You cannot write at startup if, for example, you want to search for a program among all those on the computer or you want to search for something in settings. You also can’t type using the keyboard on the calculator, nor can you type in Windows sticky notes. But the keyboard works fine in any other program or application: you can type in the browser but not in Windows programs or in search or in the Microsoft Store . You are not the only one and many Internet users have complained about this problem.
It has happened to many users: they stop being able to write in the start menu. You will see the problem in Microsoft help forums or even specialized computer forums. There are some tricks or steps that we can follow if it has happened to us and we want to have the freedom to write on the computer again.
Why happens?
Everything seems to indicate that the “culprit” of this failure is the CTF loader or the ctfmon.exe file that is on your computer. It is a program that comes pre-installed in Windows and that is capable of allowing handwriting or that helps us with speech recognition. Until very recently, many users bet on deleting this file that works in the background since they considered that it was useless and we could deactivate it.
But in the case of deactivating it now (voluntarily or involuntarily) we make the keyboard input in Microsoft programs or menus stop working. You will be able to write in any other program or game or browser, but you will not be able to search between folders and you will not be able to use Microsoft Edge or any “own” service. Luckily, it has a solution. You may not have done it wantingly but you did something that disabled the CT F charger . But we can fix it. Of course, keep in mind that on the internet you will find many tutorials that promise you a “magic” solution by downloading the file. Do not download anything because it will be enough to follow the steps below to fix it, without third-party software.
Find the CTFMON file
The first thing we have to do to check if this is the problem is to find the file and run it as administrator. If it fixes it, you know that the problem was here. Note that Start does not work so it is not enough to search for “ctfmon” in the menu to take you to it. But the route you must follow is the following:
- Open the Windows folder on your computer
- Go to System32
- Search for ctfmon.exe
- Right click on the file
- Tap on “Run as administrator”
Wait a few seconds and check that Startup has started working again.
Another option to open it is:
- Tap Win + R on your keyboard to start Run
- Type the following: C: Windows System32 ctfmon.exe
The result will be exactly the same although it will also “crash” once you shut down or restart the computer.
Permanent solution
Keep in mind that this solution will allow you to use and type in Start and in the search bar or the Microsoft Store but it will stop working once you shut down or restart your computer. There are two options: that you create a shortcut of CTFMON on the desktop and that you run as administrator every time it crashes. Or follow the steps that we are going to explain below and that allow it to always remain enabled. It has worked for us even if you shut down or restart the computer.
- Open the local disk
- Go to the Windows folder
- Here, go to the System32 folder
- Find the ctfmon file in the list of files and contents
- Right click on it
- In the drop-down menu, choose “Send to …”
- Click on “Send to Desktop – Shortcut”
A shortcut will automatically be created on the desktop. We will have to cut this shortcut (right button – cut) and follow the following steps:
- Open the computer
- Go to the ProgramData folder
- Open the Microsoft folder
- Find the Windows folder
- Open the Start Menu now
- Go to Programs
- Open Start
Copy here the ctfmon file that you just cut from the desktop and modify the name to remove the “- shortcut” part. Once you have done these steps, we can check if you have done them correctly:
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Del
- Open Task Manager
- Choose the top tab Home
- Check that the option “CTF Loader” appears
Make sure it’s enabled and check that you can write in Windows. Try restarting or shutting down your computer and starting it again to see if you can write again once you turn it on. And follow the steps above to make sure the CTF loader still appears on the Home tab when you open it.
From the registry editor
There is a different way than the previous one to solve the problem. It is faster but may, apparently, seem more complex to you. Many users run away from everything that has to do with the Registry Editor and therefore we propose the previous option. This one is faster, it will only take a few seconds.
- Tap Win + R on your keyboard to start Run
- Write regedit in the box
- Press Enter or tap Enter on the computer keyboard
Once we are in the Registry Editor, open the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- SOFTWARE
- Microsoft
- Windows
- CurrentVersion
- Run
Once here, click on a blank space on the right side with the right button. Tap on “New” and “String Value.” Edit the string and modify the value to name it as C: Windows System32 ctfmon.exe
Close the registry editor once you have followed all these steps. Turn off the computer or restart it and check if, when turning on or starting up again, startup works correctly and all the Microsoft options to write to it.