Windows 11 start menu

mrjacko said:

Hi all,

just wondering if anyone has come across this issue before.

windows 11 has been remotely deployed to a few machines, and after a few weeks the start menu becomes inaccessible, you can't see any office apps
all permissions to access the start menu has some how been removed and only administrators have access to c:\programdata\microsoft\windows\start menu
once permissions have been restored its fine but you need to reinstall office?

thanks

Click to expand...

1. Corrupted Default User Profile / Permission Inheritance Broken​

• The C:\ProgramData\... Start Menu folder is shared among all users. If its ACLs (Access Control Lists) are modified (via GPO, security software, or a script), standard users may lose access.
• This can result in missing Start Menu items, including Office shortcuts.
• Office might appear "missing" because shortcuts are in ProgramData and are not user-specific.

2. Office Shortcuts Removed, Not Office Itself​

• The Office installation is likely still present, but the shortcuts are missing due to permissions.
• Reinstalling Office re-creates those shortcuts in ProgramData or user Start Menu folders, which makes it “look fixed.”

3. Group Policy or Post-deployment Scripts​

• Misconfigured GPO or custom provisioning scripts may reset or incorrectly apply security settings, especially during sysprep, first logon, or automated security hardening steps.

4. Security Software or RMM Agents​

• Endpoint protection or remote monitoring tools might misapply hardening rules or remove access based on security baselines.

5. Windows Updates / Feature Upgrades​

• Updates might re-apply default ACLs or policies and cause permission resets inconsistently across devices.