The Windows 10 Start menu has the best of both Windows 7 and Windows 8. In fact, it looks more modern and cleaner while still being touch-friendly. As useful as it is, under certain circumstances, the Start menu might cause some problems like the search feature not working, not responding when the Start button on your keyboard is pressed or showing blank tiles missing titles (often with missing titles), etc. If your Start menu is showing blank tiles, here are a few ways to try to fix it.
Also read: 15 Tips to Use and Customize Windows 11 Start Menu Like a Pro
Restart Your System
This step may look dumb, but trust me, most of the problems will be solved by just restarting your system. So, save all your work, close all the programs and restart your system.
Restart Windows Explorer
If you don’t want to restart your system, you can try restarting the Windows Explorer process to solve the blank Start menu tiles issue. To do that right-click on the taskbar and then select the option “Task Manager.” Alternatively, you can also open the task manager using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Shift + Esc.”
Once the task manager has been opened, scroll down to the bottom of the list in the Processes tab, select “Windows Explorer” and then click on the “Restart” button.
Often, this should solve the issue. If not, keep reading.
Re-Pin the Affected Tile
If restarting Windows Explorer didn’t work, then try re-pinning the affected tile. To start, unpin the tile by simply right-clicking on the affected tile and then selecting the option “Unpin from Start.”
This action unpins the tile. Now, search for the app in the Start menu, right-click on it, and then select the option “Pin to start.”
Clean Your System Using CCleaner
Sometimes the system or store cache and/or other corrupted files might be interfering with the Start menu. In that case, you need to clean your system. To do that you can use a free software called CCleaner. Download the software and install it. Once installed, open the application, and click on the “Analyse” button in the Cleaner tab.
The above action will scan for all the files and other stuff that can be safely removed from your system. Once CCleaner is done analysing, click on the “Run Cleaner” button to clean your system.
Alternatively, you can also scan and clean your Windows Registry for any unused or corrupted registry keys. You can do that by navigating to the “Registry” tab appearing on the left pane and then clicking on the “Scan for Issues” button.
After scanning, select all the issues, and click on the “Fix selected issues” button.
For me, this solved the issue, but it may be different in your case.
Use Official Start Menu Troubleshooter
If nothing above works, try using the official Start menu troubleshooter. To start, download the start menu troubleshooter (direct download link) and open it. Once opened, click on the Next button to continue.
Now, Windows will scan your system, and if there are any problems with your Start menu, the program will automatically solve the issue(s).
Do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above solutions to fix blank Start menu tiles in Windows 10.
Vamsi is a tech and WordPress geek who enjoys writing how-to guides and messing with his computer and software in general. When not writing for MTE, he writes for he shares tips, tricks, and lifehacks on his own blog Stugon.
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