There’s a curious fragility in the way our devices feel like extensions of ourselves — the familiar hum of the desktop, the soft glow of icons on the taskbar, the ease of opening the Start menu with a click or tap. When that rhythm suddenly falters, even for a moment, it can unsettle the flow of daily work and play. In late January 2026, Microsoft acknowledged a Windows 11 bug that caused one such fracture in the user experience: an issue where the Explorer.exe process could crash, leading to the disappearance of the taskbar, Start menu and desktop interface, leaving affected systems in a state where the usual visual cues of the operating system seemed to vanish. But as users reported confusion and frustration, Microsoft responded with a fix now rolling out that aims to restore that familiar structure.
At the heart of the problem was Explorer.exe, the core Windows shell process that brings together critical elements of the user interface — the taskbar, the Start menu, desktop icons and File Explorer. When Explorer.exe stopped responding, users found themselves staring at a screen that felt incomplete, with key tools missing. In some cases, only launching Task Manager (via Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and restarting the process brought the taskbar back into view; in others, the disappearance rendered normal navigation unexpectedly difficult. Microsoft confirmed that this behavior could occur, particularly on systems where certain startup applications were configured, and that it was reviewing reports and data as part of its response.
Such interface instability is more than a visual glitch — it interrupts the smooth continuity of everyday computing, whether checking messages, opening apps or switching between tasks. Users on community forums and social platforms shared their bewilderment at seeing familiar elements vanish after a sign‑in or after installing recent updates, recounting how they resorted to workarounds like restarting Explorer or even uninstalling problematic patches while they waited for an official remedy.
Microsoft has now included the fix in the Windows 11 KB5074105 optional preview update, released in late January 2026. According to support documentation, this update addresses the condition where Explorer.exe might hang or stop responding the first time a user signs into their PC if certain apps were configured as startup programs — the scenario that could result in a missing taskbar and Start menu. The fix also includes other stability improvements for File Explorer’s responsiveness and related features, helping restore not just the visible taskbar but other shell components to their intended behavior.
Importantly, Microsoft is rolling out the update gradually, meaning that not all systems will receive it immediately. As with many staged deployments, users may see the fix appear on their PCs over a period of days or weeks as Microsoft monitors uptake and compatibility. While the patch is optional — often labelled a “preview” or “optional” update — installing KB5074105 is recommended for users experiencing Explorer.exe crashes, taskbar disappearance or similar interface disruptions.
The rollout comes amid a backdrop of other update‑related quirks affecting Windows 11. Earlier cumulative updates in late 2025 and early 2026 had been associated with a range of reported issues, from taskbar glitches and File Explorer stutters to lock screen unresponsiveness and reports of boot errors on some systems. In response, Microsoft has had to issue multiple patches and clarifications as part of its ongoing efforts to refine and stabilise the operating system.
As these updates continue to reach users’ systems, the aim is to reinstate that familiar sense of seamless interaction that countless users expect from their Windows environment. For those whose taskbars disappeared or whose desktops felt incomplete, the gradual rollout of KB5074105 offers a path back to normalcy without needing to resort to temporary workarounds.
In straight news terms: Microsoft acknowledged that a Windows 11 update caused the Explorer.exe process to crash, leading some PCs to lose the taskbar and Start menu. The company has released an optional preview update (KB5074105) that includes a fix for this issue and is being rolled out gradually to eligible systems.
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Sources : Windows Latest All Tech Nerd reporting Windows update situation summary (broader context)