Restarting Explorer (in Task Manager)
You need to go to the Task Manager. Methods to launch the software tool:
- going to the context menu of the “Start” button (opened by right-clicking on “Start”) and then selecting “Task Manager” from the list;
- keyboard shortcut - pressing Ctrl, Shift, Esc at the same time.
You need the "Processes" tab.
Find the one you need and right-click on it. Restart the process using the appropriate item from the context menu.
The actions will cause the Taskbar and icons to disappear from the desktop. Wait a while. Everything will be restored. If the solution helps and freezing is a rare occurrence.
Restarting the taskbar using PowerShell
If the method above turned out to be ineffective in your case, then you should use the almost one hundred percent option of restoring the functionality of the taskbar. But first you need to disable the firewall built into the OS, otherwise nothing will work. You can do this as follows:
- Open the control panel;
- Find “Windows Firewall” among the icons and click on it;
- Go to the “Turn Windows Firewall on or off” tab;
- We do what is shown in the screenshot and save the changes;
- Ready. We can use PowerShell. Advice: if you use an antivirus with a built-in firewall (Kaspersky a/v, Nod32, Dr. Web and others), disabling it will not be necessary. To enable this utility, you can use several methods, but we decided to focus on the command line. We run it as Administrator, enter the command “PowerShell” (without quotes). Done, now the corresponding mode is enabled on the command line. Then we proceed as follows:
- Enter the command from the screenshot;
- Press the “Enter” button and wait for the taskbar restoration process to complete;
- Reboot the computer.
Ready! The taskbar should now start working correctly again. If the problem returns during the next update, you know what you will need to do - so save the article to your bookmarks. Even if you immediately switched to the second method, having skipped the first, we recommend using it to clean the Registry - the computer will work a little faster.
Method 5: Check your personalization settings
Certain personalization settings can cause problems with the taskbar on both weak and powerful computers. It is recommended to disable them to check the effectiveness of the method as follows:
- Go to Settings again through the Start menu.
There, select the “Personalization” tile.
Go down to the “Taskbar” item and turn off the display of logos.
In the same window below, disable the display of contacts, if suddenly this option was enabled.
Other ways to fix the problem
If none of the methods given in the article helped you, the problem may be a malfunctioning driver that could not be identified by the fourth method. Check your drivers by following the article Use the Windows Driver Checker and update the drivers for all your devices.
If these actions do not solve the problem, contact the forum - perhaps through joint efforts we will be able to find a solution.
The author thanks OSZone conference participant Petya V4sechkin for his assistance in preparing the article.
Reasons for loss
The taskbar is the most important element of the Windows graphical interface. If the horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen suddenly disappears, the user is dealing with an internal OS failure. Typically, when you move the arrow to the bottom of the screen, the line will pop up and then disappear from view again.
Often the causes of this problem are:
- switch to full screen mode;
- resizing the Taskbar;
- exposure to virus software;
- installation of third-party utilities;
- violation of the integrity of OS files;
- installing or updating video card drivers;
- incorrect operation of the Explorer.
Regardless of the source of the problem, it can be easily fixed using the built-in resources of the operating system. This does not require reinstalling the “ten”. Just go to the Start menu, then select the appropriate toolkit and follow the instructions.
Method 4: Delete Recent Apps
Recently installed applications can also cause the taskbar to freeze. Some of them affect the operating system, causing various errors to occur. If you recently installed any software and then began to notice the taskbar freezing, it is recommended to get rid of it.
- To do this, open Start and go to Settings. If Start is also frozen, press the Win + I keys.
Click on the "Applications" tile.
Scroll through the list to find the exact program and remove it.
More detailed information about software uninstallation methods can be obtained in a separate material on our website by clicking on the link below.
Sometimes a third-party application can infect your computer with viruses, which also has a negative impact on the operation of the OS. If you notice suspicious programs that you did not install yourself, deleted them, but even after that errors still remain, scan your computer for dangerous programs.
SFC System Scan
After the so-called autumn updates of Windows 10 (Fall Update, November Update and Threshold 2), many users encountered problems with the taskbar and Start button not functioning correctly. The taskbar in Windows 10 has stopped working as intended. At first, this problem arose only with the volume icon - it could not be launched. Then the same problem appeared with the Start button.
Let's start with the simplest method. Let's scan Windows 10 using the built-in SFC tool. To do this, right-click on the Start icon and select “Command Prompt (Administrator)” from the drop-down menu.
In the window that opens, enter the following command:
sfc /scannow
The scan may take some time, but you should wait for it to complete. There is a good chance that you can use this tool to solve a problem that prevented you from using icons on the Windows 10 taskbar. If that doesn’t help, use a similar tool that is available as part of the CCleaner program. In the Registry, search for and fix problems, and then restart your computer. If, nevertheless, the scanning did not bring the desired results and it still does not work, we move on to the second method.
Returning the OS to its original state
The solution is to restore the system to its original state. Remember that changes made (including important ones and those made by experienced friends) will be lost. The software will also be removed. The files will be saved (provided the user selects the option to save them).
Press the Win and S keys simultaneously to open the search bar. Print or copy: original state
Select the option to reset your computer. Open it.
Before you click on the “start” button: returning to the original state of the system is analogous to reinstalling. Applicable in exceptional cases. Not recommended for users whose PCs are configured by specialists. After application, you will need to install all the software again.
I do not recommend it in cases where the failures are isolated in nature on a weak machine and do not interfere with work.
There are two recovery options. In both settings and software will be lost. The first will store files: texts, spreadsheets, photos and videos, as well as other storage contents. Do not choose to delete personal files as this will cause you to lose everything on the drive.
