Windows Critical Error: Start Menu Not Working

What Does This Error Mean?

Sign out and sign back in — this resets the Windows shell and fixes most Start menu critical errors. If the Start menu is completely unresponsive, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete → Sign out. Run PowerShell as Administrator and re-register the Start menu: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode}

Affected Models

Windows 10
Windows 11

Common Causes

Windows shell (Explorer.exe) crash causing the Start menu to stop responding
Corrupted Start menu app package after a Windows Update
Third-party shell replacement or customisation tool conflicting with Windows
User profile corruption
Corrupted system files affecting the Windows Start experience

How to Fix It

Sign out and sign back in

Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete → Sign out. Sign back in. This restarts the Windows shell process and clears a temporary Start menu crash — fixes most cases instantly.
Restart Explorer.exe

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager → Details tab → find explorer.exe → right-click → End Task. Then: File → Run new task → type explorer.exe → OK. This restarts the shell without a full reboot.
Re-register Start menu apps via PowerShell

Right-click Start → Windows PowerShell (Admin). Paste: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode} — press Enter. Ignore red error lines. Restart when done.
Run SFC

Open Command Prompt as Administrator → sfc /scannow. This repairs corrupted Windows system files that the Start menu depends on. Restart after completion.
Create a new user account

Settings → Accounts → Family & other users → Add someone else to this PC. Log in to the new account. If Start menu works there, the issue is a corrupted user profile — migrate your files to the new account.

When to Call a Professional

If re-registering apps and SFC both fail and the Start menu is still broken after a new user profile works, a Windows repair install (keeping your files) is the cleanest fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start menu critical error after Windows Update — how to fix?

A Windows Update can corrupt the Start menu app package. Run the PowerShell re-registration command: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode}

Start menu works but Cortana/Search doesn't — related?

Sometimes the Search service crashes independently of the Start menu. Right-click the taskbar → Task Manager → find SearchUI.exe or SearchHost.exe → End Task. Windows restarts it automatically.

Critical Error Start menu on Windows 10 only — is Windows 11 better?

Windows 11 redesigned the Start menu with a more stable architecture and the critical error is less common. Upgrading to Windows 11 (if your hardware qualifies) resolves persistent Start menu issues on Windows 10.