How to Fix Taskbar Not Working on Windows 10

• Blog
• September 22, 2022

If your taskbar isn’t working, there are a few things you can try to fix it. First, try restarting your computer. If that doesn’t work, you can try running a virus scan or checking for updates. If neither of those things work, you can try resetting your computer. Finally, if all else fails, you can contact Microsoft for support.

How to Fix Taskbar Not Working on Windows 10

Steps to Fix Taskbar Not Working on Windows 10

1. Check for updates
One of the first things you should do if your taskbar isn’t working is to check for updates. Windows 10 automatically installs updates, but sometimes an update can cause problems with your taskbar. To check for updates:

Click the Start button, then click the Settings icon.
Click Update & security.
Click Check for updates.

If any updates are available, they will be downloaded and installed automatically.

2. Restart Explorer.exe
If the taskbar is still not working, you can try restarting the Explorer.exe process. This process is responsible for displaying the taskbar, so if it’s not working, the taskbar will not work.

To restart Explorer.exe:

Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
Click the Processes tab.
Find and select Explorer.exe.
Click the Restart button.

3. Disable and re-enable the taskbar
If restarting Explorer.exe doesn’t work, you can try disabling and re-enabling the taskbar. This is done by editing the Windows Registry, so it’s recommended that you create a backup of the Registry before proceeding.

To disable and re-enable the taskbar:

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type regedit and press Enter.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

In the right pane, find the TaskbarEnabled value and change the value from 1 to 0.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

When your computer starts back up, the taskbar will be disabled. To enable it again, follow the steps above, but change the TaskbarEnabled value from 0 to 1.

4. Create a new user account
If none of the above solutions work, you can try creating a new user account. This is a bit of a last-resort solution, but it’s worth a try if nothing else has worked.

To create a new user account:

Click the Start button, then click the Settings icon.
Click Accounts.
Click Family & other people.
Click Add someone else to this PC.
Click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
Click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Enter a username, password, and password hint, then click Next.

Once the account has been created, sign in to it and check to see if the taskbar is working. If it is, you can transfer your files from your old account to the new one.

Conclusion

If your taskbar is not working on Windows 10, there are a few things you can do to try and fix the issue. First, try restarting your computer. If that doesn’t work, you can try resetting your PC. If neither of those work, you may need to reinstall Windows 10.

Additional Tips

If your taskbar is still not working after following the tips above, there are a few additional things you can try.

First, make sure that your Windows 10 installation is up to date. To do this, open the Settings app and go to Update & Security > Windows Update. Click the Check for updates button and install any available updates.

If updates don’t fix the taskbar issue, you can try restarting Windows Explorer. This can be done by opening the Task Manager (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc on your keyboard) and going to the Processes tab. Find Windows Explorer in the list of processes, right-click it, and select Restart.

If neither of these solutions work, you might need to reset or reinstall Windows 10. This should be a last resort, as it will erase all your files and customizations. Before resetting, be sure to create a backup of your important files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I fix taskbar not working on Windows 10?

A: One possible fix for this issue is to restart your computer. If that doesn’t work, you can try opening the Task Manager and ending the Windows Explorer process. Once you’ve done that, you can restart the process by going to File > New Task > Run and typing in “explorer.exe”.