How to Reset Windows 10 Start Menu to Default via Registry Editor

By Achilles Hill | Last Updated January 03, 2024

In Windows 10, Microsoft has brought back the Start menu. As we all know, Start menu is an essential and warmly welcomed Windows feature, which enables users to customize it by pinning various applications as tiles, changing their positions, resizing the live tiles, turning on/off live tiles, pinning/unpinning applications from taskbar and so on according to their preferences.

Normally, it works great. However, at times the Start menu will become messed up, broken or unusable and these tiles don't work exactly as expected. In that case, you may want to know how to reset Windows 10 Start menu to default. Although Microsoft doesn't provide a quick way, you can reset Windows 10 Start menu layout to default via Windows 10 Registry Editor.

Steps to Reset Windows 10 Start Menu to Default

Before you take this method, there is one point that deserves your attention, which is that all the setting of the Start menu will be restored to the default, so you have to add tiles again, resize them and do other settings as per your needs. And, in order to avoid some mishaps and errors, you'd better take a system backup or create a system restore point in advance. Now follow the below steps to implement this method.

Step 1: Open Registry Editor.

To get started, press the Windows icon key and R key on the keyboard simultaneously, type regedit, and then click OK>Yes to open Registry Editor.

Step 2: Go to the DefaultAccount key.

When you come to the window of Registry Editor, navigate to the following address in the left pane: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ CloudStore\Store\Cache\DefaultAccount

Step 3: Delete the DefaultAccount key.

To delete the DefaultAccount key, right click the key of DefaultAccount and select the Delete option from the context menu.

Then you will be asked "Are you sure you want to permanently delete this key and all of its sub keys", click Yes to confirm your action.

Step 4: Restart your computer.

Close your Registry Editor and then restart your computer or Windows Explorer.

Until now, you have finished all the steps to reset Windows 10 Start menu layout. Then you can compare the previous Start menu and the current one, and you will find that the Windows 10 Start menu is reset to default.

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