Cancel the restoration if you have even the slightest doubt (click on the appropriate button).
The computer is connected to the Internet and uses the IPv6 protocol
The mere fact of being connected to the Internet, of course, does not cause the problem. However, often the problem is related to the use of the IPv6 protocol. The problem with the IPv6 protocol occurs if you have it installed, but your router and/or ISP equipment is not configured correctly.
Diagnostics
Disconnect the LAN cable or modem from the computer and reboot. If you don't see a hang, the problem may be related to the IPv6 protocol.
Troubleshooting
Check if you have IPv6 enabled. Start - Search/Run - cmd - OK - ipconfig /all . If in the command results you see a line with an IPv6 address:
IPv6 address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:d4c3:a5d7:438:3b8e:aa53:120f(Main)
disable IPv6 protocol. In Windows XP this is done with the command
netsh interface ipv6 uninstall
For Windows 7 and Vista, detailed instructions are available in article KB929852.
Windows 7 Control Panel does not open, what should I do?
A PC user who does not perform various actions with his device very often may not need a control panel. Indeed, if a computer is needed only to work with text documents, there is no need to dive into complexity. Well, everyone else understands perfectly how important and necessary the control panel is.
And when the latter stops opening on Windows 7, this becomes a serious problem. Perhaps not every second, but every fifth user of the above-mentioned operating system encounters it, but this does not mean that the solution to the problem should not be known. After all, as they say, forewarned is forearmed.
So, what could suddenly cause a system crash that prevents the Windows 7 control panel from opening ? Firstly, it is worth noting the OS version - whether it is licensed or not. In the first case, there are much fewer reasons, and it is extremely rare for users of official Windows 7 to encounter a similar problem.
If you have a pirated copy or assembly, then try to look for the reason in the OS itself. Unlicensed versions, if you do not disable automatic updates in time, download various updates and additions from the Microsoft website. Because of this, OS components fail, which leads to disruption. The functionality of the latter is limited, and it becomes impossible to get into the control panel. In this case, Windows 7 cannot be repaired; the system must be reinstalled.
However, you should not immediately suspect the problem described above; there are also other, more “simple” reasons and their correction. For example, a virus could have gotten into the PC, or the drivers turned out to be not the best, to put it mildly. To fix this problem, you should check your computer for harmful programs or restore the system. This should be done from the last saved point, but it is worth making the right choice here. As you can understand, the point should be the one at which nothing has gone wrong and everything has opened perfectly. This is how you simply solve a problem that can cause so many negative emotions.
Personalization (Settings)
Some personalization settings cause the Taskbar to crash. Does not depend on PC hardware configuration. The error is likely to occur on both high and low performance computers.
Go back to setting the parameters (keys that are pressed simultaneously: Win, I). Go to personalization settings.
You need to disable the display:
How to enable/disable Windows Firewall
If you don’t know how to enable or disable the firewall, we offer short instructions.
Open the Run window using the Win+R keys and enter the following command:
services.msc
In the Services window that opens, find “Windows Firewall” in the list. Right-click on it and select “Properties”. In the Startup Type section, select “Manual” and click “Apply”. Then in the “Status” field, click on Start. That's it, the firewall will be enabled.
Via PowerShell
Alternative: Using commands in PowerShell. Access to the software tool:
- pressing the Win and X keys simultaneously;
- Click on the item prompting you to open PowerShell in administrator mode.
The sequence of commands and actions and the effect of application are completely identical to those performed on the command line.
Removing recently installed software
Programs can affect the performance of the OS, including negatively. They cause errors and failures. Do you remember if you have installed any applications recently? Are there any obviously dubious ones among them?
It is possible that the panel began to freeze after installing a certain program or game. In this case, the cause is known with high probability.
Go to Operating System Settings. A universal method that does not depend on the functionality of the taskbar: simultaneously pressing the Win and I keys.
Directly go to the Apps & Features option. Enter the name of the required settings item in the search bar of the Options window. Option: through the “Applications” item.
Is your taskbar frozen? Even easier, enter the name of the parameter in the search bar to the right of the “Start” button (the “magnifying glass” icon if the line is not visible). Open the option to go to settings.
Sort the software by installation date (sort option is selected from the drop-down list). Have you installed the application, remember the name, but it’s not visible? Search the software list.
To remove a program directly from the list, click on it and click “Delete”.
Are the system files intact?
Did the approaches discussed above not help? Check the integrity of system files using the command line.
By simultaneously pressing the Win and R keys, open the input and execution line for basic commands (not yet the command line).
Apply the command by pressing the “OK” screen button.
Enter and apply the command: sfc /scannow (Administrator rights required).
If an error is reported, the reason is one of the software components of the system.
Using the command line
Open a command prompt. Sequencing:
- keyboard shortcut Win and R;
- in the input line after “Open:” cmd;
- to confirm - OK.
The command to terminate the Explorer.exe process is:
The result of using the command looks scary to an untrained user. The graphical interface has completely disappeared. I will say in advance: it is easy to recover. An important lesson for beginners: do not use unfamiliar commands unless you know the command that returns everything to its original state.
start explorer.exe is a command that returns the desktop, main menu button and taskbar to their place.
The example debunks the myth that situations where the Microsoft OS loses the graphical interface are unlikely or even impossible. They believe that this only happens in Linux. You see, a simple command is enough.
Shows that knowledge of teams is necessary even in 2022.
Additionally: the method is used as an alternative to rebooting the OS to apply changes in settings.
For macOS users: this action is similar to restarting Finder.
