Windows "Start" menu not working properly

Hello Gustavo Landim,

Thanks for posting your question to the Q&A forum and apologies for the inconvenience you've met.

You are facing an issue with your Windows 11 Start menu not loading properly after a restart. Since previous fixes didn’t help, here are a few additional methods you can try to resolve it:

1. In Task Manager, end the processes SearchHost.exe and/or SearchUI.exe.

They will auto‑restart and may fix search problems.

2. Reset the Windows Search package via PowerShell:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.Windows.Search | Reset-AppxPackage

3. Rebuild the Search index

Settings > Search > Searching Windows > Advanced indexing settings > Advanced > Rebuild.

Keep PC plugged in; indexing may take time. Test the function after 5–10 minutes.

3. Change Windows registry then restart Windows Explorer (recommended)

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry or workgroups is usually geared towards advanced users, administrators, and IT professionals, and it can help fix some problems, however, improper registry modifications can cause serious problems. Therefore, please make sure to follow the steps below strictly. For further protection, make a backup of the registry before modifying it. For more information on how to backup and restore the registry, please refer to: How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support 

Notes:

• This method is reported as solution by another user in this article: Start menu search is showing a blank menu, waiting progress bar, and version number | Windows Forum (This is another Windows user forum but not officially run by Microsoft. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP - Potentially Unwanted Products)
• This workaround disables Bing search in Windows Search temporarily. It doesn’t affect using Bing through Edge, the Bing app, or any web browser. When the issue is fixed, you can reactivate it by change the setting back to 1 (or delete the key).

Windows key + R > type regedit and hit Enter

Navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

Set BingSearchEnabled to 0 (create DWORD if missing).

Then restart Windows Explorer:

• Right‑click the taskbar or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
• In the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer.
• Right‑click it and choose Restart. The taskbar will disappear briefly and return.

You can also check this similar thread, where the OP fixed the issue by uninstalling a recent update: Start Menu Search working but not displaying results

Hopefully, one of these could help you get back to using your Start menu smoothly.

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Hi,

I understand that you are having an issue with the Start menu and that you have tried sfc /scannow, but after restarting, the problem comes back. I suggest running it together with DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth, then checking again. Please ensure that you follow the sequence below:

1. Run DISM and SFC tools to repair damaged system files:

On your search bar, type 'command prompt', then right-click and select 'Run as Administrator'. Type the following commands one after another in their respective order

sfc /scannow

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

sfc /scannow

Complete each step one at a time - they may take a few minutes. Restart your PC afterward.

2. Re-register all Windows apps

1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc
2. Click on File and choose "Run new task"
3. Type: powershell. Make sure to put a check on the "Create this task with administrative privileges" box
4. Copy and paste the command below then press Enter.

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost | foreach {Add-AppxPackage -register "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode}

Note: Please ignore any red errors and tet the process complete and then restart your PC.

3. If the issue persists, try fixing problems using Windows Update without deleting your files and apps.

Press Windows + R, type ms-settings:, then press Enter to go to Settings > System > Recovery.

Choose Reinstall Now under the section labeled 'Fix problems using Windows Update.'

Once completed, your system will restart. Please check afterward.