your PC. You can press the shortcut keys – Windows + I to open the same. 

STEP 2 = From the Settings menu, you need to find and click on the Accounts section. 

Accounts section

STEP 3 = From the next ‘Your Info’ section, you need to look for the option “Accounts”. 

Your Info

Further, you need to select the option “Sign in with a local account instead” and follow the on-screen steps to complete the method. Hopefully, this would instantly fix the annoying Windows 11 start button not working issue. 

FIX 8: Run Windows in Safe Mode

There might be chances that third-party Windows apps are interfering with Start Menu’s functionality. Hence, it’s probably time to check if the Start menu works perfectly in Safe Mode. To activate the Safe Mode in Windows 11, simply follow the instructions shared below. 

STEP 1 = Launch Windows Settings on your PC. You can press the shortcut keys – Windows + I to open the same. 

STEP 2 = Navigate to the Windows Update module from the left-side panel and hit the Check for Updates button. 

Windows Update

STEP 3 = Now, head towards the Advanced options module and hit the Recovery option from the next window. 

Advanced options module

STEP 4 = Now at this point, you need to click on the Restart now option, next to Advanced startup. 

Advanced startup

That’s it! Simply click on the Restart now button to complete the process. Now you will not probably face the Windows 11 Start Button Not Responding issue! 

FIX 9: Reset Your Computer 

Last but not the least, consider resetting your computer to fix the common issues related to Start Menu. To initiate the process, simply execute the steps shared below: 

Note: Before proceeding, make sure you backup all your important files, folders and other essential data. Because, as soon as you execute the process of resetting the computer, all your files and settings will be deleted and restored to default, respectively. 

STEP 1 = Launch Windows Settings on your PC. You can press the shortcut keys – Windows + I to open the same. 

STEP 2 = Navigate to the System module and click on the Recovery option. 

windows 11 Start Button Not Working

STEP 3 = Now find and choose the option Reset this PC, followed by Reset PC option. You can refer to the screenshot provided below to get a clearer idea! 

Start Button Not Working

At this point, you need to keep patience and wait for the Operating System to complete the process of resetting the computer. 

Bottom Line: {FIXED} Windows 11 Start Button Not Working (2021)

So, these were the most common workarounds that can be easily implemented to fix the Start button not responding on Windows 11. If you know any other fix that can help in resolving the issue, do share with us in the comments section below. We’ll update this post as soon as possible!

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