Right-click not working on Start Menu or Taskbar in Windows 11/10

On right-clicking on the Start button and Taskbar, Windows 11/10 shows different options. However, in Windows 11, you will see only a few options when you right-click on the Taskbar. If the right-click is not working on the Start Menu or Taskbar in Windows 11/10, this article will help you. In this post, we will provide the most suitable solutions you can try to resolve this issue.

Right-click not working on Start Menu or Taskbar

Use the following suggestions if right-click is not working on the Start Menu or Taskbar in Windows 11/10:

Restart Windows Explorer
Clear File Explorer History
Disable Shell Extensions
Repair your system image files
Modify the UseExperience registry value
Run PowerShell cmdlet
Replace contents of the WinX folder
Troubleshoot in a Clean state
Uninstall the recent Windows Update
Reset your PC

Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved concerning each of the listed solutions.

1] Restart Windows Explorer

This solution requires you to restart Windows Explorer and see if the issue is resolved. If unresolved, continue with the next solution.

2] Clear File Explorer History

The next step is to clear File Explorer history. To do so, follow the steps provided below:

Open File Explorer on Windows 11/10.
In Windows 10, select View > Options. In Windows 11, click on the three dots on the File Explorer ribbon and select Options.
Under the General tab, click on the Clear button next to the Clear File Explorer history option.

3] Disable Shell Extensions

Some programs install Shell Extensions automatically when you install these programs on your PC. Sometimes, these third-party Shell Extensions cause conflict with Windows Explorer and cause various issues on a Windows computer. To check if this is the case with you, disable all third-party Shell Extensions. You can use ShellExView for this purpose. If this resolves the issue, you need to find the problematic Shell Extension. Once you find it, you can uninstall the program that Shell Extension is associated with.

4] Repair your system image files

Corrupted system image files are one of the reasons for this issue. Windows 11/10 has built-in tools to repair the corrupted system image files. Run System File Checker and DISM tools to repair the system image files. See if it helps.

5] Modify the UseExperience registry value

Since this is a registry operation, it is recommended that you back up the registry or create a system restore point as necessary precautionary measures. Once done, you can proceed as follows:

Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
In the Run dialog box, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
Navigate or jump to the registry key path below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell\Launcher

On the right pane, double-click on the UseExperience entry to edit its properties.

If it is not present, you have to create a new one. Right-click anywhere on the right pane and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value. Name the key UseExperience.

In the properties window, set the Value data to 0.
Click OK to save changes.
Exit Registry Editor and reboot your device.

On boot, check if the problem is solved.

6] Run PowerShell cmdlet

Do the following:

Press the Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
In the Run dialog box, copy and paste the command below to open PowerShell in admin mode.

PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

Alternatively, press the Windows key + X to open the Power User Menu and then press A on the keyboard to launch PowerShell in admin/elevated mode.

In the PowerShell console, copy and paste the cmdlet below and hit Enter. Ignore any warning messages and let the cmdlet execute.

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

After the cmdlet executes, check to see if the issue is resolved.

7] Replace contents of the WinX folder

If you have a spare Windows 11/10 device, go to File Explorer on that device and browse to the location given below.

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX

If you cannot arrange or find another Windows 11/10 PC, there is a workaround.

Just create a new user on your Windows 11/10 PC. Now, copy this folder content, log back into your account, and paste the content to replace it.

The issue should be resolved.

8] Troubleshoot in a Clean state

If nothing helps, start your system in the Clean Boot and see if the issue exists. If the problem disappears in the Clean Boot state, then manually try to identify the offending third-party programs and services that are causing this issue.

To find the culprit third-party program, enable some of the background applications and restart your computer. If the issue reappears, one of the background programs that you have just enabled is the culprit. Follow the same process to find out the problematic third-party service. But this time, you have to use the MSConfig app.

9] Uninstall the recent Windows Update

Microsoft recommends Windows users keep their computer systems up to date. Installing the latest Windows Update is necessary because it installs the latest security patches on your system. However, in some cases, Windows Update cause issues. This can be the case with you. If the issue has started occurring after a recent Windows Update, you can uninstall that particular Windows Update.

10] Reset your PC

If the problem still persists, you can reset your PC to the factory default settings without deleting your data. While performing this action, select the Keep my files option. Though this option does not delete your data., we recommend you backup your data before performing this action.

Hope this helps!

Why can’t I click anything on my taskbar Windows 11?

There can be many reasons why you cannot click on Windows 11 Taskbar. Sometimes, the issues occur due to temporary glitches. Such types of problems can be fixed by restarting the computer or File Explorer. A corrupted user profile or system image files on Windows 11 can also cause this issue.

When I click on the Start button, nothing happens

If the Start menu is not opening or the Start button is not working on your Windows 11/10 computer, you can try some fixes, like restarting Windows Explorer, repairing the system image files, creating a new user profile, etc. If this issue has started occurring after a recent Windows Update, you can uninstall that particular Windows Update.