Microsoft finally confirms this annoying Windows 10 issue on taskbar & Start menu icons

Following weeks of complaints, Microsoft has finally addressed this Windows 10 issue on the taskbar & Start menu icons. The issue itself plagues all users of the 22H2 and 21H2 versions after installing the KB5036979 update from April 2024.

TL;DR, because of this issue, an “Open with” dialog is triggered whenever you right-click on the Taskbar or Start menu icons, instead of the usual context menu. The “Open With” dialog box then asks, “How do you want to open this file?”

The Redmond tech giant says in a recent update of its release health page that it will be shipping its fix in an upcoming Windows 10 update.

But if you’ve also been affected by this issue, you can still do what you need by opening the app and using its menus. Even though the “Open With” dialog pops up when you right-click, you can find the same options inside the app itself.

Earlier this year, folks using Windows 10 and 11 also saw issues where an unwanted Microsoft Copilot app showed up in their system after updating Microsoft Edge. While Microsoft does have a not-so-good track record at slapping unwanted stuff in their customers’ PCs, this bug is purely accidental.

Despite being released way back in 2015, Windows 10 still has a good number of users who mainly refused to upgrade to Windows 11 for all sorts of reasons. The Windows 10 21H2 version will reach its end-of-life this month (June 2024) for all editions, whereas the 22H2 version will continue to receive security updates until October 2025.