Fix: Can’t Click on Start Button or Anything on Taskbar

Windows faces several issues from time to time. One of them is the taskbar not responding; the taskbar stops working, and you can’t click on the Start button or anything on the taskbar at all. There are various reasons why this happens. However, the issue is often temporary, and a simple restart would fix the issue. But in some cases, you would need to follow some extra steps. So let’s go ahead and check them out.

Fix: Can’t Click on Start Button or Anything on Taskbar

The issue can appear for various reasons – corrupted files, software bugs, or bad Windows Updates. However, here are some fixes that will fix the issue right away:

1. Restart your PC
2. Restart File Explorer
3. Run DISM
4. Run SFC commands
5. Update Windows

Now let’s talk about these methods one by one below:

1] Restart Your Computer

A basic restart would often fix the issue. The Start button is not clickable, or a frozen taskbar can happen because of a software glitch. Maybe, some background Windows service has stopped. So before you get into any further steps, go ahead and give your PC a restart and see if it worked.

Also, sometimes after a restart, your PC would work typically. But in some instances, the issue might appear again. For that, follow the below fixes.

2] Restart File Explorer

Restarting File Explorer or Windows Explorer might help fix components stuck with the UI. While this usually works for the explorer, it is also known to fix the Start menu glitch.

• Open Task Manager using CVtrl + Shift + Esc
• Locate File Explorer or Windows Explorer in the list
• Right-click and choose to Restart.

3] Run DISM

You can also try running DISM or Deployment Image Servicing and Management. It is a command-line tool to service Windows images.

DISM can automatically scan and repair common issues on your Windows PC. Also, there are different DISM scans, like the DISM command with CheckHealth, the DISM command with ScanHealth, and the DISM command with RestoreHealth.

Each has its use cases. For instance, DISM with CheckHealth, determine any corruption inside the local Windows image but performs no repairs. Next, DISM with ScanHealth finds out if the Windows image has any problem and lastly, DISM with RestoreHealth automatically scans and repairs common issues.

You can run all the commands one by one, but running the 3rd one would be helpful. To run DISM, follow the below steps:

• Press the Windows key + R to launch Run.
• Next, type down cmd and press CTRL + SHIFT + Enter to launch the command prompt as admin.
• Now run the following commands one by one:
• DISM with CheckHealth: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
• DISM with ScanHealth: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
• DISM with RestoreHealth: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthQuick
• Let the process end and then reboot your PC and see if you are still facing the same issue or not.

4] Run SFC Commands 

Finally, you can try running the SFC command. It will scan all the system files and replace any corrupted files with a cached copy. So in case, any system file is corrupted, this would help fix the issue.

To run the SFC command, follow the below steps:

• Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run prompt
• Next, type down WT or CMD and press CTRL + SHIFT + Enter to launch the command prompt as admin.
• Type the commandsfc /scannow and let it complete the checks and fixes.

Once done, reboot your PC and check if you still can’t click the Start button or anything on the taskbar.

5] Update Windows

The issue can also appear because of a software bug, and Microsoft has already addressed the problem and released a software update for it. So updating your Windows to the latest version might fix the issue. You can always uninstall your recently installed Windows updates even if it doesn’t, and your PC Starts facing more issues.

To update your Windows, follow the below steps:

• Go to Windows Settings.
• Click on Windows Update from the sidebar.
• Now, Windows will automatically Start searching for an update and download it for you.
• Finally, follow the screen instructions and install the latest version of Windows and then check if it fixed the issue.

Conclusion:

So those were a few quick ways to fix the click on the Start button or anything on the taskbar error. If none of the methods worked for you, you could try reinstalling Windows. Also, if you get stuck at anything, drop a comment below.

Why Can’t I Click on Start Button or Anything on Taskbar?

There can be several reasons behind the Windows taskbar not responding, such as:

• Windows Explorer has experienced a crash leading to a frozen Taskbar.
• Some of the system files might have been corrupted.
• It can be because of a software glitch.
• You have recently updated your Windows.

How Do I Fix a Frozen Start Menu in Windows?

A quick Windows Explorer ReStart would fix the issue right away. Press Ctrl + SHIFT + ESC to open the Task Manager. Click on More details to expand Task Manager and from the processes tab, look for Windows Explorer, then right-click on it and select Restart.