Windows 10 taskbar not working, what is the cause of this issue? There are many issues that can befall your Windows 10 PC. In this article we will walk you through how to fix a broken or unworking taskbar in Windows 10 and get it back up and running.
The “windows 10 taskbar not working after update 2020” is a problem that many Windows 10 users have been experiencing. This article will teach you how to fix it.
Do you find yourself clicking on icons on the taskbar but getting no results? Or do the icons seem to be missing from your taskbar? Or, even worse, is the taskbar missing entirely?
If your Windows 10 taskbar isn’t functioning, try one of the five easy solutions below to solve the problem and get back to doing more pleasurable things.
Jump Quickly
Method 1: Use Task Manager to restart Windows Explorer.
Because Windows Explorer is in charge of the whole Windows User Interface, and your taskbar is a component of it, restarting Windows Explorer usually fixes the issue. To do it, just follow my instructions:
- To open Task Manager, press Ctrl + Shift + ESC or right-click on your task bar and choose Task Manager.
- If you don’t see the huge panel, click More information (see picture).
- Right-click Windows Explorer in the Processes tab and choose Restart.
After your screen has refreshed, attempt to access your taskbar once again to check whether it works. If you can’t get it to restart using Task Manager, here’s another way to do it using CMD.
Method 2: Using CMD, restart Windows Explorer.
CMD may be used to stop and restart any process; we’ll do this with Explorer.exe, which is the Windows Explorer process. Here’s how you can do it:
- Choose Command Prompt by pressing the Windows logo key + X. (Admin).
- To grant it permission, choose Yes.
- To end the Windows Explorer process, open CMD and execute taskkill /f /im explorer.exe, then press Enter.
- Isn’t the taskbar, backdrop, and desktop icons all gone? It’s time to reclaim them, so enter explorer.exe and hit Enter.
Everything should be OK now, so double-check it, and if you’re still having issues, keep reading for additional solutions.
Disable certain starting applications using “Explorer” Method III
Perhaps an external app that opens at startup is the source of the problem. As a result, all non-Microsoft apps will have to be disabled upon launch.
Fortunately, we have a comprehensive guide on disabling and activating starting programs right here; just follow it to deactivate all non-Microsoft software, restart your computer, and see if it works.
Method IV: Make sure you’re running the most recent version of Windows 10.
Checking for updates is one of the most important steps in resolving any Windows issue. Every update includes a slew of fixes for issues that pop up. Some customers stated that the taskbar problem would occur from time to time until they upgraded to the newest version of Windows. It is then suggested that you give it a try:
- From your start menu, go to Settings.
- Select Updates & Security from the drop-down menu.
- When you click the Check for Updates button, your computer will search for, download, and install any updates that are available.
Your computer should restart after downloading and installing the new updates (click here to learn more about what the recent update changed in your machine). Check to see whether the taskbar is working again, and if it isn’t, try another approach to repair it.
Check for old restore points using Method V.
Isn’t it a decent solution to travel back in time and prevent the source of a problem? That’s why, if none of the other options work, you should try this one:
- Open the Control Panel and look for the Recovery option.
- Restore the system.
- Click Next.
- Select a prior restore point when the issue wasn’t present, then click Next.
- Click Finish.
That’s all there is to it!
How can I get the taskbar in Windows 11 to work again?
Many of our readers have asked us how they can revert to an earlier version of the well-known taskbar since the one included in Windows 11 was lacking a lot of functionality that people really utilized.
There are two approaches for doing so that have been successfully tested up to the time of writing this section.
Make use of a registry trick
The first reported hack – and the one that seems to work most of the time – is a simple registry hack to go back to the Windows 10 taskbar instead of the new Windows 11 one.
- Then put “regedit” into the search box.
- Double-click the Registry Editor to open it.
- HKEY CURRENT USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvanced is the route to go to.
- Then right-click Advanced and choose New DWORD (32-bit) Value from the context menu.
- Give the new value a name. Start ShowClassicMode.windows-11-enable-old-start-menu
- Set the value data to 1 by double-clicking on Start ShowClassicMode.
- Check whether the Start menu is now positioned to the left after restarting your computer.
A Different Approach
If you don’t want to use the registry editor, there are a couple additional options that should perform the same function as the registry hack.
To begin, you may use the basic Windows Personalization Settings in the Settings App to relocate the start button and taskbar buttons to the left. To use it straight from the keyboard, press Windows + I.
Alternatively, you might utilize a tool for this purpose. Our pals at PC Gamer have a thorough post on how to hack your Windows 11 taskbar in different ways.
Last Thoughts
Did these solutions fix the problem with your Windows 10 taskbar not working? Are you able to repair your taskbar in any other way? In the comments box below, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to write on anything relating to this topic, since your readers’ thoughts are always valued by us. If you have any further questions on this issue, we will respond as quickly as possible.
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The “taskbar not working windows 11” is a problem that has been present for some time now. This guide will help you fix the issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I fix the unresponsive taskbar in Windows 10?
A: There are two ways that you can fix the unresponsive taskbar in Windows 10. The first way is to go into Task Manager and set the affinity of your processor to Another CPU, then restart computer. This will allow tasks running on other processors to use up more resources and thus allowing Windows 8/10 task bar to work better. The second method is by using MSI Afterburner program which allows for overclocking with a higher threshold than what hardware allows it too (which also works faster).
How do I permanently fix my taskbar?
A: There is no way to permanently fix your taskbar. It will appear the same as it did before, when you first installed Windows 10 or reinstalled after an update.
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