Some reports have stated that users are finding duplicate entries for programs in the Start Menu. This glitch can be caused due to a number of factors. It includes incomplete installations, corrupt installations, and more. The down part of this glitch is the fact that in some cases you see only one icon for the respective program in the Start Menu shortcuts folder.
Duplicate Program icons or shortcuts in Windows 10 Start Menu
If you see duplicate Office or any other program or app icons & shortcuts in Windows 10 Start Menu, then try these suggestions to resolve the issue-
- Delete the duplicate entries from the Start Menu folder (if applicable).
- Reset TileDataLayer cache
- Clear junk files and registry entries
- Run the Windows 10 Start Menu Troubleshooter.
1] Delete the duplicate entries from the Start Menu folder (if applicable)
Open File Explorer and navigate to the following location:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
Select all the duplicate entries from the Start Menu that you see in that directory.
Delete them using the Shift + Delete button combination.
There might be chances that you might not see that duplicate entries in the directory. Do not worry and proceed to the next method.
2] Reset TileDataLayer cache
Open the Windows PowerShell command-line with Administrator level rights.
Run the following command to reset your TileDataLayer cache and, re-register applications in the Start Menu. You might also need to know that it will reset your Start Menu live tile layout:
TDLrecover.exe -resetcache -resetlayout -reregister -allowparallel
It will take a few minutes to complete. You need to wait until it does.
3] Clear junk files and registry entries
You can try to run a program like CCleaner to clean any junk files and registry entries causing this glitch on your Windows 10 device.
4] Run the Windows 10 Start Menu Troubleshooter
You can try to run the Windows 10 Start Menu Troubleshooter.
It will automatically detect and fix any problems that might be present with your Start Menu.
All the best!
