Microsoft finally fixes Start menu, Windows Search and UWP app issues in Windows 10 and 11

Windows is no stranger to problems, and some issues linger rather longer than others. A good example is a longstanding bug that has blighted both Windows 10 and Windows 11 since the beginning of the year.

The issue means that the Start menu, Windows search and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps behave strangely or fail to open. Or at least this was the case; Microsoft has now addressed the problems with a new update.

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The problem dates back to mid-Janaury, and until now Microsoft's only advice has been to uninstall apps which integrate with Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Calendar. Over on the release health dashboard, the company explains the nature of the issue:

The Start menu, Windows search, and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps might not work as expected or might have issues opening. Affected Windows devices might have damaged registry keys or data which might affect apps using Microsoft Office APIs to integrate with Windows, Microsoft Office, or Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Calendar. An example of an app affected by this issue is ClickShare. The underlying Issue is not caused by the installation of an update to Windows and might be exposed by an update to an affected app.

In a new update to the notice, Microsoft now says that the issues have been addressed. If you have been affected by the bugs, you just need to make sure that you install the recently released KB5027303 update for Windows 11 or KB5027293 for Windows 10.

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