2026-07 Preview Update (KB5101684) (26200.8973) Deletes Start Menu Icons

Question

2026-07 Preview Update (KB5101684) (26200.8973) Deletes Start Menu Icons

Mutzi 30

On some of my Windows 11 Pro systems (25H2), I've noticed that the preview update (KB5101684) (26200.8973) - just like KB5095093 / Build 26200.8737 or KB5101650 / Build 26200.8875 before it - resets the Start menu icons.

Why does this keep happening with these Windows updates?

Here we can see what it looks like after the restart; all of my pinned icons are gone again:

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Answer 1

Thomas4-N 21,570 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Mutzi,

I understand how frustrating it is to repeatedly lose your carefully arranged Start menu pins after installing updates.

Microsoft’s available release information does not currently list the deletion of Start menu pins as a known issue with KB5101684. However, since you observed the same behavior on multiple systems and after earlier updates, it might be an unconfirmed update-related regression.

Please report it through Feedback Hub under Desktop Environment > Start menu, including:

KB5101684 and build 26200.8973
The earlier affected builds
Whether the systems use the redesigned Start menu
Screenshots before and after restarting

This will provide Microsoft with the diagnostic data needed to investigate. For now, I would avoid reinstalling KB5101684 solely to test this again, since there is no documented fix yet.

Gilles 5 Reputation points

2026-08-05T16:15:54.6333333+00:00

Hi,
I'd like to add further information to this.
There are apparently at least two places where start menu items reside:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\

C:\Users(User ID)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

After I installed that update, the ProgramData list of shortcuts stopped showing up. The Roaming list kept being shown. I suppose it's due to some kind of privacy policy? (Funny that I was forced to agree to a bad privacy policy just to POST here...)

As an aside, I'm using OpenShell to show an old Windows XP-like menu, but it's taking its shortcut list from the same sources, as if I disable it and fall back to the default Windows 11 start "menu", I'm also unable to view the ProgramData shortcuts.

The worst thing is that I spent years organizing my folders in a particular order, and they're now all sorted alphabetically... <sob>
Thomas4-N 21,570 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T07:17:38.5466667+00:00

Hello Gilles,

Thanks for adding these details. This sounds slightly different from the original pinned-icon issue: shortcuts in the shared C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs location are missing, while per-user shortcuts remain, and the behavior also occurs in Windows’ native Start menu.

Microsoft currently lists no known issues for KB5101684, so I cannot confirm that the update caused this or that the privacy-setting change is related.

Please confirm that the missing shortcuts still physically exist in the ProgramData folder. If they do, report this separately through the Feedback Hub under Desktop Environment > Start menu.
Gilles 5 Reputation points

2026-08-06T13:52:14.7+00:00

Yes, they do exist in the folder and I'll eventually simply move them to the per-user folder, but I only created an account to give a possible clue for solving this. I'm sorry, I don't really have time for submitting proper reports. All I can say is that I guess it's a folder permission issue that was introduced by that preview, since I didn't have the issue before that dreaded reboot. Best of luck to you and OP! <EDIT> I uninstalled the KB, rebooted, and I'm still missing any shortcuts from ProgramData in my start menu. I'm adamant they were there before I installed it. I'm on Win11 Home 25H2. I'll be moving my shortcuts manually if I can't recover them... <EDIT> Installed gpedit.msc tool, looked into Start Menu settings, "Remove common program groups" was marked as not set. Specifically disabled it (since it says exactly what the KB update did to my PC), and it didn't change anything. Quit Open Shell, All Users shortcuts still invisible. Restarted Open Shell, nothing either. One of the really annoying things is that many of the Control Panel's shortcuts are in All Users, including Administrative tools, meaning I have to manually navigate to ProgramData to run these. It's ridiculous... :-/
Thomas4-N 21,570 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-09T07:34:19.4333333+00:00

Hello Gilles,

Thank you for the details. This appears different from the original issue, which concerns pinned Start menu icons being reset.

Please create a new question for the missing shortcuts in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start`` ``Menu\Programs. Keeping the issues separate will avoid mixing the troubleshooting and help the new issue receive refreshed attention from the community.