WINDOWS PROCESS
StartMenuExperienceHost
The process that displays the Start menu. Microsoft's Start menu troubleshooting guide calls it the process responsible for displaying Start and says every signed-in user should have one in their session. It belongs to the Start menu's own app package, Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost; on Windows 10 version 1809 and earlier, Start lived in a different package.
TECHNICAL SUMMARY
| Process | StartMenuExperienceHost.exe |
|---|---|
| Display name | Windows Start Experience Host |
| File | C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\StartMenuExperienceHost.exe |
| Signed by | Microsoft Windows |
| Verdict | Leave it alone |
Paths, signer and service account observed on Windows 11 build 26300 on 6 November 2026. Run the commands below to check your own PC.
Should you touch it?
Leave it aloneIt is the Start menu itself, so stopping it gains nothing. When Start does not open or keeps crashing, Microsoft's troubleshooting steps below check whether it runs for your account and register its package again. On the PC used for this page one copy was running, in the signed-in user's session, started by svchost.exe.
What PC Tweaker does with it
PC Tweaker's priority rules refuse programs in the Windows folder and security software, so the app never changes this process's priority, and no control in the catalogue stops or edits it.
Check it yourself
See where it runs from
Protected processes hide their path from a normal window; run PowerShell as administrator to see it.
PowerShellGet-Process StartMenuExperienceHost -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Id, PathCheck who signed the file
Expect Status: Valid and a certificate issued to Microsoft Windows. A file with this name anywhere else, or with another signer, deserves a closer look.
PowerShellGet-AuthenticodeSignature "C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\StartMenuExperienceHost.exe" | Format-List Status, SignerCertificate
Common questions
Is StartMenuExperienceHost.exe safe, or could it be a virus?
The genuine file is in C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy and is signed by Microsoft Windows. A program can borrow a familiar name, so check where your copy runs from and who signed it with the commands in “Check it yourself”. A file with this name anywhere else, or with another signer, deserves a closer look.
Can I end StartMenuExperienceHost.exe?
Leave it alone. It is the Start menu itself, so stopping it gains nothing. When Start does not open or keeps crashing, Microsoft's troubleshooting steps below check whether it runs for your account and register its package again. On the PC used for this page one copy was running, in the signed-in user's session, started by svchost.exe.
The Start menu won't open. How do I check StartMenuExperienceHost.exe?
Check that it runs for your account. From an elevated PowerShell prompt, Microsoft's guide uses Get-Process StartMenuExperienceHost -IncludeUserName; each signed-in user should have one copy. If yours is missing, check from a normal, non-elevated PowerShell window that the Start package is registered for you: Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost. If it runs but keeps crashing, the Application event log records the crashes as events 1000 and 1001.
How do I register the Start menu again?
Run Microsoft's command from a non-elevated PowerShell prompt, so the package is registered for you rather than for the administrator: Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\AppxManifest.xml" -Register -DisableDevelopmentMode. It works only while the package still exists on the PC; Get-AppxPackage *StartMenu* -AllUsers, from an elevated prompt, shows whether it does. If Start is not installed for any user, Microsoft says there is no supported way to install it on its own, and the quickest fix is to return to a known good state: roll back the update, reset the PC or restore a backup.
Why does the Start menu stop responding?
One cause Microsoft documents is the Background Tasks Infrastructure Service (BrokerInfrastructure) not running. Its guide says this service must be running for a stable Start menu, is set to start automatically and cannot be stopped while Windows runs. On the PC used for this page it ran in the same svchost.exe that started StartMenuExperienceHost.exe.