How to fix missing Taskbar and Windows Explorer

Question

After windows update taskbar missing and How to fix missing Taskbar and Windows Explorer.

Answer 1

If the taskbar and Windows Explorer are missing after a Windows update, you can try the following steps to resolve the issue:

1. Restart Windows Explorer: Sometimes, simply restarting Windows Explorer can bring back the taskbar. You can do this by:
   • Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
   • In the Processes tab, look for Windows Explorer.
   • Right-click on it and select Restart.
2. Clear the Icon Cache: If the taskbar icons are not displaying correctly, clearing the icon cache may help:
   • Open Task Manager and end the task for Windows Explorer.
   • Open a command prompt with administrative privileges and run the following commands:

          CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
          DEL IconCache.db /a
     

   • Restart Windows Explorer again.
3. Re-register Shell Experience Host: If the taskbar is still missing, you can re-register the Shell Experience Host:
   • Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator.
   • Run the following command:

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

   • Restart your system to apply the changes.
4. Check Group Policy Settings: If the taskbar is hidden due to group policy settings, check the following:
   • Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar and ensure that the Hide the notification area policy is not enabled.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may need to consider performing a system restore to a point before the update or checking for further updates that might address the problem.

Answer 2

Open the Settings App (Windows Key + i)

Go to System - Recovery.

Click the 'Reinstall Now' button in the 'Fix problems with Windows Updates' section, then wait for that process to complete, this process will not affect your files, settings or installed software.