One of the most annoying issues on a Windows 11/10 computer would be the one where the Restore, Minimize, and Close buttons not working. In this case, the buttons on the right side of the title bar do not respond to any inputs. This is caused due to a number of factors like a different input mode, system files being corrupt, and more. In this guide, we will be taking a look at how to troubleshoot this annoyance on Windows 10.

Restore, Minimize, Maximize & Close buttons not working

Try the following suggestions – I am sure that one of them will be able to help you get the Restore, Minimize and Close buttons working back on your Windows 11/10:

Turn off the Tablet Mode.
Check in Clean Boot State.
Reinstall the program.
Run System File Checker.
Run DISM.

1] Turn off the Tablet Mode

There might be chances that you might be running your computer in the Tablet Mode.

Applications run only on the full-screen mode in Tablet mode, and the title bar is missing on UWP applications until a mouse hovers on the top portion.

In this case, you can turn off Tablet mode and check if the buttons are working fine in conventional mode.

2] Check in Clean Boot State

Perform Clean Boot and check if it is working. If it is, then maybe some extension or addon is affecting the smooth working. Using the trial & error method, you may disable/enable the extensions to try and identify if any of them are causing a problem using a free tool called ShellExView.

3] Reinstall the program

If this issue is being faced on any third-party software or app, you may want to consider reinstalling it.

4] Run System File Checker

Open Command Prompt and type in the following command to run System File Checker and then hit Enter.

sfc /scannow

Restart your system after the scan is completed.

Read: Application stays minimized in the Taskbar.

5] Run DISM

Open CMD (Admin) and enter the following three commands sequentially and one by one and hit Enter:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Let these DISM commands run and once done, restart your computer and try again.

All the best!

Next, we will see what you can do if the Title bar, Minimize, Maximize and Close buttons are missing in Windows 11/10.