Revamp Your Windows 11 Experience: The Ultimate Guide to Restarting and Resetting Your Start Menu!

If you are a Windows 11 user, you might know that a working start menu is very important. The start menu is where you launch most of the applications or programs that you use on a regular basis. However, there are times when the start menu can be affected by issues such as corruption, errors or may not display properly, which can be frustrating. In some cases, it might be necessary to reset or restart the start menu to restore its functionality.

In this article, we will discuss what you can do to fix issues with your Windows 11 start menu. We’ll go through the step-by-step process of restarting and resetting the start menu, best practices and how you can troubleshoot issues with the start menu.

Restarting the Start Menu

The first step to fix issues with the start menu is to restart it. This can be done easily using the Windows Task Manager.

  1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination to launch the Windows Task Manager
  2. Select the More details option if necessary
  3. Locate the Windows Explorer process and right-click it
  4. Select Restart

Once you restart the Windows Explorer process, the start menu should be refreshed and any issues you might have encountered should be resolved. If you still experience issues, then it may be necessary to reset the Start menu.

Resetting the Start Menu

Resetting the start menu is a bit more involved than simply restarting it. A reset will clear out any customizations you might have made to the Start menu including tiles and pinned apps.

  1. Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog box
  2. Type in PowerShell and press Enter
  3. Right-click on the PowerShell app and select Run as administrator
  4. Enter the following command: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
  5. Wait for the command to finish running
  6. Restart the Windows Explorer process as outlined in the previous section.

Once the Start menu is reset, it should function correctly. Any customizations you had made will be cleared out, and the Start menu will be back to its default state.

Troubleshooting Start Menu Issues

If you continue to have issues with the Start menu, there are several other things you can try. These include:

  1. Running the Microsoft Start Menu Troubleshooter - this is a tool developed by Microsoft explicitly designed to identify and fix issues with the Start menu. You can download it from Microsoft’s website.
  2. Using SFC and DISM to repair the system files - SFC and DISM are system tools that can be used to diagnose and repair issues with the system files. You can learn more about them on Microsoft’s website.
  3. Creating a new user profile - If the issue is user specific, you can try creating a new user profile and see if the issue persists.

Best Practices

To avoid issues with the Start menu in the future, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

  1. Keep your Windows 11 Installation up to date. Microsoft releases regular updates to address issues and improve the performance of Windows.
  2. Only install apps from reputable sources
  3. Regularly perform system maintenance tasks like running scans for viruses and spyware.
  4. Avoid customizing the Start menu too much.

By following these best practices, you can ensure you have a smooth experience with Windows 11.

Conclusion

The Start menu is an essential component of Windows 11. If you are experiencing issues with your Start menu, try restarting it using the Windows Task Manager. If restarting the Start menu does not work, reset it using Powershell. If issues persist, Microsoft has additional tools that can help diagnose and fix the issue. Remember to follow best practices to avoid issues with the Start menu in the future. With this guide, you can revamp your Windows 11 experience and avoid frustration caused by malfunctioning start menus.

While the Start Menu on Windows 11 could be of great use, sometimes it can misbehave and crash out of nowhere. On Windows 11, the Start Menu problems were more evident as the operating system is still being tested and has many bugs and glitches. However, the good thing is that a simple restart or reset can fix most Start Menu-related problems on Windows 11. Restarting or resetting Start Menu on Windows 11 is relatively easy, and you can do it without installing any additional or third-party app.

Restart or Reset the Start Menu in Windows 11

So, if you are dealing with problems related to Start Menu on Windows 11, you have landed on the right page. This article will share the few best ways to restart and reset the Start Menu in Windows 11. So, let’s get started.

1) Restart the Start Menu via Task Manager

We will use the Task Manager utility to restart the Windows 11 Start Menu in this method. Follow some simple steps we have shared below to restart the Windows 11 Start menu.

  1. First, click on the Windows 11 Search and type in Task Manager. Next, open the Task Manager app from the list.

  2. On the Task Manager, switch to the Processes tab and locate the Start Process.

  3. Now, right-click on the Start process and select End task.

  4. This will close the Start Menu. Now click on the Start button again to start the process. That’s it! You are done. This is how you can restart the Start Menu on Windows 11 via Task Manager.

2) Restart Start Menu via Windows Terminal

You can even use the Windows Terminal of Windows 11 to restart your Start Menu. Here are some simple steps to restart Start Menu via Command Prompt on Windows 11.

  1. First, click on the Windows 11 search and type in Windows Terminal. Next, Right-click on the Windows Terminal and select Run as administrator.

  2. On the Windows Terminal, execute the command shared below: taskkill /f /im StartMenuExperienceHost.exe

  3. This will kill the StartMenuExperienceHost process from the background. That’s it! You are done. After executing the command, you don’t need to do anything. Windows 11 will automatically restart the Start Menu once you click on it.

3) How to Reset Start Menu in Windows 11

If a simple restart of the Start Menu didn’t help, you could choose to reset it. HThe reset will restore the default settings of the Start menu. However, if you reset the Start Menu, you will lose all settings you have made. Tere’s what you need to do.

  1. First, click on the Windows 11 Search and type in Registry. Next, open the Registry Editor from the list.

  2. On the Registry Editor, navigate to the path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore\Store\Cache\DefaultAccount

  3. Now, right-click on the DefaultAccount key and select Delete.

  1. On the confirmation prompt, click on the Yes button.

  2. Once deleted, open Task Manager and locate the Windows Explorer process. Right-click on the Windows Explorer and select Restart. That’s it! This will reset the Start menu on your Windows 11 computer. These are some simple ways to restart and reset the Start menu on Windows 11. If you face file explorer-related problems on your PC, you must restart the Windows Explorer process.