Windows taskbar has stopped working. What to do?

In this practical tip, we will show you what you can do when the Windows taskbar stops working. It does not matter whether you are using Windows 7 or Windows 10, the following instructions apply to both operating systems.

Windows taskbar not available: You can do that

The easiest way to show the Windows taskbar again is to restart Windows Explorer manually.

1. Press the key combination [Ctrl], [Alt] and [Del].
2. Select the "Task Manager" here.
3. Go to the "Processes" tab and search for "explorer.exe".
4. End this process by clicking on "End process".
5. Now click on "File"> "New Task" at the top and enter "explorer.exe" in the field.
6. After confirming by clicking "OK", the taskbar should function properly again.

Another solution: Remove autostart programs

Programs running in the background can also cause complications when you run the taskbar. In most cases, such problems occur in connection with antivirus programs.

• Open your task manager with the key combination [Ctrl], [Alt] and [Del].
• Now select the "Autostart" tab.
• Right-click on one of the potential causes.
• With another click on the "Deactivate" button, you have removed the program from the autostart.
• If there are still several programs that can cause the defective taskbar, then repeat the process several times.
• If necessary, restart your computer.
• If your taskbar is working again, add one program after the other and restart your PC after each process.
• This way you can see which software it is and can then uninstall it.
• If the problem actually comes from your antivirus program, we will show you the best alternatives in our leaderboard.
• If you use Windows 10, another solution is to update your operating system. How to find out whether a new update is available for your PC can be read in our next article.

In the next practical tip, we will show you how to display the taskbar on two screens under Windows.