Restore a Windows taskbar and Start menu that have disappeared

The Windows taskbar, along with the Start menu, can be hidden off-screen. To restore the Windows taskbar, use one of the following methods.

Option 1:

1. Press the Windows key + I, then select Personalization, then select Taskbar.
2. Select Taskbar behaviors to expand the selection.
3. Uncheck the box for Automatically hide the taskbar.

Option 2:

1. Move your mouse cursor to the edge of the screen where the Windows taskbar was last located. A thin gray line should appear along the edge of the screen where the Windows taskbar was last seen.
2. When the cursor turns into a thin arrow pointing away from that edge, click and hold the left mouse button and drag away from that edge. This should allow users to drag the Windows taskbar to the wanted size.

Booting into Safe mode and back into normal mode in Windows can also help get the Windows taskbar back.

See Dell Knowledge Base article How to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 11 or Windows 10 for more information.

For more taskbar solutions, see Microsoft KB article Customize the Taskbar in Windows.

You can also run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool (DISM) and the System File Checker (SFC) to fix corrupted files that may be preventing your taskbar from appearing. For more information, see Microsoft KB article Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files