After Windows 11 update Start Menu does not work. Right click on Start Menu does work but not standard click.

Question

After Windows 11 update Start Menu does not work. Right click on Start Menu does work but not standard click.

Answer 1

Same issue here…the damage is huge. Obviously another Windows 11 gimmick, and the fact that we are forced to use this OS if we want to receive security updates is extremely disappointing.

The only solution that worked was creating another user. Nothing else helped. Migrating all the data from one user to another takes a huge amount of time in my case.

Personally, I want Windows 10 back with full support. We are in another “Windows Vista” era, without real alternatives - unless you’re using 🐧 or 🍎.

Answer 2

Hi Manfred, Michael@CDPH,

Since your Right-click works, we can use that to fix the Left-click without needing a hard reboot.

Method 1: Restart the "Windows Explorer" Process.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. In the "Processes" tab, look for Windows Explorer (it usually has a yellow folder icon). Right-click it and select Restart. The screen will flash black/blank for a few seconds. This is normal. Once the taskbar reappears, try clicking the Start button again.

Method 2: Re-register the Start Menu (The Permanent Fix)

If Method 1 didn't work, the AppX package that runs the Start Menu is likely corrupted. We can force Windows to reinstall it using PowerShell. Right-click the Start button (since that still works) and select Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin). Paste the following command exactly as written and press Enter:

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

You might see some red text or deployment progression bars. Ignore them. Once the prompt returns, copy and paste this second command to fix the internal "Start Menu Experience":

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

Restart your computer.

Method 3: Fix the "Search" Service Loop

Sometimes the Start Menu fails to open because the Search bar next to it is crashing in a loop.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Task Manager). Go to the Details tab. Look for SearchHost.exe.

Right-click it and select End Task. Windows will immediately restart it automatically. Try clicking Start immediately after.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to ACCEPT ANSWER. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

VPHAN

Answer 3

Method 3 fixed the issue.

Answer 4

Hello Manfred, Michael@CDPH,

I'm writing to verify if creating a Test User successfully restored the Start Menu functionality in that new profile. This step is critical to differentiate between a corrupted user hive (which requires profile migration) and a damaged OS image.

Additionally, please confirm if you checked for and removed any third-party shell extensions like ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack, or if the DISM and sfc commands repaired any system files.

If the issue has been successfully resolved, please consider accepting the answer as it helps other people sharing the same question benefit too. Thank you!

VP

Answer 5

Since the standard AppX repairs didn't work, this indicates a deeper corruption in the user-specific database that holds the Start Menu layout, or a conflict with a "Cloud Experience" service (Iris) that often breaks after updates.

Try these methods in order:

Method 1: The "Iris Service" Registry Fix (Known Bug)

In recent Windows 11 updates, the "Iris Service" (which delivers Bing wallpapers and suggestions to the UI) can crash the Start Menu if its cache gets corrupted.

Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).

Paste this exact command to delete the corrupted registry key and force a reboot immediately:

reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0

Your computer will restart. Check if the Start Menu works once logged back in.

Method 2: Delete the "State Repository" Database

The Start Menu relies on a hidden internal database. If this gets corrupted, no amount of "re-registering" will fix it until the file itself is reset.

Sign out and sign in to a different Admin account (or create a temporary new user). You cannot do this while logged into the affected user.

Navigate to: C:\Users[YOUR_BROKEN_USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy

Rename the folder LocalState to LocalState.OLD.

Log back into your original (broken) account. Windows will be forced to generate a brand new LocalState folder.

Method 3: Check for "Calendar Integration" Apps

There is a known conflict with apps that integrate with the Windows Taskbar Calendar.

Do you have "Barco ClickShare" installed?

Do you have any third-party "Start Menu" tweakers (StartAllBack, OpenShell)? If yes, uninstall them, reboot, and check. Updates often break these third-party tools, which then block the native menu.

Method 4: The "New User" Test (The Final Verdict)

If none of the above works, your entire User Profile hive is likely corrupted.

Right-click Start > Computer Management.

Go to Local Users and Groups > Users.

Right-click > New User. Create a test user (e.g., "Test").

Sign out and sign in as "Test".

Does the Start Menu work here?

Yes: Your old profile is corrupted beyond simple repair. The solution is to move your files to this new account.

No: The Windows installation itself is damaged. You will need to run a "Repair Install" (In-place Upgrade).

VP