Windows OS

Fix Windows 10 Critical Error Start Menu and Cortana Are Not Working

On the Windows system, the Start menu helps you use Windows smoothly and also assists in launching apps and utilities, while Cortana is the Windows 10 personal assistant. Cortana keeps you up to date with the latest trends and helps you to control Windows 10 with voice commands. However, when your Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana aren’t working, the system gets paralyzed, and you can not perform almost all operations. The stated error can occur due to missing system files or an antivirus blocking some service features.

This blog is dedicated to resolving the above problem.

How to Resolve the “Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana Aren’t Working” Critical Error?

First, try restarting Windows 10, as it might help. If it doesn’t help, follow the listed methods:

Let’s make our way toward finding the solution to the stated error.

Fix 1: Create a New User Profile

Sometimes, the user profile can get corrupted and results in the stated error. Therefore, creating a new user profile will fix the stated problem. For that reason, follow these steps.

Step 1: Launch Settings

First, open “Settings” via the Start menu:

Step 2: Open Accounts

Click on “Accounts” from the settings window:

Step 3: Create a New User Profile

  • Navigate to “Family & other users”.
  • Hit the “Add someone else to this PC” option:

Hit the “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” in the Microsoft sign-in window:

Trigger the “Add a user without a Microsoft account”:

Step 4: Enter User Credentials

Enter the username and password of the newly created user:

Step 5: Enable Administrator Account

Click on “Change account type” from the “Family & other users” sub-window:

Then, change the account type from standard to the administrator:

Fix 2: Re-register Cortana

Maybe the Cortana files have become corrupt and resulted in the stated problem.

Step 1: Launch PowerShell

First, open “Powershell” via the Start menu:

Step 2: Re-Register Cortana

Now, copy and paste the below code into the PowerShell console to re-register Cortana:

>$manifest = (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore).InstallLocation + '\AppxManifest.xml' ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest

Reboot Windows after performing the specified operation.

Fix 3: Terminate Local Security Authority Process

Sometimes the “Local security authority process” may block some of the features of the Start menu and Cortana. Disabling it may fix the stated problem.

Step 1: Open Task Manager

Initially, search and open “Task Manager” with the help of the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Terminate the Service

Move to the “Processes” tab. Locate and select “Local Security Authority Process” and click the “End task” button to end the task:

Lastly, reboot your Windows 10 system.

Fix 4: Disable Antivirus

Sometimes antivirus disables or becomes the reason behind the pop-up “Windows 10 critical error Start Menu and Cortana aren’t working”, as it unknowingly considers the files of the Start menu and Cortana as malware and stops working.

If you still don’t want to disable the antivirus due to security reasons, then try to update the installed third-party antivirus.

Fix 5: Run System File Checker

System File Checker or SFC is used to repair corrupt and missing system files. Running this scan may rectify the mentioned issue.

Step 1: Launch Command Prompt

Firstly, open “CMD” from Windows 10 start menu, with administrative privileges:

Step 2: Run the Scan

Execute the provided command to run the system file checker scan:

>sfc /scannow

The scan has been completed successfully.

Fix 6: Reset Windows 10

If all the methods failed, then resetting Windows surely fix the stated critical error. For the corresponding purpose, check out the offered method.

Step 1: Launch PowerShell

First, open “PowerShell” via the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Launch System Reset

Now, run the “systemreset” command in the PowerShell console in order reset Windows 10:

>systemreset

Step 3: Reset Windows

Click on the “Keep my files” option to retain your data, or select “Remove everything” to delete all of the data, apps, and settings:

Click on the “Next” button for removing the enlisted apps:

Lastly, click on the “Reset” button for resetting Windows 10:

As we can see, resetting Windows 10 has begun:

After resetting Windows, reboot your system and verify if the Start menu and Cortana have started working or not.

Conclusion

The “Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana aren’t working” critical error can be resolved by using several methods, which include creating a new user profile, re-registering Cortana, terminating the local security authority process, disabling antivirus, or resetting Windows 10. This specific guide has provided various solutions to solve the stated error.

About the author

Muhammad Farhan

I am a Computer Science graduate and now a technical writer who loves to provide the easiest solutions to the most difficult problems related to Windows, Linux, and Web designing. My love for Computer Science emerges every day because of its ease in our everyday life.