Microsoft offers a workaround to the unresponsive Windows Start Menu

Microsoft confirmed that an issue caused the Windows Start Menu to be unresponsive, causing some apps to not launch.

This issue is only for client platforms: Windows 10 version 20H2, 21H2, 22H2, 22H2, 22H2, Windows 11 version 22H2.

Redmond stated that the Start menu, Windows Search, and Universal Windows Platform apps (UWP), might not function as expected, or may have problems opening.

The registry keys and data of affected Windows devices could have been damaged, which may affect applications that use Microsoft Office APIs to interface with Windows, Microsoft Office or Microsoft Outlook.

BleepingComputer has reported that ClickShare is one of the affected apps. ClickShare allows you to wirelessly share your screen from a Windows device.

Microsoft today stated that while the root cause of these app opening and Start Menu problems does not lie in a Windows Update, but could be caused by an app update.

There are workarounds available

Microsoft the Windows team was investigating the issue. They will inform affected customers in an updated Windows health dashboard entry.

The company shared temporary solutions that would allow the problem to be addressed until a solution is found.

Redmond stated that you could remove apps that integrate with Windows, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Outlook to mitigate the problem.

Updates for affected apps and guidance from the app’s developer might be also available.

Apps that use Office APIs are recommended to be used on computers where Office ClickToRun was installed.

Users affected by the problem must either remove them from their startup, or set them up to restart on demand. This will prevent it from happening again.

After reports that Windows administrators had received from users, today’s update was made in response to those who reported problems with the Windows Start Menu. Users were unable launch UWP applications or the Windows Search feature.

Redmond didn’t mention it but other reports have also mentioned issues with logging in to Azure Active Directory (AzureAD) for activating Office 365 apps.