Windows 10 Taskbar not responding? Feel like way too many bugs? You have come to the right place, we have the step by step guide to your easy solutions for your Windows 10 Taskbar acting up.
It’s a big problem for you or any person who uses a computer on a daily basis for work and pleasure, if a very important tool, which you would require at almost all times to perform even the most basic tasks. It is an essential for a working person to possess a computer that operates without much hassle.
What is the Taskbar?
The Taskbar is horizontal bar present in the bottom of your computer’s screen at all times. It’s the space where from where you access the Start Menu, all open folders and running applications. It also shows the network connectivity status and you can control your PC’s volume from here too. The taskbar is essential to be in working condition at all time, without it, the user interface is not complete.
In Windows 10, the taskbar has made a comeback after being overlooked in Windows 8 and 8.1 and with it also the familiar interface of the Windows platform you are familiar with. If you good with this technical stuff and know your way around your operating system, you can click right here.
STEP 1: Open Task Manager
To open TASK MANAGER press [Alt]+[Ctrl]+[Del] at the same time. Your system’s task manager will pop-up on your screen. Here you’ll be able to see all the applications and software that are currently running on your computer.
The alternative method to open the Task Manager i.e by Right clicking anywhere on the taskbar and selecting Task manager, will not work in this situation as the Taskbar is non-responsive.
STEP 2: Run a New Task
You now have the Windows Task manager open in front of you on the screen. Click on the More Details option to expand the task manager for a detailed view. Click on ‘File’ in the menu bar and ‘Run New Task’. Be careful while performing this step as just below the Run new task option will the EXIT option. Clicking on exit will close your Task manager. You don’t want that.
STEP 3: Windows Powershell
After run new task window opens type in ‘Powershell‘, click on the checkbox below allowing Administrative Privileges and press enter or click OK. This will open a DOS-based window named Administrator: Windows PowerShell.
STEP 4: System File Checker
In the DOS window type in ‘ sfc/scannow‘ and press enter. It can take up to more than a min or two to generate your results. The results will be either of the three messages;
1. Windows did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some (or all) of them
If the third message is shown as the result of the scan then we know there must some problem. If this is the case, type in the command given below in the open PowerShell window and press enter.
This will download files from the Windows update tool in order to replace the corrupt files needed to be replaced. Don’t panic if it seems nothing is happening as it can take up to a few minutes for the process to complete.
STEP 5: Task Manager
Pull up the windows task manager again by pressing the combination of [Alt]+[Ctrl]+[Del] keys together. Click on More details and scroll down. Keep scrolling till you find ‘ Windows Explorer’.
STEP 6: Restart Windows Explorer
Now that you’ve located the ‘Windows Explorer’ application single click to select it and click on the Restart button on the bottom right corner of your task manager’s window. This will restart your windows explorer.
When you click on Restart, tour PC’s screen will black out / flicker for a second or two and will be back to how it was. You will see the Taskbar has also loaded, try clicking anywhere on the taskbar or at the start. It should be working now.
Does your problem still persist? These may be the alternative issues that may be affecting your user experience:
Your system may have some pending updates
Cortana, the assistant from Microsoft is always running in the taskbar and may cause problems too
Cortana could be updating or you might have interrupted an ongoing update without your knowledge, as these apps often get updated automatically in the background.
Too many pinned and open applications in the taskbar can also cause problems for PCs with a low configuration.
Quick Fix
Press [Alt]+[Ctrl]+[Del] to open task manager
File > Run New Task
Type in ‘ Powershell ‘ then Enter
Enter command : sfc/scannow
If reply ‘Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some (or all) of them’, input command ‘DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth ‘
Open task manager again with [Alt]+[Ctrl]+[Del]
Scroll the list of running programs to locate ‘ Windows Explorer’.
Select ‘Windows Explorer’ and restart it. Your system will flicker or blackout for a second or two and your desktop will be loaded.
You are now done and have successfully resolved your PC’s issue all by yourself.
A few things to keep in mind when using a Windows operating system
According to press releases, this will be the last new windows operating system at least for some time as the company will be developing the Windows 10 with regular updates, as Windows 10 is cross-platform OS and the first of its kind from Microsoft you can expect a lot of new features and frequent updates.
Keep space free on your system installation drive.
Maintain an active un-interrupted internet connection during updates.
Keep windows defender active to protect your PC from adware and malware
Don’t download or install applications from untrusted sources.
Alternative Approach
Restore Point
Creating a Restore Point can be a pretty helpful often and can resolve not only the issue at hand but much more. This feature allows you to revert back to a certain point previously set by you. If your system is under virus/malware threat, or if your system has crashed due to system failure or other malfunctions. If you do not prepare a restore point the System restore will not work for you.
This feature comes in very handy when you feel like nothing you are trying is working. If you have a Restore Point set you can easily revert back to working condition without any hassle.
So, I hope my above guidelines has helped your issues with the Windows 10 taskbar being unresponsive.
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