start menue

Try these checks in order:

1. Verify the Start process is installed for the current user. Open a non-elevated PowerShell window and run:

      Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost
   

   • If it returns the package, Start is installed for that user.
   • If it returns nothing, check whether the package exists on the PC by running this in an elevated PowerShell window:

      Get-AppxPackage *StartMenu* -AllUsers
   

2. If the package exists on the machine, register it for the user. Run this from a non-elevated PowerShell window:

      Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\AppxManifest.xml" -Register -DisableDevelopmentMode
   

   On Windows 10 version 1809 and earlier, check Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost instead.
3. Check whether the Start process is running. From an elevated PowerShell window, run:

      get-Process StartMenuExperienceHost -IncludeUserName
   

   If multiple users are signed in, each user should have a StartMenuExperienceHost process in that session.
4. If the package is installed but Start still does not open, check for crashes. Review these logs:
   • Application log for Event IDs 1000 and 1001 for StartMenuExperienceHost.exe
   • Microsoft-Windows-TWinUI/Operational for AppX activation issues
5. Check the Background Tasks Infrastructure Service. If Start does not respond, ensure Background Tasks Infrastructure Service (BrokerInfrastructure) is set to automatic startup in Services. Also verify the PDC driver is present by running:

      sc query pdc
   

   The expected state is RUNNING.
6. If StartMenuExperienceHost is not installed for any user, use a recovery option. No supported method exists to install Start AppX files when they are missing for all users. Use one of these instead:
   • roll back the update
   • reset the PC to defaults
   • restore from backup
7. If tiles are blank or Start layout appears corrupted, run the recovery command. Warning: corruption recovery removes any manual pins from Start. Apps should still be visible, but pinned items may need to be added again. Run from Command Prompt:

      C:\Windows\System32\tdlrecover.exe -reregister -resetlayout -resetcache
   

   A restart is not required, but it can help clear residual issues.

References:

• Start menu troubleshooting guidance