How I Fixed the Windows 11 Start Menu and Taskbar Freezing After an Update

fileexplorerfox

I just spent the past two days pulling my hair out over a super-annoying Windows 11 issue, so I thought I’d share what happened (and how I eventually fixed it) in case it helps someone here.

It all started with my Start menu and taskbar suddenly freezing. I’d boot up and everything looked normal, but after a minute or so, clicking the Start button or even right-clicking the taskbar icons did absolutely nothing. Ctrl+Shift+Esc would bring up Task Manager, but I couldn’t open the Settings app, search, or even shut down from the Start menu. Notifications wouldn’t pop up either. My keyboard shortcuts sometimes worked, but not always. It felt like using half a PC.

First things I tried (based on all the usual Google suggestions):

Rebooting (obviously — didn’t help)
Running system file checker (sfc /scannow) and DISM commands in an elevated Command Prompt — those both said everything was fine.
Creating a new user account. Weirdly, the problem followed me there, so it wasn’t just my user profile.
Doing a “Repair install” by running the Windows 11 installer, choosing “Keep my files and apps.” Nice try, but nothing changed.

Some people online suggested it was caused by third-party utilities. I uninstalled StartIsBack (which I’d had for months) and my backup app, plus turned off my antivirus. No luck.

What finally did it: after reading one random Reddit comment buried in an old thread, I discovered that a recent update (KB5026372 at the time) could mess with system icons if your “Tablet mode” settings were off. I’d never even used Tablet mode, but here’s the weird part: I went to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and toggled off the “Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode” (even though I supposedly wasn’t in Tablet mode). I also toggled off the new “Copilot” button as a test. After a quick sign-out and back in, my Start menu and taskbar were back to normal.

Since then, zero problems.

So if anyone else runs into the “Start menu/taskbar freezing” issue, especially after Windows updates, check those Taskbar and Tablet Mode settings, even if you’re on a desktop like me. Also, weirdly, certain new update features (like Copilot) can mess with things if your graphics drivers are slightly outdated — I updated my Intel GPU drivers just in case.

Hope this helps someone before they waste two days fighting it like I did!

actioncenterace

Wow, that’s super helpful! It’s wild how something as random as toggling a taskbar setting can fix such a major issue. It definitely pays to dig around in those lesser-known settings, especially after big Windows updates—those “tiny” options can make a huge difference. Outdated display drivers tripping up new features like Copilot also makes sense, since Microsoft keeps adding stuff that relies on newer graphics capabilities. Here’s hoping Microsoft makes these quirks a bit less mysterious in the future!

Has anyone else noticed other weird side effects after installing new updates? Sometimes even small changes (like Windows widgets or notification tweaks) can break stuff in unexpected ways.

Vilma

It’s honestly amazing how fragile the taskbar and Start menu have become—one checkbox or update can ruin your whole workflow. I’ve started pausing non-critical updates for a few weeks just to see what bugs pop up first. If you’re running older hardware or anything non-standard, it’s almost a gamble lately. Would love to see Microsoft prioritize stability for these core UI components, but who knows if that’s even on their radar. Anyone else just avoid the new features altogether for now?