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How to fix blank tiles in the Windows 10 Start menu

where start menu tiles

For those still on Windows 10, no doubt you will have come across tiles that suddenly went blank or the "live" aspect of them stopped working. This happened on my system, and after a long period of searching to no avail, I stumbled upon a workaround that does not seem to be the suggested fix elsewhere.

Other websites suggest clearing the Start menu cache files or icon cache. In fact, the Microsoft Answers website suggest this as well, but these suggestions did not work at all for me. The actual fix is actually far simpler.

  1. Locate a blank tile that needs fixing.

    windows 10 start menu tiles

  2. Right click on the problem icon (blank tile) then select More > App settings.

  3. Scroll down and click on Repair, this will fix the icon on the Start menu.

    windows 10 start menu tiles

  4. If Repair does not exist, then click on Reset to fix the icon. However, you may need to login to that app again.

Results vary, for example clicking on Reset while fixing the Messenger app does not require you to login again. But before you Reset any app, be sure you are able to login to it again.

The result

start menu blank tiles

Now we have icons on what were blank tiles again. Unfortunately, live tile behavior is not something I've been able to find a fix for, it either works or it doesn't work.

Share your Start menu fixes in the comments below!

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