Starting Chrome via clicking links on other apps or opening chrome fresh doesn't show anything?

- Clicking the Chrome icon on my taskbar/desktop doesn't come up with a new window

- Clicking a URL or opening a URL from another app (Slack/Discord/Windows itself) doesn't make a new window if Chrome isn't already open - If chrome is already open, I'm expecting a new tab, but no new tab comes.

If I right-click on the taskbar and go to a recently-open page, it works as expected. This is how I've been opening chrome the last couple days. Ctrl-T or + button for new tab also works as expected, once I've got a window open at all. Just seems like external apps can't open links into my open chrome window, and I can't open a window unless it's through the means specified above.

When this happens, a chrome process appears in my task manager, but no window. If I spam-click to open, I can pile up a bunch of chrome processes. Maybe one instance of the new tab appears after several clicks, but a number of child chrome processes are spawned with no result showing. - I also sometimes see a Google Crash Handler process after this happens.

Looks like I might've had a windows update overnight when this started happening? Might be related?

I've tried reinstalling Chrome, both with and without deleting user data and directories/cleaning registry to no avail. 

Wondering if anyone else is facing this issue.