Although Windows 10 was launched quite a while back, it is still full of errors. The most common component that can break out of all things is the start menu. Microsoft recognized that and added a Start menu troubleshooter which was later taken down by them and a new Troubleshooter was added in Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Search and Indexing.
Symptoms Of ‘Windows 10 Tile Database Corrupt’ Error:
This error can present itself with these symptoms:
- Cortana button in the taskbar does nothing
- The button only works while typing something in Search.
- While the start menu is open, a black box replaces taskbar icons or taskbar icons disappear.
- WinX menu cannot be accessed
- Windows metro apps show “An error occurred, Try refreshing”
What Is The ‘Windows 10 Tile Database Corrupt’ Error?
When you get these errors, the troubleshooter shows the error “Tile database is corrupt”. The start menu tile files are stored in a database in the AppData folder. If somehow this database gets corrupted, the start menu stops working and the symptoms above start appearing.
FIXED: Windows 10 Tile Database Corrupt
You can try running the troubleshooter, but it is usually unable to fix the issue, and you must do it manually. Here I will discuss how to fix easily the “Windows 10 tile database is corrupt error”. Follow the fixes in the order they are written for repairing tile database.
# Fix 1: Run DISM Scan
The database may be corrupted because some files may be missing from the update folder. These missing files can lead to the start menu being broken, and first, you should try refilling the database files using the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM scan).
Note: you must be connected to the Internet, as the required files are downloaded from online servers..
- Open an elevated Command Prompt. To do this, open a Run dialog (Win + R), type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
- In the field input, type the following command and press Enter:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
3. Let the scan run and download the missing or corrupted files.
The scan may take some time depending on your system to finish. Wait for the “The restore operation completed successfully” message that indicates that the scan has finished resetting your database.
4. Restart your PC.
Once you restart your PC the start menu should work properly as the tile database is restored.
However, if the DISM tool fails to solve your issue, you can move on to the next fix.
# FIX 2: New Tile Database File
When the database in one account is corrupted or lost, you can try replacing the files from another account on your system or from another system running Windows 10. Obviously, you should try replacing the files from your system itself first.
To do so, you can follow these easy steps:
- Create a new User Account with a different name on your system.
- Log into that new user account.
- In the new user account, open a Run dialogue by pressing Win + R.
- Type the following address and press Enter to open the address:
C:\Users\YOUR_NEW_USERNAME\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer - Here you will see a Database folder. This contains the start menu tile database.
- Copy the database folder and paste it in any shared folder that can be accessed from the other account as well.
- Now log out of this account, and log into your old account that was displaying your issue.
- There, go to the following directory by pasting it in the run dialog box:
C:\Users\YOUR_OLD_USERNAME\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer - Rename the database folder in this address to Database.old
10. Go to the shared folder where you copied the Database folder from the new user account. Copy the file and paste it in the directory given in step 8.
11. Restart your PC.
Replacing the database files will reset your start menu to default. But it will also be fixed and should work normally as expected.
If copying files from your own system doesn’t work, you can copy the database folder from a different system altogether as well that has a fully functioning Start menu.
# FIX 3: Startup Repair
It is also possible that some startup files may be corrupt that may be causing this issue. You can try running a startup repair that may be able to fix the start menu and the corrupted tile database.
To initiate Startup repair, you can try the following steps:
- Open the Settings (Shortcut: Win + I).
- Select Update & Security.
- From the left pane, select Recovery.
- From the right pane, under Advanced Startup click on Restart now.
Caution: Your PC will instantaneously restart without any confirmatory dialog, so save your files and other work before clicking Restart now button.
5. Alternatively, if you have a Windows 10 install disk, you can connect it and select the Repair Option.
Follow the on-screen instructions to troubleshoot and repair your Windows 10 installation.
# FIX 4: Reset System
This is the most hated option out of the four mentioned, but if you have no other solution, you can try resetting your Windows 10 installation that will fix the problem.
If you don’t want to reset the Windows installation, you can try creating another user account and migrate your files from the old account to the new account.
Conclusion
Although the Start menu is the most common component that becomes broken, solving it is pretty easy if you know exactly what to do. Now you know how to solve the “Windows 10 tile database corrupt” error using the 4 fixes given above. Did you find this useful? Comment below to discuss further the same.