FIXED Windows 11 Taskbar Not Working

5. Right-click the Advanced folder, click New, and select DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Windows 11 Taskbar not working

Some Windows 10 users that have recently upgraded to Windows 11 are reporting the issue whereby the Taskbar is not working – the taskbar is unresponsive when you click on it. If you’re experiencing a similar issue, this post is intended to help you with solutions you can try.

The revamped Taskbar on Windows 11 includes the Start menu, Search box icons, Notification area, app icons, and more. By default, icons are center-aligned in Windows 11, and display the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen like in previous versions of Windows. However, you can move the Taskbar to the top of your PC screen.

Windows 11 Taskbar not working

1. Restart PC
2. Restart Windows Explorer and other essential processes
3. Reset Windows 11 Taskbar
4. Run SFC and DISM scan
5. Modify Registry
6. Perform System Restore
7. Uninstall any recent Windows Update you may have installed
8. Cloud Reset Windows 11

Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved concerning each of the listed solutions.

Before you try the solutions below, check for updates and install any available bits on your Windows 11 device and see if the issue is resolved.

1] Restart PC

The first thing you can try to fix the Windows 11 Taskbar is not working on your computer is to give your Windows 11 PC a quick restart. Restarting Windows PC usually resolves minor issues.

If this action didn’t work for you, try the next solution.

2] Restart Windows Explorer and other essential processes

This solution requires you to restart the Windows Explorer process on your Windows 11 PC.

1. Right-click on Start to open the WinX Menu
2. Select Task Manager
3. Locate Windows Explorer process
4. Right-click on it
5. Click on Restart.

• ShellExperienceHost.exe
• SearchIndexer.exe
• SearchHost.exe
• RuntimeBroker.exe

3] Reset Windows 11 Taskbar

This solution requires you to Reset Windows Taskbar to default and see if that helps to resolve the issue.

4] Run SFC and DISM scan

If you have system file corruption, you’re likely to encounter this issue. In this case, you can run an SFC scan and see if that helps. If that didn’t help, you can run a DISM scan to fix bad system image which could also be the cause of the issue at hand.

• Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
• In the Run dialog box, type notepad and hit Enter to open Notepad.
• Copy and paste the syntax below into the text editor.

echo off date /t & time /t echo Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup echo . date /t & time /t echo Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth echo . date /t & time /t echo SFC /scannow SFC /scannow date /t & time /t pause

• Save the file with a name and append the .bat file extension – eg; SFC_DISM_scan.bat and on the Save as type box select All Files.
• Repeatedly run the batch file with admin privilege (right-click the saved file and select Run as Administrator from the context menu) until it reports no errors.
• Restart your PC.

On boot, check if the issue is resolved. If not, proceed with the next solution.

5] Modify Registry

This solution requires you to create/edit the XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language) file in the Registry Editor.

• Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
• In the Run dialog box, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
• Navigate or jump to the registry key path below:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

• At the location, right-click on the blank space on the right pane and then select New >DWORD (32-bit) Value to create the registry key and then rename the key as EnableXamlStartMenu and hit Enter.
• Double-click on the new entry to edit its properties.
• Input 0 in the Value data field.
• Click OK or hit Enter to save the change.
• Exit Registry Editor.
• Restart your PC.

On boot check if the issue is resolved. If not continue with the next solution.

6] Perform System Restore

If the taskbar was working fine earlier, but recently started giving issues, you can simply perform System Restore to revert your Windows 11 computer to a working state when the taskbar was functioning normally.

7] Uninstall any recent Windows Update you may have installed

If the issue started after installing a Windows Update then you might want to consider uninstalling the update and see if it helps.

8] Cloud Reset Windows 11

As a last resort, you can reset Windows 11 using the Cloud Reset option to fix the issue.

NOTE: Rusty says below in the comments that turning off Fast Startup helped him.

Hope this helps!

How do I fix the unresponsive Taskbar in Windows 11/10?

• Restart Windows Explorer using Task Manager.
• Restart Windows Explorer using Command Prompt.
• Re-register Taskbar.
• Stop specific apps from launching at Startup.
• Rollback recent Windows Update.

Why is my Taskbar frozen in Windows?

There could be a number of reasons why the taskbar is frozen on your Windows PC, including an incomplete operating system update, an update bug, corrupted system files, or corrupted user account files. To unfreeze the taskbar on your Windows 11/10 PC, do the following: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. In Task Manager, under the Windows Processes section of the Processes Menu find Windows Explorer. Click on it and then Click on Restart button on the bottom right. Explorer will now restart and Taskbar should start working again.

What do you do when Task Manager won’t open?

• Right-click the Taskbar and select Task Manager if you’re running Windows 10. For Windows 11, right-click Start Menu and select Task Manager.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
• Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and then select Task Manager from the next screen.
• Type taskmgr in Start search or Run dialog box and hit Enter to open the Task Manager.

