How to fix Windows 10 start button and Taskbar not working using the reset Windows. Reset is possible in windows 7 windows 8 to 1 in Windows 10 we have a details article on how to reset Windows 10 easily in a single click. Therefore, it is necessary to all about the reset because it is one of the features of Windows 10. Dec 22, 2018. Windows 10 surely brings a lot of improvements and features over its predecessors but it also has its fair share of bugs as well. The problematic taskbar is one of those problems. For most of the users who upgraded to Windows 10 are likely to see a taskbar that isn’t fully functional. Nov 08, 2019.
- Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Search Not Working
- How To Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working
- Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working
- Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Icons
- Restore Taskbar Windows 10
Applies to
- Windows 10, Windows Server 2016 with Desktop Experience, Windows Server 2019 with Desktop Experience
Looking for consumer information?See what's on the Start menu
Organizations might want to deploy a customized Start and taskbar configuration to devices running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. A standard, customized Start layout can be useful on devices that are common to multiple users and devices that are locked down for specialized purposes. Configuring the taskbar allows the organization to pin useful apps for their employees and to remove apps that are pinned by default.
Note
Taskbar configuration is available starting in Windows 10, version 1607.
Start and taskbar configuration can be applied to devices running Windows 10 Pro, version 1703.
For information on using the layout modification XML to configure Start with roaming user profiles, see Deploy Roaming User Profiles.
Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Search Not Working
![Windows Windows](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q14HQsYUH8c/maxresdefault.jpg)
Using CopyProfile for Start menu customization in Windows 10 isn't supported. For more information Customize the Default User Profile by Using CopyProfile
Start options
Some areas of Start can be managed using Group Policy. The layout of Start tiles can be managed using either Group Policy or Mobile Device Management (MDM) policy.
Note
The MDM policy settings in the table can also be configured in a provisioning package using Policies > Start. See the reference for Start settings in Windows Configuration Designer.
The following table lists the different parts of Start and any applicable policy settings or Settings options. Group Policy settings are in the User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesStart Menu and Taskbar path except where a different path is listed in the table.
Start | Policy | Local setting |
---|---|---|
User tile | MDM: Start/HideUserTile Start/HideSwitchAccount Start/HideSignOut Start/HideLock Start/HideChangeAccountSettings Group Policy: Remove Logoff on the Start menu | none |
Most used | MDM: Start/HideFrequentlyUsedApps Group Policy: Remove frequent programs from the Start menu | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show most used apps |
Suggestions -and- Dynamically inserted app tile | MDM: Allow Windows Consumer Features Group Policy: Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsCloud ContentTurn off Microsoft consumer experiences Note: This policy also enables or disables notifications for a user's Microsoft account and app tiles from Microsoft dynamically inserted in the default Start menu. | Settings > Personalization > Start > Occasionally show suggestions in Start |
Recently added | MDM: Start/HideRecentlyAddedApps Group Policy: Computer configurationAdministrative TemplateStart Menu and TaskbarRemove 'Recently Added' list from Start Menu (for Windows 10, version 1803) | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show recently added apps |
Pinned folders | MDM: AllowPinnedFolder | Settings > Personalization > Start > Choose which folders appear on Start |
Power | MDM: Start/HidePowerButton Start/HideHibernate Start/HideRestart Start/HideShutDown Start/HideSleep Group Policy: Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands | none |
Start layout | MDM: Start layout ImportEdgeAssets Group Policy: Prevent users from customizing their Start screen Note: When a full Start screen layout is imported with Group Policy or MDM, the users cannot pin, unpin, or uninstall apps from the Start screen. Users can view and open all apps in the All Apps view, but they cannot pin any apps to the Start screen. When a partial Start screen layout is imported, users cannot change the tile groups applied by the partial layout, but can modify other tile groups and create their own. Start layout policy can be used to pin apps to the taskbar based on an XML File that you provide. Users will be able to change the order of pinned apps, unpin apps, and pin additional apps to the taskbar. | none |
Jump lists | MDM: Start/HideRecentJumplists Group Policy: Do not keep history of recently opened documents | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar |
Start size | MDM: Force Start size Group Policy: Force Start to be either full screen size or menu size | Settings > Personalization > Start > Use Start full screen |
App list | MDM: Start/HideAppList | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show app list in Start menu |
All Settings | Group Policy: Prevent changes to Taskbar and Start Menu Settings | none |
Taskbar | MDM: Start/NoPinningToTaskbar | none |
Note
In local Settings > Personalization > Start, there is an option to Show more tiles. The default tile layout for Start tiles is 3 columns of medium sized tiles. Show more tiles enables 4 columns. To configure the 4-column layout when you customize and export a Start layout, turn on the Show more tiles setting and then arrange your tiles.
