So your Windows Start key is not working. You click on it, and nothing happens—the menu doesn’t appear. If you’re experiencing this issue, don’t worry. There are a few things you can do to reactivate the button and ensure it works properly in the long term.
In this guide, I’ll be showing you how to fix this problem on Windows 11, which is the latest version of Windows at the time of writing. However, the process is the same for Windows 10 as well, so you can follow these steps regardless of your version.
1. Reactivate the Start Button
The first thing you need to do is to reactivate the Start button temporarily. To do this, click anywhere on your desktop, then press Alt + F4 on your keyboard. Please note that on some keyboards, especially on laptops, you may need to press the FN (function) key along with F4 to trigger this action. Once you press Alt + F4, the Windows shutdown menu will appear. Select Restart, and your PC will restart. After your computer reboots, the Start button should start working again.
2. Using the Run Menu to Restore Functionality
If the above method doesn’t work, you can try another solution. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run menu. Type in CMD and press Enter to open the command prompt. In the command prompt, type the following command:
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
This command will kill Explorer.exe, which is the main file responsible for the Windows UI. After executing the command, the taskbar will disappear. Don’t worry; this is normal. Now, type the following command:
explorer.exe
Press Enter, and your taskbar will reappear. After this restart of Explorer, the Start button should work again. Additionally, when you click on Power, you may notice some pending updates. These updates are likely the reason your Start button wasn’t working initially. Select Update and Restart, and after the updates are complete, the Start button should continue to function properly.
3. Fixing Fast Startup
For a long-term solution, the problem you’re facing could be related to Fast Startup. Fast Startup is a feature that was introduced by Microsoft to speed up boot times, but it can sometimes cause issues with the Start button. If you’re using an SSD (solid-state drive), Fast Startup may actually slow down your system, so disabling it can improve your experience.
To disable Fast Startup, follow these steps:
Go to your Power Plan settings.
Find the option that says Choose what the power buttons do and click on it.
On the next screen, click the shield icon. This will make the grayed-out options accessible.
Uncheck the box for Turn on fast startup (recommended).
Click Apply, and then reboot your computer.
Disabling Fast Startup will not only help resolve the Start button issue but also prevent other potential problems in the future.