What to do when the Windows Taskbar is frozen, unusable?

Although users have tried to restart Windows or Restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager, the problem continues to occur. So what is the cause?

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According to research, the cause lies in the update package KB5003637 recently released by Microsoft. After installation, users will encounter some annoying errors such as hanging the taskbar, the application icon on the taskbar does not display properly, the system tray icon disappears.

In fact, some problems with the Taskbar on Windows 10 have been around since the update KB5003214 rolled out at the end of May. However, it is less serious because KB5003214 is an optional update. Meanwhile, KB5003637 is an update that automatically installs on users' machines, so a lot of people have been in trouble.

The problem can appear on devices that use multiple Input Method Editors (IMEs) and/or multiple language packs. In some cases, the system tray icons may disappear or overlap when the News and Interest feature is enabled and you are not using the recommended aspect ratio setting.

So what to do if the computer has the update package KB5003637 installed?

Please proceed to uninstall KB5003637 by doing the following:

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Enter the keyword "cmd" in the search box and click to select the result as shown.

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Enter the command "wusa /uninstall /kb:5003637" into the Command Prompt and press the ENTER key to execute.

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After running the above command, continue to run the command "wusa /uninstall /kb:5004476" to uninstall KB5004476 again.

Restart Windows for any changes to take effect.

The case where the Windows Taskbar is frozen is not due to the update package

If you have checked and completed the uninstallation of the KB5003637 update package and the Taskbar is still frozen, please do the following.

Using Windows PowerShell

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Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).

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Enter the command "Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}", then press the ENTER key to execute.

Using Windows Services

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Enter the command "services" in the search box and click on the result as shown.

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Find the Application Identity.

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Right click on it and select "Start", then restart your computer.

Using Troubleshooter

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Enter the keyword "Troubleshooter" in the search box and click on the result as shown.

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Find the Windows Store Apps section and click on it.

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Click on Run the troubleshooter, then follow the instructions and you're done.

Another solution to fix the error is to create a new user account. If all functions including the Taskbar work fine in this new account, please move the data here and delete the faulty account.

The next way is to perform a virus and malware scan on the computer, it may be infected with a virus but do not know it. Virus removal and removal of these software can help fix the problem. 

Samuel Daniel

Update 29 November 2021