So if your Taskbar is unresponsive or if it’s not working at all, this guide will help you fix it for good.

Why is my Windows 10 Taskbar not working?

There are many reasons for Taskbar issues, but the most common ones are the following:

System glitches – Sometimes, your operating system can encounter a glitch causing this issue to appear. So if you’re having problems with File Explorer or other components, just restart the process. Corrupted components – Sometimes, Windows components can get corrupted. If this happens, you need to reinstall preinstalled apps to fix the problem. System services – Windows requires certain services in order to run properly. If they aren’t working, you need to open services.msc and start them manually.

What are other Taskbar issues that I can encounter?

Unclickable Taskbar in Windows 10 – Many users reported that their Taskbar is unclickable. This can be a big problem since you won’t be able to use your Taskbar at all. Windows 10 Taskbar frozen – Sometimes your Taskbar might stop responding. In fact, several users reported that their Taskbar is completely frozen. Right click Taskbar not working – Several users reported that right click on their Taskbar isn’t working. However, you should be able to fix this problem by using one of our solutions. Taskbar thumbnails not working – According to users, it seems that Taskbar thumbnails aren’t working. If you have this problem, the Taskbar preview won’t work for you at all. Pin to Taskbar not working – Users tend to pin their favourite applications to the Taskbar in order to access them faster. However, many users reported that this feature isn’t working for them. Lock the Taskbar, autohide Taskbar not working – Another problem with Taskbar is the inability to lock or automatically hide the Taskbar. This is a minor problem, but you should be able to fix it using our solutions. Taskbar search not working in Windows 10 – Users reported that the search feature isn’t working for them. This can be a big problem, especially if you use the search feature frequently to access applications. Taskbar not working on startup – Several users reported that issues with Taskbar occur right on startup. This means that you won’t be able to use your Taskbar at all on Windows 10. Taskbar jump list not working – Several users reported that Jump lists aren’t working on their PC. This can be a problem if you use Jump lists frequently to open recently used files. Cortana Taskbar not working – According to some users, it seems that Cortana isn’t working on their Taskbar. Cortana is an integral part of Windows 10, and not being able to use it can be a big problem. Taskbar buttons not working – Another relatively common problem with Taskbar. A few users reported that Taskbar buttons aren’t working, but you should be able to fix this problem using one of our solutions.

So, let’s dive right in and see what you can do in order to fix your Windows Taskbar.

What can I do if the Taskbar is not working?

1. Check drivers

Although it seems unlikely, there’s a chance a bad driver is causing the problem. It is known that incompatible drivers can make quite a mess in Windows 10, and a disrupted taskbar is one of the possible issues. So, make sure all your drivers are up to date and update any outdated drivers. This is a simple procedure, and you can perform it manually or automatically. We also strongly recommend  DriverFix, a program that may seem lightweight and not capable of much, but it can update all of your drivers, fix the ones that you have but are broken, and even provide you with drivers for the devices you didn’t even know that you had. All you need to do is download it, install it and launch it, and everything afterward is pretty much automated. The only thing to remember is that this program doesn’t come with the driver libraries already built-in, so you need an Internet connection for it to download them. Other than that, using DriverFix is pretty much a walk in the park.

2. Restart Windows Explorer

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and choose to open Task Manager.

  2. Navigate to the Processes tab.

  3. Locate Windows Explorer in the list.

  4. Right-click on it and select End task.

  5. The task will re-launch itself after a couple of moments, so check if everything is okay with your taskbar now, after you restarted Windows Explorer. SPONSORED

Before we get to some ‘system-messing’ solutions that include Command Prompt and PowerShell, let’s try one simpler. A simple restart of the Windows Explorer will restore the functionality of the taskbar, and other user interface features.

So if your taskbar problem is not that serious, this solution should work just fine.

This solution might solve the problem, but only temporarily, so if the problem returns, try the solution below. Can’t open Task Manager? Don’t worry, we’ve got the right solution for you.

3. Perform a PowerShell fix

Okay, so if restarting Windows Explorer didn’t get the job done, or it just temporarily solved the issue, you can try some more advanced solutions.

4. Reinstall apps or ShellExperienceHost and Cortana

If you don’t want to reinstall all of your apps, your best bet is to just re-register Cortana, and ShellExperienceHost.

5. Modify your registry

6. Perform System Restore

7. Use Troubleshooter

8. Start Application Identity Service

There are some reports that suggest starting the Application Identity service will fix the taskbar issue.

9. Use DISM

10. Create a new user account

Once the new account is created, switch to it and check if the problem is resolved.

11. Perform a clean install

What can I do if the Taskbar is not working on Windows 10 after an update?

That’s all for this article, I hope at least one of these solutions helped you to restore the functionality of your taskbar. This isn’t the only issue that you can encounter, and if your Taskbar is flickering, be sure to try the solutions from our dedicated guide. If you have any comments, questions, or maybe some other solution for this problem that I didn’t manage to find, please write that down in the comments section below.

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