How to Fix Unresponsive Task bar in Windows Operating System

You might face this issue sometimes where the taskbar on your Windows screen is frozen or is unresponsive. You are unable to click on anything on the taskbar. This may occur due to the Windows update or downgrade.

This issue can cause a huge amount of frustration as the icons on the Start menu are not clickable. In this guide, we will help you solve this issue the easy way.

Fix Frozen Taskbar in Windows 10

Whatever may be the reason for the unresponsive taskbar, here are the solutions to solve this issue:

Restart the Windows explorer through Task Manager

In order to fix the frozen taskbar, you can try restarting the Windows explorer from Task Manager. Follow the steps given below:

1. Open Task Manager by pressing Alt+Ctrl+Delete from the Keypad and selecting task manager from the list of options
2. Under the Processes heading, find Windows Explorer and click on Restart.

Use Windows PowerShell to fix unresponsive Taskbar

You can also use Windows PowerShell to fix frozen Taskbar, follow the steps given below:

1. Open Run by pressing Windows key+R and type Windows PowerShell in the box
2. Press Enter key to Run PowerShell
3. Enter the command line given below and press enter

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

Wait till the repair is done and try using taskbar again.

Disable Recently Opened Apps from Windows Settings

If you are unable to even right-click on the Start menu, then use Windows Settings to disable recently opened apps. Follow the guide given below:

1. Open the Windows Settings by pressing Windows+I
2. Select Personalization from the given options
3. Now from the left panel select Start settings
4. Toggle off the Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar given on right panel of the Start.

Create a new user account using Command Prompt

If none of the above-mentioned fixes worked for your Windows OS, you can use this last fix for the unresponsive taskbar. To create a new user account using the command prompt, follow the instructions given below:

1. Open Run by pressing Windows key+R and type cmd
2. Click enter to Run Command Prompt
3. Type net user username password /add into Command Prompt and press Enter.
4. Then type net localgroup administrator’s username /add and press Enter.

Make sure you have entered the name of the account instead of a username.

Related: How to Fix Start Button in Windows 10