Taskbar options
Starting in Windows 10, version 1607, you can pin additional apps to the taskbar and remove default pinned apps from the taskbar. You can specify different taskbar configurations based on device locale or region.
There are three categories of apps that might be pinned to a taskbar:
- Apps pinned by the user
- Default Windows apps, pinned during operating system installation (Microsoft Edge, File Explorer, Store)
- Apps pinned by the enterprise, such as in an unattended Windows setupNoteWe recommend using the layoutmodification.xml method to configure taskbar options, rather than the earlier method of using TaskbarLinks in an unattended Windows setup file.
The following example shows how apps will be pinned - Windows default apps to the left (blue circle), apps pinned by the user in the center (orange triangle), and apps that you pin using XML to the right (green square).
Note
In operating systems configured to use a right-to-left language, the taskbar order will be reversed.
Dmg canvas 2 3 4. Whether you apply the taskbar configuration to a clean install or an update, users will still be able to:
- Pin additional apps
- Change the order of pinned apps
- Unpin any app
Note
In Windows 10, version 1703, you can apply an MDM policy,
Start/NoPinningToTaskbar
, to prevents users from pinning and unpinning apps on the taskbar.Taskbar configuration applied to clean install of Windows 10
In a clean install, if you apply a taskbar layout, only the apps that you specify and default apps that you do not remove will be pinned to the taskbar. Users can pin additional apps to the taskbar after the layout is applied.
Taskbar configuration applied to Windows 10 upgrades
When a device is upgraded to Windows 10, apps will be pinned to the taskbar already. Some apps may have been pinned to the taskbar by a user, and others may have been pinned to the taskbar through a customized base image or by using Windows Unattend setup.
The new taskbar layout for upgrades to Windows 10, version 1607 or later, will apply the following behavior:
- If the user pinned the app to the taskbar, those pinned apps remain and new apps will be added to the right.
- If the user didn't pin the app (it was pinned during installation or by policy) and the app is not in updated layout file, the app will be unpinned.
- If the user didn't pin the app and the app is in the updated layout file, the app will be pinned to the right.
- New apps specified in updated layout file are pinned to right of user's pinned apps.
Learn how to configure Windows 10 taskbar.
Start layout configuration errors
If your Start layout customization is not applied as expected, open Event Viewer and navigate to Applications and Services Log > Microsoft > Windows > ShellCommon-StartLayoutPopulation > Operational, and check for one of the following events:
- Event 22 is logged when the xml is malformed, meaning the specified file simply isn’t valid xml. This can occur if the file has extra spaces or unexpected characters, or if the file is not saved in the UTF8 format.
- Event 64 is logged when the xml is valid, but has unexpected values. This can happen when the desired configuration is not understood, elements are not in the required order, or source is not found, such as a missing or misspelled .lnk.
Related topics
Most of us click on the Taskbar to access frequently used apps, services, view time, and so on. It provides a convenient space for switching between open apps or launching new ones from the pinned icons with a click. The Taskbar is always visible unless you have chosen to hide it when not active. But, it can be unsettling when Taskbar suddenly turns white for no apparent reason.
That won't break anything for most users, and you should be able to use the Taskbar as usual. However, that does look odd. Reasons for this peculiar behavior can be attributed to change in settings or some other bug. So we've figured out four simple solutions to fix that.
