Navigating RetroArch With Controller Opens Windows 11 Start Menu

I know that others have had a similar issue, and I’ve followed troubleshooting steps I’ve seen in other forums, but this is truly confusing me.

For context, I’m using an 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth, connected wirelessly via Bluetooth, and am using RetroArch with the ozone menu driver. I’m using the latest version of RetroArch, Windows 11 is updated, and both the controller and its USB dongle have been updated to the latest firmware.

Whenever I press the A Button (bottom of the four face buttons), the Windows 11 menu is brought up underneath RetroArch. Upon launching a game, this causes a black screen with a pause button. A simple click of the mouse solves this. But, upon going back to the main menu and navigating, it will inevitably launch a program that’s pinned to my start menu, interrupting browsing and interfering with navigations and precluding gameplay.

I’ve read in many places that this is the result of the Windows 11 Game Bar, which allows game controllers to navigate Windows 11. So:

  1. I went into Windows settings and unchecked the option to “Allow your controller to open Game Bar.” That failed to solve the issue.

  2. I opened the XBox application and went into Game Bar settings there, which revealed that a second option, “Open Controller Bar using button on a controller not over a game,” was still enabled. I disabled it. That also failed to solve the issue.

  3. Finally, I went into the registry and completely disabled Game Bar via setting “AppCaptureEnabled” under GameDVR to 0 and setting “GameDVR_Enabled” under GameConfigStore to 0.

Now, here’s the truly odd part. Editing the registry finally stopped pressing A on the controller from launching the Windows 11 Start Menu–except when RetroArch is running. It still happens then.

I’m at a loss for solutions at this point and would appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!