Start menu and cortana not working? This tutorial contains several methods to fix problems with the Start menu or Cortana search bar in Windows 10.

On several Win 10 computers, the “Start” button and search bar do not work or freeze suddenly and more more often after a Windows update.

In this case, you can try to uninstall the latest Windows updates or fix the problem by following the instructions below.

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There are many ways to find a solution to this problem. Go through the solutions below sequentially. If the first solution doesn’t work for you, read the next solution.

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Solution 1: Uninstall or update anti-virus from your computer

External antivirus software is not always compatible with other Windows programs and can cause this error .

Therefore, the best way to solve this problem is to uninstall the current version of your antivirus software and install a new one that is compatible with Win 10.

The best solution is to try to update the current software, because after the release of Windows 10, many antivirus brands have released an update more compatible with this one. Update your anti-virus software and see if the problem is resolved.

To uninstall antivirus software safely, follow the steps below.

• Press Windows logo key + R to open Run app
• In the dialog box, type Control and then press the Enter

key

• The Control Panel window opens
• Now change the display to small icons and click on Program and Features.
• Scroll down and locate Antivirus software on your PC; right-click it and select “Uninstall “.
• Wait for the software to be uninstalled successfully, then restart your computer

After restarting your computer, check if the Start menu and Cortana are back to normal or not. If it works, the antivirus software is the culprit.
On the other hand, if it does not work, continue to the next solution.

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Solution 2: Repair by PowerShell

You can also solve this problem usingthe Windows PowerShell program. It is easy, safe and has a high success rate. >
Follow the steps below to fix Start menu and Cortana not working critical error on Windows 10

• Hold Ctrl + Alt + Del keys to open Task Manager
• Click File and select Run New Task
• In the dialog box, type Powershell and click Ok

• Now right-click on the Powershell window on the taskbar and click Run as administrator
• Copy and paste the following command into the Powershell, then press Enter: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
• Waitfor the process to finish and when it is finished, restart the computer

Check again ifthe start menu and Cortana are back to normal. If the issue has not been resolved yet, try the following solution.

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Solution 3: Use Safe Mode to Fix Critical Error Start Menu_and_Cortana_Not_Working

The best method is to remove the culprit apps in safe mode. To do this, you must start Windows 10 in safe mode.

But your start menu doesn’t work? What you are going to do. Let’s see…

• Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select Task Manager.
• Now click File and Run New Task.
• Now type msconfig and press Enter.
• The System Configuration window will then open.
• Click the Startup tab and select Safe Boot.
• Now press OK and restart your PC.

• Your PC is nowstarting in safe mode. Now uninstall the apps you recently installed and after that you are faced with a critical error – Start menu & Cortana don’t work.
• Then go again to msconfig and uncheck safe mode.
• Restart your PC and see if the problem is gone.

Note: Some antivirus or incompatible software/apps may create start menu and Cortana not working issue. So check before you uninstall any innocent app.

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Solution 4: Scanning with system file checker

It is possible that your system has corrupt processing files, which would cause the critical error.
As a result,Finding and repairing these corrupt files should restore the Start menu and all Cortana functionality.

You can use System File Checker to scan for corrupt files on your computer. To do this, follow the steps below.

• Press Windows Logo Key + R to open Run app
• Type cmd.exe in the dialog box and then press Enter
• The command prompt will open
• Now type sfc/scannow and press Enter
• Waitfor the process to complete; don’t stop it while it’s running

If there are corrupt files in your system, then the System File Checker will find them and replace them with a cached copy strong> present in the compressed folder in \System32\dllcache.

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This method is one of the most effective ways to solve the problem in question. However, if that fails, try the next solution in this guide.

Solution 5: Hide the icon

In some cases, hiding the Cortana icon allows you to return to the start menu and Cortana in all their functionality.

Follow the steps below to learn how.

• Just open your Windows computer
• Right-click on the taskbar and look for Cortana
• Hover your cursor over it and click Hidden

• The icon will thus be hidden from your taskbar; however, you can use it whenever you want
• Now repeat the procedure, but this time, when cursor is over Cortana, select Show Search Box
• This will only show the search box on your taskbar but not Cortana’s icon

Once you are done, restart your computer and check if the issue has been resolved or not. Your issue should now be resolved and your start menu and Cortana will be back to full functionality.

Solution 6: Creating new user profiles

Many users reported that creating new user profiles solved problems with the Start menu and Cortana. So it would be better to try too. Here are the steps to follow:

• Create two new user profiles with administrative rights.
• Remember that administrator rights are required for you to perform the tasks necessary to resolve the error.
• Sign in toone of the new user profiles you created. Check if the start menu is working properly.

Note that if Cortana and Start Menu are not working in other accounts, then it is time to reinstall your Windows system. Otherwise, you can skip to the next step.

• Make sure you can view all hidden files, system files, and file extensions.
• You can do it by following this path: Control Panel -> Appearance and customization -> File Explorer Options -> To display. Click “Show hidden files, folders and drives”, then click the “Apply” button.

• Log in to the other new user profile and repeat the process from step 3.
• Navigate to this path: C:\Users\OtherNewProfileYouAreNotUsing\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer. Copy the Database folder, then navigate to: C:\Users\UserProfileWithProblems\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer. Change the name of the Database folder of this account to Database.old. Pastethe Database folder you copied from the account that is working properly.
• Sign in to the problematic user profile and check if the issue has been resolved. Note that you will not see any customizations you made to the menu before performing this procedure. On the other hand, you can simply reconfigure your menu to personalize it again.

Solution 7: Delete the data layer (new method)

This is a great method to fix cortana start menu and critical error. Just delete a folder named TileDataLayer. To do this –

• OpenRun window from task manager to run a new task. How to open it, I already mentioned above.
• Now type %LOCALAPPDATA%\ and press Enter.
• Next, find the TileDataLayer folder and delete it.
• Finally, try method 2 again. Hope this fixes microsoft windows 10 start menu and cortana critical error.