Can't launch apps from windows 10 start menu search results

I've been having all sorts of problems with the start menu on my Windows 10 Pro 64 system.

A week or so ago my start menu stopped launching. I followed all the guides to fix that.

In the end I created a new profile on the machine and migrated my data and settings.

Under my new profile I cannot launch items from search results. "Quickbooks" displays the quickbooks app, when I left click it nothing happens. Only way to launch is right click "run as administrator" or right click "open location" and run the shortcut.

I've just started a reindex of the search, wondered if the search results were pointed at shortcuts which no longer worked due to profile migration.

Any other thoughts?

todbanner

Posted 2016-04-28T17:14:11.520

Reputation: 113

I've got UAC set to warn but not black the screen out. – todbanner – 2016-04-28T18:37:20.787

Answers

This is a problem that drove me crazy ever since using Windows 10.

UPDATE 2017/09: The problem came back, and honestly, I was tired of this and now just installed Classic Shell which seems to work for me. Really, all I wanted is a working Start menu. Still, here is the first recommendation...

This genius here found a dead simple solution that worked like a charm for me:

Windows 10 'left click' EASY fix

Right clicked on start menu, went to notifications, select which icons appear in taskbar. Shut them all OFF. Shut down and restart, went back to notifications, which icons appear in taskbar, turned them back ON.

It's also mentioned in this Microsoft discussion, but drowned out by all the other complicated recommendations.

Oliver Heggelbacher

Posted 2016-04-28T17:14:11.520

Reputation: 131

I can't see 'Notifications' when I right click the start menu. – niico – 2018-12-19T08:46:29.027

Not sure this is still relevant & works like that, Win10 has been updated a lot since. Personally I'm still using Classic Shell. – Oliver Heggelbacher – 2019-03-04T20:04:52.177

Truly a genius, what a weird bug... @niico, you should write 'icon' in the start menu search to get the setting screen Oliver is talking about. – Leopoldo Sanczyk – 2020-02-09T05:09:03.453

Thanks Leopoldo for the update. Honestly, I'm still using ClassicShell, donated money, and never looked back. I know it's not maintained but as of today works like a charm: Gives me a start menu. And not a weather report or games or stock market infos. – Oliver Heggelbacher – 2020-02-13T16:06:53.673

When every magic method (such as changing theme, turning off and on notifications, restarting, logging into another account (which actually worked fine), running DISM) failed,

even reseting search index and adding such locations as ProgramFiles and ProgramFiles(x86) also failed to resolve the problem

(although I didn't check the solution described here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-win_cortana/windows-10-creators-update-search-not-finding-apps/eaf70556-2344-474d-b633-e00140b0466d that involves setting Let apps run in the background but I doubt it would work either),

I ended up with System Restore. Fortunately the restore point was from about 2 days earlier so the loss of data and settings wasn't so tragic.

Szybki

Posted 2016-04-28T17:14:11.520

Reputation: 123