What you need to know
- Windows 11 has a bug that causes some PCs to show the Windows 10 Start menu and Taskbar after updating to the new operating system.
- The Windows 10 Start menu shown does not work on affected PCs.
- Some have managed to fix the issue by uninstalling the latest Windows 11 cumulative update.
Windows 11 officially launched this week and is gradually rolling out to PCS that meet its minimum requirements. Some people that updated their PC see a bug that causes the Windows 10 Start menu and Taskbar to appear on the new operating system. The Taskbar and Start menu do not work on affected PCs.
The issue was flagged up on Reddit, and a similar thread appeared on Microsoft's website.
"Updated to Windows 11 using Microsoft's official update assistant," reads the Reddit post. "I still have the old taskbar and the start menu doesn't work at all."
Several commenters in the Reddit thread shared that they've run into the same issue. There appear to be a few workarounds, though there isn't an official fix at this time. One option is to uninstall the most recent update. Another involves creating a new local account and giving it admin rights. Neither of these is an elegant solution, and neither addresses the cause of the problem, but they can help make an affected PC usable while Microsoft works on a fix.
The same issue appeared for Windows Insiders two months ago, though it doesn't appear to have been fixed.
The Start menu and Taskbar on Windows 11 have proven controversial since their unveiling. Our senior editor recently wrote about how the Start menu sucks. Concept artists have shown what they believe to be improvements to the design of the Start menu.
If you want to change the appearance of Microsoft's latest OS, make sure to check out our guide on the best apps to customize the look of Windows 11.
