Windows 11 Upgrade Bug Fears Change, Keeps Windows 10 Taskbar

Windows 10 Taskbar Running in Windows 11
(Image credit: Reddit)

According to several Reddit users, a new bug has appeared for Windows 11 users that enables the Windows 10 taskbar within the new operating system. As spotted by Bleeping Computer, users have reported that updating to Windows 11 via Microsoft's Update Assistant was the main culprit. But luckily there are several fixes to get the Windows 11 taskbar back.

Despite having the full Windows 10 taskbar experience back, the taskbar is riddled with bugs. The biggest being a non-functional start menu. So whether or not you prefer the Windows 10 taskbar, this bug won't allow you to use the Windows 10 taskbar in any meaningful way.

If you find yourself in the same situation, then right now there is no clear resolution to the issue. However there are several potential fixes that you can try. The most popular is uninstalling the latest cumulative update for Windows 11, and then reinstalling it by checking for updates in Windows Update. This was a fix Microsoft actually recommended during Windows 11's Insider Preview days, where the taskbar was completely missing or glitching out. 

The next solution was to create a brand new account in Windows 11 and transfer all your files to that account. This brought back the Windows 11 taskbar and everything was back to normal.

The third option is by far the quickest solution, and that is to revalidate and repair corrupted windows files in the Command Prompt in Admin mode. From there type sfc /scannow, and press enter to start the process. Once the tool is done repairing files, you should have the Windows 11 taskbar back up and running. If not, you can try restarting which should hopefully fix it permanently.

Until an official fix is released it appears that you will have to try at least one or more of these solutions to get the Windows 11 taskbar back. 

Aaron Klotz
Freelance News Writer

Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • Dr3ams
    Better to use the Media Creation Tool and either burn an ISO to a DVD, or let the tool load the installer onto a flash drive. Installing it from these two options takes the bumbling online update service out of the loop. By-the-way...using one of the two mentioned options, you can either upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 or do a clean install.
    Reply
  • bolski
    Not sure if this is the same, but I did notice last night that the task bar on my main monitor disappeared but the task bar was visible on my secondary and third monitor. Very strange. On the main window, I saw the spinning "wait" icon and it eventually came back. Haven't seen the Windows 10 bar though.
    Reply
  • DataMeister
    It's too bad they don't just put a checkbox somewhere in the settings to choose which taskbar you want. Obviously they are both in the system.
    Reply
  • JoBalz
    I'd already made the decision to wait a few months to upgrade, giving MS a chance to identify and fix the bugs that always exist in the initial rollout of a new version of Windows. What I've heard the last two days confirms I'm making a good decision to wait.
    Reply
  • SyCoREAPER
    StartIsBack is all you need. Problem solved. Classic/OpenShell is decent too but I like the former better now.
    Reply
  • ghpowell
    Can vouch for that. Classic Shell works OK for me, too.
    Reply