Here are four ways how to restore your Taskbar that suddenly goes white in Windows 10.
1. Change Taskbar Settings
Right-click on the Taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
Click on Colors tab on the left-side bar. On the right side, scroll to the bottom of the page till you see the 'Show accent color on the following surfaces' heading. Uncheck the box for 'Start, taskbar, and action center' option.
Taskbar may have turned white because it has taken a hint from the desktop wallpaper, also known as the accent color.
How To Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working
You can also disable the accent color option altogether. Head to 'Choose your accent color' and uncheck the 'Automatically pick an accent color from my background' option.
Now return to the desktop and check if the Taskbar still white or not. If it is, check the next fix.
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Read More2. Windows 10 Dark Mode
Yes, even the Windows 10 Dark Mode can act up at times. So, go back to Taskbar settings like you did above and click on Colors.
Check the Choose your color option to see if the selection option is white. From the drop-down menu, select the Dark option. Note that this setting will turn the Taskbar as well as the rest of the interface of the system dark. These are system-wide color settings or what you would normally call a theme. You can always change these settings later. It's time you come over to the dark side.
If you want your Taskbar in a dark flavor but the rest of the Windows menu in white, choose Custom from the same menu. You will notice some additional options now.
Set Windows mode to Dark and Default app mode to Light. That will keep the light or white mode on everywhere in Windows, but it will turn the Taskbar dark. Check the screenshot above, for example. Thanks Microsoft for providing such diverse options for customization.
3. Region Settings
Press Windows key+I to open Settings and click on Time & Language.
Select Region from the sidebar and change your region to a foreign country where Cortana is not available right now. Samoa is a good example.
Click on the Start button and select the profile picture to sign out of your Windows user account. Sign back in and repeat the steps mentioned above to change the region back to where you live or what it was previously.
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Read More4. Registry Editor
![Taskbar Taskbar](https://winaero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Windows-10-tray-icons-shortcut-set-icon.png)
I would recommend you to take a backup of the Registry Editor or at least, the folder you are trying to edit before you move on. If you don't know your way around the Registry Editor, we recommend you to edit registry files (Safe Mode) and restore the backup if things break on your Windows 10 computer.
Note: This solution also impacts Cortana's search box color and choosing relevant value will also alter it along with that of the Taskbar.Search for Registry Editor or type regedit in the Start menu and run it with admin rights.
Drill down to the below folder structure or path in the left window pane.
Double-click on the Value key or file in the right window pane and change the Value data from 1 to 0 (zero).
If the WhiteSearchBox folder is missing, then you can create one. You also need to create the key and change its value, as shown above. If it doesn't work, you can delete the key and value. Again, take a backup and reboot the computer in Safe Mode before moving forward. And always note down the changes (where and what) you are making.
Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working
To create the new folder, right-click on the 0 folder under Flighting in Registry Editor, select New Key, and name it WhiteSearchBox.
Go to the WhiteSearchBox folder. On the right window-pane, again right-click to select DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it Value.
Double-click on the newly created value on the right and make sure the Value data is 0 (zero) and pick Hexadecimal as Base.
After that, you should restart your computer once. Hopefully, the Cortana's search box color and the Taskbar should be back to normal.
Complete the Task
The Taskbar is one of the busiest and one of the most interacted areas on any Windows 10 computer, after the Start menu. That is why it can be frustrating when the Taskbar turns white suddenly. It's like you are blinded by the light, at least that's how I felt while troubleshooting this particular error. Thankfully, there are simple ways to turn it back to a darker shade.
Another way to resolve is to hide the Taskbar altogether. That is not a complete solution because the Taskbar is still white, but at least it won't bother you. Have you found another way to resolve this error? If so, share it with us in the comments section below.
Next up:Click on the link below to learn what it means to lock the Taskbar, how to do it, how to change its location, and what happens when you do so.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read Next
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Did You Know
You can switch manually to the tablet mode in Windows 10.