Windows can be infuriating at times, with every update bringing its fair share of bugs, problems and vulnerabilities. Often, important features go missing after a problematic update, making it difficult to get the most out of your computer. So if you’re looking to restore some important functionalities in Windows 10, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll show you exactly how to restore crucial features and UI elements that might have gone missing in your Windows 10 PC following an update gone awry.

Do note that some of these features can also go missing after changes in core settings or following the installation of certain third-party Windows software. Some of these features are also ‘hidden’ by design when your PC is in tablet mode. Whatever be the case, here’s how you can get back some of the most important UI elements when they go missing in Windows 10.

  • Restore Missing Start Menu
  • Restore Missing Recycle Bin
  • Restore Missing Search Bar
  • Restore Missing File Explorer
  • Restore Missing Taskbar
  • Restore Missing Notification Area Icons
  • Restore any Built-in Windows Tool Using System File Checker

1. Restore Missing Start Menu in Windows 10

The Start Menu is hidden in tablet mode by default. To get it back, you need to switch to desktop mode. To do that, first tap/click on the ‘Notification’ icon on the far right-hand corner of your Taskbar, right next to the clock.

In the PowerShell window, copy+paste the following code and press Enter:

The Recycle Bin is yet another of those UI elements that are unavailable in tablet mode, so you can get it back by switching to desktop mode as described above. If its still not visible, go to Start > Settings.

Now select ‘System’ as seen in the image below.

You should now have the Recycle Bin icon on your Windows 10 desktop.

The Search Bar next to the Start button can sometimes go missing due to faulty settings. To restore it, right click on the Taskbar and check Search > Show Search Box.

The File Explorer can sometimes also go missing, taking with it the entire desktop, including all open windows, the Taskbar, Start button, desktop icons and more. To restore it, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and click on File > Run New Task (as described in [1] above).

Now type in ‘explorer.exe’ (without quotes) in the popup window. Ensure that you check the option to create the task with Admin privileges before hitting ‘OK’ or Enter.

If you can’t see the Taskbar, just check to see if it’s merely hidden. To do that, move the mouse pointer to the bottom of your screen. If the Taskbar pops up, check the option that says ‘Lock the Taskbar’. If you can’t see the option here, click on ‘Taskbar Settings’.

In the next window (you can also get here from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar), you will find the option to lock your Taskbar. Switch the option to ‘On’, as seen in the screenshot below. You should also toggle off ‘Auto hide Taskbar in desktop mode’ and ‘Auto hide Taskbar in tablet mode’.

If the Notification Area icons in the bottom right, including clock, volume, network, etc., go missing, they can be restored pretty easily. To do that, go to ‘Taskbar Settings’ (as described in [5] above), scroll down and click on ‘Turn system icons on or off’.

Now toggle on all the icons you want in the taskbar notification area and toggle off everything you don’t.

In rare occasions, the methods described above may not work, or you may want to restore a functionality that can’t be easily restored. In such cases, you need to run the System File Checker (SFC) to see if any of the critical system files are corrupted.