Run Command missing from Start Menu

First Solution:

Summary: Depending on your configuration and customization the Run command may not be visible on the Start menu. It's easy to make it show up.

When I go to Start menu I have no Run option?

One of the "problems", if you want to call it that, with computer systems is that almost nothing is standard. There are defaults, there are common settings, and there are recommended tweaks and personalizations.

The net result is that often for something as "standard" as Windows XP, it's very easy for one person's Start Menu to be quite different from another's.

And so it is with respect to the Run... command. Let's find and enable it for you.

Right click on the Start button and click on Properties:

Right away we can see that choice to be made: "Start Menu" or "Classic Start Menu". The good news is that the one you're currently using will already be selected, and I'm going to assume you don't want to change this right now.

"As you can see the Start menu is extremely customizable."

But, the options are a little different depending on which you're using, so I'll show you both.

Classic Start Menu

Click the Customize button:

Make sure that the Display Run option is checked. (If you don't see a Display Run option, then here's the other option how to Display Run

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Second Solution

You don't have Start, Run do you? That's why you're here.

In that case, using Windows Explorer, navigate to c:\windows\system32 and double-click on gpedit.msc:

Once in the Group Policy Editor, expand in turn:

• User Configuration

• Administrative Templates

And click on Start Menu and Taskbar. You should see something much like this:

Double click on Remove Run menu from Start Menu to change its setting:

It should be enough to click on Not Configured and then OK. If you now look at your Start menu properties, you should have the option of displaying the Run menu once again.

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Third Solution

If you don't have Windows XP Pro, then you'll need to edit the registry manually.

Click Start, then click Run type in regedit and click on OK.

Or, since you probably don't have Run, using Windows Explorer you can double click on regedt32.exe in c:\windows\system32.

Expand these registry keys in turn:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Software
Microsoft
Windows
CurrentVersion
Policies
Explorer

You should see something similar to this:

Right Click on the NoRun item and click on Delete. Confirm that you want to delete, and you should have the option of displaying the Run menu once again. One thing to note is that it's quite possible that if you're in an environment managed by a centralized policy, these settings may have no effect. Your IT administrator may set things up so as to disable the run command, and other things as well at the domain level. You'll need to ask them if this is the case.