Window 10 Taskbar and Search Not Working

My name is Justin. I am an Independent Advisor and I will be glad to help you today.

It sounds like you've already taken several good troubleshooting steps for your Windows 10 issue. Since the problem persists, let's try a few additional options that might help resolve the taskbar and search issues:

Additional Steps to Try:

Check for Corrupt User Profile:

Create a new user account:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Select File -> Run new task.

Type control userpasswords2 and press Enter.

Create a new account with administrative privileges.

Log in with the new account and check if the taskbar and Start menu are responsive.

If the new account works fine, your current user profile may be corrupted, and you may need to transfer your data to the new profile.

Reinstall Start Menu and Cortana:

Sometimes, the Start Menu and Cortana files become corrupted. You can reinstall them using PowerShell:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to File -> Run new task.

Type powershell, check "Create this task with administrative privileges," and click OK.

Run the following command:

powershell

Copy code

Get-AppxPackage | foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml"}

Wait for the process to complete, then restart your PC.

Restart the Windows Explorer and Taskbar Processes:

You may have already restarted Windows Explorer, but try these steps to target the taskbar more specifically:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).

Under the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart.

Scroll down to Windows processes, right-click ShellExperienceHost.exe, and select End task.

Restart your PC.

Fix Corrupt System Files Using a Windows Repair Tool:

Since SFC and DISM didn't fully resolve the issue, try using the built-in Windows 10 Startup Repair:

Boot your computer into Advanced Startup:

Go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Recovery, and under Advanced startup, click Restart now.

Alternatively, hold Shift while clicking Restart from the Start menu.

Select Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Startup Repair.

Let Windows attempt to automatically repair the system.

Disable Fast Startup:

Sometimes fast startup can cause issues after a Windows update:

Open Control Panel and go to Power Options.

Click Choose what the power buttons do from the left panel.

Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.

Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) and save changes.

Restart your PC.

Clean Boot:

Perform a clean boot to rule out third-party software interference:

Press Win + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.

In the System Configuration window, go to the Services tab and check Hide all Microsoft services.

Click Disable all.

Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.

Disable all startup items, then close Task Manager.

Click OK in the System Configuration window, and restart the PC.

Reinstall the Latest Windows Update:

Since uninstalling the update didn’t fix the issue, try reinstalling the latest update:

Go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update.

Check for updates and reinstall the latest cumulative update.

Use the Windows Update Troubleshooter:

The built-in troubleshooter may help resolve any lingering update issues:

Go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Troubleshoot.

Under Get up and running, select Windows Update, and click Run the troubleshooter.

If All Else Fails:

If none of the above methods resolve the issue, a repair installation (also known as an in-place upgrade) might be necessary:

Download the Windows 10 installation media tool from Microsoft's website.

Choose "Upgrade this PC now" to reinstall Windows without losing your files or applications.

This method can fix core system files without affecting your data. If you’re still encountering problems after these steps, a full reset or clean install might be the next course of action.

Let me know if any of these steps help!

Best regards,

Justin Ryan Garvey

Unfortunately still having issues. I shut my PC down last night and booted it up today and I know it's not the account that's the issue because it was super slow and laggy for me to even load the screen to be able to enter my info sign into Windows. So in this case unless I'm wrong I'm pretty positive it can't be the specific account because it's slow just to get to that log in point.

If I reinstall the Start Menu and Cortana using PowerShell does that delete or uninstall any applications, data, or files? At this point I'm more than likely going to do a system restore but are what other troubleshooting options (from the list you recommended) would you prioritize, if any?

I also found a similar thread and saw this as a potential solution:

**Repair all Windows apps via PowerShell
Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager then click File
Select "Run new task" then type: powershell
Make sure to put a check mark on the "Create this task with administrative privileges" box
Copy and paste the command below one at a time then press Enter. Please ignore the red errors and let the process complete.

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

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

If I use PowerShell to repair all Windows apps does that delete any programs, data, files, etc.? Please let me know. Thanks!

Wow I shockingly did not expect that to be the issue but I created a new test admin user, signed into it and BAM everything worked. How do I transfer my profile and basically copy everything from this account to the other? I also didn't create a password to this new test account. I'll definitely want a password to this new profile. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi Chefboyardee4life,

As a short term test, You are able to do this. I recommend only using this for testing purposes to see if items will load better in the new profile. Once complete, Delete the Local Account with Administrative Privileges.

Creating a Local Account with Administrative Privileges

Open Task Manager:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Run New Task:

In Task Manager, click on File > Run new task.

Create a Local Account:

In the Create new task dialog box, type control userpasswords2 and press Enter.

Add a New User:

In the User Accounts window that opens, click on Add.

Choose Local Account:

Select the option Sign in without a Microsoft account (Not recommended).

Click Local account.

Enter Account Information:

Enter a username, password, and hint for the new account. You don’t need to use a Microsoft account; this will be a purely local account.

Set Admin Privileges:

Once the account is created, return to the User Accounts window.

Select the newly created account, then click Properties.

Go to the Group Membership tab and select Administrator to give the account administrative privileges.

Click Apply and OK.

Log into the New Account:

Log out of your current account and log in to the newly created local account.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted.

Best Regards,

Justin Ryan Garvey

Regarding creating a new account can the new account be a local account not Microsoft account? I don't have a whole separate email to create a new Microsoft account. Also at what point will I see the option to add admin priviledges?