[FIXED] Windows 11 Taskbar Not Working

The taskbar is an integral part of Windows operating systems. However, the taskbar in Windows 11 is prone to various issues, such as the taskbar disappearing, not showing icons, or becoming unresponsive. If you’re experiencing issues with your Windows 11 taskbar, follow the instructions in this article to fix it.

Why is My Taskbar Not Working?

Many users reported that their taskbar stopped working after upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10 and previous versions. While many of the initial issues have been ironed out, some users still experience problems with the taskbar.

• The taskbar often stops working due to a glitch in the Windows Explorer service. Restarting Windows Explorer usually fixes it.
• Sometimes, the taskbar may stop working due to a faulty Windows update. You may fix the issue by uninstalling all recent updates installed before your taskbar stopped working. Update KB5006674 is known to cause problems with the taskbar.
• Sometimes, Windows services don’t properly start causing the taskbar not to work. Restarting your PC should fix this.
• Corrupted system files might be the reason your taskbar stopped working. Running DISM and SFC scans will help you repair them.

We’ve compiled a list of troubleshooting methods known to fix the Windows 11 taskbar not working.

Video Guide on How to Fix Windows 11 Taskbar Not Working

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Method 1. Restart the Windows Explorer Service
• Method 2. Run the Deployment Image & Servicing Management (DISM) and System File Checker (SFC) Scans
• Method 3. Reinstall UWP (Universal Windows Platform)
• Method 4. Create a XAML Value in Windows Registry
• Method 5. Delete the IRIS Service
• Video Guide on How to Fix Windows 11 Taskbar Not Working

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Method 1. Restart the Windows Explorer Service

The taskbar may get stuck and become unresponsive due to a glitch. A common solution to this issue is to restart the Windows Explorer service, which is responsible for running UI components such as the taskbar.

1. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.

2. In the processes tab, right-click Windows Explorer and click Restart.

3. Then, click the Details tab.

4. Locate the following services:

ShellExperienceHost.exe

SearchIndexer.exe

SearchHost.exe

RuntimeBroker.exe

5. Right-click each of them and click End task.

6. Click End process to confirm the action. The services will restart automatically.

7. Close the Task Manager.

Method 2. Run the Deployment Image & Servicing Management (DISM) and System File Checker (SFC) Scans

The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a command-line tool designed to prepare, modify, and repair system images, while the System File Checker (SFC) is intended to identify corrupted or missing system files and download new files from Microsoft. Note that running these tools will take some time.

1. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.

2. In the toolbar, click File and click Run new task.

3. In the Create new task window, type in CMD, mark Create this task with administrative privileges and click OK.

4. In the Comand Prompt window, type in DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth and press Enter.

5. Type in DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press Enter.

6. Then, type in SFC /ScanNow and press Enter.

7. Hold down Alt+F4 keys to open Shown Down Windows and select Restart.

8. Click OK.

Method 3. Reinstall UWP (Universal Windows Platform)

Reinstalling UWP (Universal Windows Platform) can help you fix your Windows taskbar not working, particularly if the taskbar has disappeared. The instructions below will show you how to reinstall UWP using Windows PowerShell.

1. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.

2. In the toolbar, click File and click Run new task.

3. In the Create new task window, type in PowerShell, mark Create this task with administrative privileges and click OK.

4. In the PowerShell window, type in the following command:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach

5. Press Enter to execute the command.

6. Hold down Alt+F4 keys to open Shut Down Windows and select Restart.

7. Click OK.

Method 4. Create a XAML Value in Windows Registry

You might fix the taskbar not working by creating XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language) value in the Windows Registry Editor.

1. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.

2. In the toolbar, click File and click Run new task.

3. In the Create new task window, type in Regedit, and click OK.

4. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:

5. Right-click the Advanced folder, click New, and select DWORD (32-bit) Value.

6. Name the new file EnableXamlStartMenu and save the new name.

7. Right-click EnableXamlStartMenu and click Modify.

8. In the Value data line, type in 0 and click OK.

9. Hold down Alt+F4 keys to open Shut Down Windows and select Restart.

10. Click OK.

Method 5. Delete the IRIS Service

Deleting the IRIS service is an official fix Microsoft issued when the issue started occurring in September 2021 due to a buggy update. This fix still seems to work for most users.

1. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.

2. In the toolbar, click File and click Run new task.

3. In the Create new task window, type in CMD, mark Create this task with administrative privileges and click OK.

4. In the Command Prompt window, type in the following command:

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

5. Press the Enter key to execute the command.

6. Your PC will restart automatically. The taskbar should work after your system boots up.

Did this article help you fix your Windows 11 taskbar not working? Let us know by leaving a comment.

About the author:

Rimvydas is a researcher with over four years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. He attended Kaunas University of Technology and graduated with a Master’s degree in Translation and Localization of Technical texts. His interests in computers and technology led him to become a versatile author in the IT industry. At PCrisk, he’s responsible for writing in-depth how-to articles for Microsoft Windows. Contact Rimvydas Iliavicius.

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