Windows Start menu sometimes no longer works after update

At the beginning of the month, Microsoft released the last update of the year for Windows 11. In addition to difficulties with installation, users are now also reporting problems with the start menu. So far there is only a workaround.

December patch causes further difficulties

On December 10, Redmond released cumulative updates for Windows 11 24H2, 23H2 and 22H2 with KB5048667 and KB5048685, among others. Officially, the update improves the security of the system and closes some related gaps.

However, some users reported last week that the update could not be installed and that their computers were significantly slower after installing KB5048667 than before. Now there seem to be more problems. This time it affects the Start menu of Windows 11. How Windows Latest reported, individual users complain about display problems. But there is also some talk of the start menu no longer working at all.

Workaround via the registry

The menu in Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 no longer responds to user input after installing KB5048685. According to current knowledge, this problem can occur when using a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). The problem has already been confirmed by Citrix.

The software company also has a Support document shared with a workaround. In order to be able to use the start menu as usual again, an entry in the registry must be adjusted. However, the necessary modifications are very easy to make. The key in question is HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetservicesCtxUvi

There the entry “StartMenuExper;” must be added to the “UviProcessExcludes” value. created or around the “;” be expanded. After a restart, the start menu should work again.

Microsoft with update break

Microsoft is also shutting down its activities over the holidays. Therefore, affected users should not expect the Redmond company to fix the problem quickly. It was already announced in mid-November that there would be no more optional Windows updates in 2024.