The inability to change the size or position of the taskbar or drag items to it as well as the removal of the Never Combine functionality are just some of the noteworthy omissions. Adding to the user’s misery is the fact that it frequently gets bugged with quite a few issues as well. In this regard, numerous users have voiced their concern that they are unable to open apps from the taskbar on their Windows 11 PC. If you are also in the same boat, then this guide shall help you out. Follow along for the fixes.
Fix Cannot Open Apps from Taskbar in Windows 11
It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success for you. So with that in mind, let’s get started.
FIX 1: Restart PC
In some cases, it might be just a minor glitch that is resulting in the inability of the taskbar to function properly. So before moving to any advanced fixes, you should first restart your PC. Do so and then check if fixes the underlying issue.
FIX 2: Using Keyboard Shortcut
More of a workaround rather than a fix, you could use the Alt-Tab shortcut to bring up the list of all the opened apps and then select the desired app window to open it. While this is best for a short-term respite, but if you are looking to permanently rectify this issue of being unable to open apps from the taskbar in Windows 11, then refer to the fixes listed below.
FIX 3: Restart Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer houses the Taskbar, Start Menu, Action Center, and other related components. So if there’s an issue with the Explorer, then its repercussions are bound to be faced by its associated elements as well, which includes the Taskbar. Hence, you should consider restarting the Taskbar which could be done either by restarting Windows Explorer or ending the task of explorer.exe, both of which are explained below:
FIX 4: Restart Windows Processes
Apart from Windows Explorer, there are a few other system processes keeping a tab on the Taskbar. In case any one of these processes isn’t functioning along the expected lines, then its consequences will be beard by the Taskbar as well. So the best bet, in this case, is to end the task of all these four processes so that they start off with a fresh instance from scratch. here’s how:
FIX 5: Use SFC and DISM Commands
System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management are two command-line utility tools that scan for corrupt Windows files and then replace them with their working counterpart. The major difference between the two is whereas the SFC replaces the corrupt files with the working ones from the cached directory on your PC, DISM does so by downloading the working files from the online Microsoft servers. And as of now, we would be making use of both these tools to fix the underlying issue. Follow along.
FIX 6: Tweak Scale and Display Resolution
Temporarily changing the scale and the display resolution of your screen would end up refreshing its underlying settings and this in turn could well rectify the issue that we are currently dealing with. So let’s give it a try and check out the results. Here’s how it could be done:
FIX 7: Delete IRIS Service
There has always been this debate regarding the actual usage of this file (maybe related to Windows Spotlight ads?). But isn’t up for debate is the fact that it turns out to be the culprit behind most of the underlying issues, including the one that we are currently dealing with. Therefore, you should consider deleting this service. This could be done simply by executing a single line of command in the CMD window. So launch the Command Prompt as an admin from the Start Menu, copy-paste the below command, and hit Enter:
Once the command has been successfully executed, restart your PC (if that doesn’t happen automatically). Then check if it fixes the issue of being unable to open apps from the taskbar in Windows 11.
FIX 8: Change EnableXamlStartMenu Registry Value
In some instances, it could be the Start Menu that could be conflicting with the Taskbar’s normal functionalities. Since the former is designed in XAML language, tweaking its XAML settings by changing its Registry Editor value should be enough to rectify the underlying issue. So proceed ahead with the below steps to try it out:
FIX 9: Reset Taskbar
If none of the aforementioned methods managed to spell out success, then your last course of action should be to reset the taskbar back to its factory default state. Do note that all the apps that you have pinned to the taskbar or any UI changes that you have made will be removed. So if that’s well and good, then refer to the below instructions to reset the Windows 11 Taskbar: That’s it. These were the nine different methods to fix the issue of being unable to open apps from the taskbar in Windows 11. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
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