Start Menu Will Not Open or Crashes

Issue

The Windows Start Menu is crashing when clicking the Windows button or won't open at all making it so the user cannot use the menu or click any of the options inside.

 

Environment

  • Windows
  • File Explorer

 

Information

Start Menu Button sometimes stops working because of issues with Windows Explorer. In some cases, even the whole Windows can be become unresponsive. Simply restarting Explorer can often resolve problems affecting the Start Menu and the Taskbar.

 

Resolution

To restart Explorer:

  1. Hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Under the Processes tab, right-click Windows Explorer and click Restart.
  3. Wait for the Explorer to boot up.

 

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