The Start menu opens, but its tiles are empty coloured squares, show only a download arrow, or have lost their icons and names. When Windows 10 Start menu tiles blank out like this, finding apps slot dewa becomes guesswork.
Tiles depend on the apps they represent and on a small database that stores the Start layout. If an app is being updated, its package is damaged, or the icon cache is out of date, the tile has nothing to draw.
Live tiles that once showed news or weather can also go blank when their background updates stop.
In most cases the tiles come back after a restart of the shell and a refresh of the apps behind them.
What Usually Triggers It
Blank tiles usually come from these situations:
- Store apps are updating or reinstalling in the background.
- The icon cache is corrupted, so pictures cannot be displayed.
- An app package is damaged after an interrupted update.
- Live tiles are switched off, or background apps are blocked.
If only a few tiles are blank, the apps behind those tiles are the place to look.
First Steps to Try
Refresh the Start menu.
- Restart the PC, then wait a few minutes for background Store updates to finish.
- Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select Windows Explorer, and choose Restart.
- Open the Microsoft Store, go to Library or Downloads and updates, and select Get updates.
- Right-click a blank tile, choose Unpin from Start, then find the app in the All apps list and pin it again.
- For a live tile, right-click it, choose More, and select “Turn live tile on.”
Re-pinning a single tile is the quickest fix when only one or two are affected.
If the Problem Continues
Repair the apps and caches.
- Press Windows + R, type wsreset.exe, and press Enter to clear the Store cache.
- Open Settings > Apps, select an app with a blank tile, choose Advanced options, and select Repair.
- Open Settings > Privacy > Background apps and make sure apps are allowed to run in the background.
- Run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in an administrator Command Prompt.
- Create a new user account and check whether its Start menu tiles display normally.
If the new account looks fine, the Start layout database in your old profile is damaged. Rebuilding the tiles manually in that account, or moving to the new one, are both workable options.
Protect Your Data First
Unpinning and repairing apps does not remove personal files. Resetting an app, unlike repairing it, clears its saved data, so try Repair first. Note your preferred tile arrangement before making big changes, since some layouts may need rebuilding.
The Bottom Line
Blank Start tiles usually mean apps are updating or their icons cannot load. Restart Explorer, update Store apps, and re-pin affected tiles. Repairing apps and checking a fresh account deal with the stubborn cases.
