For me the problem is that the start menu want you to use the search bar, but the search bar breaks all the time. This isn't just on one machine either. I have seen this on at least three different Win11 installs and it drives me crazy. Type anything into the search bar on the start menu and nothing appears in the box, just a big empty black box.
I always have to go and dig through the menu (which Microsoft made more difficult to use to encourage use of the search bar) to launch any application.
There is a service you can restart to get it working again, or you can reboot the machine. But it typically stays working for less than an hour.
I always have to go and dig through the menu (which Microsoft made more difficult to use to encourage use of the search bar) to launch any application.
There is a service you can restart to get it working again, or you can reboot the machine. But it typically stays working for less than an hour.