Windows 10 Taskbar is an traditional design that has been in use for a long time and, in the most recent Windows 10 release, was significantly improved.
The most notable improvement was the inclusion of a personal assistance Cortana as well as the built-in search feature.
The improvements greatly enhanced the user experience when working with the system on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the new capabilities was not without its own problems, which users began to experience.
Windows 10 Taskbar not working is one of the issues that is particularly frustrating to resolve until it is resolved to be fixed.
Many Windows 10 users who upgraded on Windows 10 in 2015 experienced Taskbar freezing, crashes as well as non-responsiveness problems.
Since Cortana is component of the Taskbar and some users reported that they were unable to utilize her assistance. Our team has put together an array of solutions you can test to resolve the Windows 10 Taskbar not responding issue.
Windows 10 Taskbar not working issues can result from numerous reasons, like damaged graphic drivers auto-hide problems software conflicts, and so on.
Thus, you must explore every option in succession and then see whether it can help fix the problem of the taskbar not responding.
Before you begin the steps above, recommend that you run a full system scans with Reimage. This is a security program that will examine the inside of your Windows 10 machine and make sure that there isn’t any virus is lurking within.
Furthermore, the program can detect Windows problems and correcting them automatically while avoiding crashes, lags or BSODs as well as other problems.
What Kind of Issues Can You Experience With the Taskbar?
With the many capabilities offered by it Windows 10 Taskbar has, it can be very frustrating when you’re unable to utilize it. The most common issues you could encounter when using Your Windows 10 Taskbar include:
- Unclickable taskbars The icons on the taskbar can not be clicked anymore and the taskbar is rendered unusable.
- Taskbar frozen Taskbar not responding when you make commands. Typically restarting Windows Explorer can fix the problem.
- Right-click is not working This prevents users from accessing certain programs and other features of the taskbar.
- The thumbnails cease to function.
- Pin is not working The taskbar’s pin feature is not working, so it is difficult get access to the programs you need quickly.
- Search function ceases to work The search bar stops working. You’re not able to utilize the audio and text elements in the bar for searching.
- The Taskbar isn’t able to start The Taskbar is not functional as soon as you start the system.
- Failure of the Jump List feature: Jump List feature does not function.
- Cortana failure: Cortana does not work.
- Absent icons: The icons that you’ve pinged to your taskbar are not there anymore.
- Icons that aren’t responsive: The icons aren’t responsive to your requests.
- Auto-hide/lock failure Auto-hide or auto-lock feature is not working.
Possible Causes of a Malfunction Windows 10 Taskbar
One of the primary reasons for Windows 10 Taskbar not working is because of an outdated display driver. If your display driver is not updated, it may cause a conflict with other drivers that are running with the most recent versions.
Although it may sound complex but the steps for updating the driver for your display are easy.
We will go over the actions in the article below. In addition, we will offer specific steps to upgrade your driver on your screen.
Another cause of this problem is a corrupted system or file. Try restarting Windows Explorer to try fixing the issue. Additionally, you could run a system file checker using Windows.
If you’re experiencing similar (or any other) issues with your taskbar on your PC Here solutions are for any issues with taskbars for Windows 10.
Restart Windows Explorer
If the taskbar of the taskbar of your Windows 10 computer behaves oddly The quickest way to fix it is to reboot Windows Explorer.
Windows Explorer can be described as a data management application that runs on the Windows operating systems. Actually, it’s not just that, it’s an element that runs the OS which provides the user interface for various system components, including the taskbar as well as the desktop.
To start Windows Explorer:
- Open Task Manager.
- It is done by pressing Control + Shift + Escape keyboard shortcut, or by clicking on the taskbar icon and choosing the Task Manager.
- Click on the Processes tab and select Windows Explorer.
- Then, right-click the Windows Explorer list and choose Restart from the menu choices.
Windows Explorer should now restart and your taskbar will be functioning now.
Declutter Your Taskbar
While the restart of Windows Explorer fixes most taskbar problems on Windows 10, in case it doesn’t work for you the next step to solve the taskbar issue is to clean out your taskbar. If you carefully examine your taskbar, you might see a variety of elements which you may not utilize in a typical scenario that are taking up too much space and causing a slowing of load times.
The Task view, Cortana’s searchbox and quick actions may clog your taskbar as well as uninstalled applications that could consume excessive space.
To remove these unneeded elements off your taskbar:
- Click right-clicking on the blank spot within the taskbar.
- Untick any elements in the menu you do not need or do not want to see.
Similar to when you are dealing with applications, you may simply click their app icon in the taskbar , and then choose unpin the app in your Taskbar to eliminate them from the taskbar.
For other items like the toolbar, follow the steps below to remove non-needed elements:
- Click and hold on taskbar.
ii.Click on the toolbarsand remove the items you don’t wish to see on the toolbar.
