Windows 11 appears to be suffering from a bug in which third-party UI customization software can break the Start menu.

Version 22H2 introduces a feature that provides a preview of relevant information when hovering over a recommended file. If third-party UI customization software is installed, however, the Start menu may not open at all.

Microsoft is aware of the issue but does not appear to have any plans to fix it. Instead, the company says users should uninstall third-party UI programs before installing 22H2:

After installing KB5028254 or later updates, the Start menu might not open on Windows devices with some third-party UI customization apps installed. The known affected third-party UI customization app is ExplorerPatcher but others might also be affected. These types of apps often use unsupported methods to achieve their customization and as a result can have unintended results on your Windows device.

Workaround: We recommend uninstalling any third-party UI customization app before installing KB5028254 to prevent this issue. If your Windows device is already experiencing this issue, you might need to contact customer support for the developer of the app you are using.

Next steps: If you are using any third-party UI customization app and encounter any issues, you will need to contact customer support for the developer of the app you are using.