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Similarly, to remove quick action items:
- You can go there: the Settingsand then Systems and then Notifications and Action.
ii. Click on Edit your quick actions.
iii. Unpin items you don’t use to eliminate them from your quick action menu.
Lock the Taskbar
Unlocked taskbars on your PC can create unusual tasksbar behavior. As an example, imagine you’re planning to perform an action from the taskbar. Clicking on it will display menus or other alternatives, only to discover that your action has resulted in the taskbar moving or change size.
If you find this to be the case for you Windows 10 taskbar, you can click it and then move that bar to the previous location.
Similar to that, to reduce it back to the original size, put the mouse cursor at one of the edges until it transforms to a vertical arrow. Drag it either up or down to alter the size.
Reinstall ShellExperienceHost, ShellExperienceHost, and Cortana
Right-click on the Start Menu and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
If you do not have this option follow steps 1 and 2 in the previous method.
The next command sequences (each command resets a option) into PowerShell and then press enter:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost | foreach
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.Cortana | foreach
You must wait for the process to end.
If you’re not looking to completely reinstall your applications, the best option is to restart the registration of Cortana as well as ShellExperienceHost.
Make sure you update your system
- Use the Windows Key + I to start the Settings application.
- Then go to Update & Securitysection.
- Click on “Check for updates” button.
If you’re using an older version Windows 10, there’s a possibility that some components of the system could be damaged.
This is precisely why Microsoft suggests its users always have the most recent version Windows 10 installed on their PCs.
Windows updates may be beneficial however, sometimes they cause unexpected errors or strange behavior at the level of apps or systems.
It appears that for a lot of users of us, the Taskbar was not working properly after installing a specific update.
Taskbar Not Working Properly on Windows 10 After update
If the timing appears to be right , and the Taskbar isn’t responding when you downloaded an update file, it might be time to reverse the update.
Here’s a simple procedure to remove an update to Windows update:
- Press Windows key + I want to start the Settings app .
- Select in the Windows Update section and click update history..
- Then click uninstalling updates.
- Find the update you wish to get rid of and click uninstall.
- Perform System Restore
- Search for “Recovery “ in the search bar, then select the Recovery option from the drop-down menu.
- Select Open System Restore.
- System Restore window will now be open.
- Click Next to continue.
- If you are able, look up show more restore points.
- Choose the restore point you want then click the next.
Follow the steps in the display to finish your restoration.
If one or more systems files that are on your system became damaged, the best option is to execute system restore. This function will restore the system to its earlier state of working without impacting your data or files.
Windows 10 Taskbar Icons Missing
If your taskbar doesn’t have its icons, and you notice that your System Tray at the bottom-right does not show the time and various other options, then you may be required to use your command prompt and employ the classic Windows troubleshooting tools to fix your problem. It’s not so difficult as it might seem.
The first step is to first, you must use to use Windows + X shortcut (or right-clicking the Start button) to launch the Power User menu. From there, you can start the Command Prompt (Admin), Windows PowerShell (Admin) as well as a Windows Terminal (Admin) window. From these options, you’ll be able to make use of a few tools that can help you with this taskbar repair.
The resultant prompt will tell you that you must first attempt using the SFCcommand that runs the System File Checker program to repair Windows problems. You can use this command to accomplish this, and restart once the process is complete:
SFC scannow
If this does not resolve the issue, use a different utility. Use the following command to launch Disk Image Service as well as Management (DISM), and you’ll notice that your Taskbar is back to its default state following a reboot:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Windows 10 Taskbar Not Responding or Frozen
If you’re unable to click something in your taskbar You can try several PowerShell solutions. It’s an easy procedure that uses a non-invasive procedure that can resolve your unresponsive taskbar problems.
To run these commands for use, enter PowerShell within the start menu. Then, click on its entry, then choose to run it as an administrator. Then, enter the following command in order to reset the registration of all applications:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach
After this, navigate to C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local. Locate TileDataLayer TileDataLayer folder and remove it. In the end, hopefully after a few seconds it will repair your taskbar and let you select items correctly.
There’s a second option, more severe, when your taskbar is frozen. However, it isn’t without cost because it also erases every Windows 10 apps, including the Microsoft Store, from your system. Do this only if you’re willing to lose all Store applications and there is nothing else that can fix the problem.
To test it, start PowerShell with administrator rights, as described in the previous example. Enter this command:
Get-AppxPackage | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online
Then, restart your system and, hopefully, you’ll get all of the issues repaired. Follow Winaero’s instructions in the event that you decide to get to get the Microsoft Store app back.
Conclusion
By following all of the troubleshooting strategies, we’d like to hope your issues with your taskbar are resolved. Your taskbar should be restored to its original functioning condition. The steps above should be enough to resolve the majority of issues that you have when using your Windows 10 Taskbar.
There’s one last option that you could explore in case you’re Windows 10 is relatively fresh and doesn’t have too many applications: You can reinstall the operating system to fix the taskbar problems.