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A Windows launch isn’t the end a process — it’s really just the beginning. As with Windows 10, Microsoft continually works on improving Windows 11 by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features.

In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for the most recent version of Windows 11 — currently version 23H2. For each build, we’ve included the date of its release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.

The easiest way to install updates is via Windows Update. Not sure how? See “How to handle Windows 10 and 11 updates” for full instructions. Note that Windows 11 version 23H2 is being released as a phased rollout and may not be available to you in Windows Update yet.

If you’re still using Windows 10, see “Windows 10: A guide to the updates.” And if you’re looking for information about Insider Program previews for upcoming feature releases of Windows 11, see “Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build?”

KB506980 (OS Builds 22621.3527 and 22631.3527) Preview

Release date: April 23, 2024

In this build, the Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps. In addition, widgets icons on the taskbar are no longer pixelated or fuzzy, and Windows widgets on the lockscreen are more reliable.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Windows Local Administrator Password Solution’s Post Authentication Actions (PAAs) did not occur at the end of the grace period. Instead, they occurred at restart.

There is one known issue in this build, in which you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

(Get more info about KB5036980 Preview.)

KB5036893 (OS Builds 22621.3447 and 22631.3447)

Release date: April 9, 2024

This build offers a wide variety of minor new features, including dedicated mode for Windows 365 Boot. When you sign in on your company-owned device, you also are signed into to your Windows 365 Cloud PC. This uses passwordless authentication, like Windows Hello for Business.

The update also adds suggestions to Snap Layouts. When you hover over the minimize or maximize button of an app to open the layout box, app icons will display various layout options. Use them to help you to choose the best layout option.

In addition, the update changes the apps that appear in the Windows share window. The account you use to sign in affects the apps that are in “Share using.” For example, if you use a Microsoft account (MSA) to sign in, you will see Microsoft Teams (free). When you use a Microsoft Entra ID account (formerly Azure Active Directory) to sign in, your Microsoft Teams (work or school) contacts show instead.

This build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and April 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5036893.)

Windows 11 KB5035942 (OS Builds 22621.3374 and 22631.3374) Preview

Release date: March 26, 2024

In addition, in Windows Hello for Business admins can now use mobile device management to turn off the prompt that appears when users sign in to an Entra-joined machine. To do it, turn on the “DisablePostLogonProvisioning” policy setting. After a user signs in, provisioning is off for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Windows devices using more than one monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows.

(Get more info about KB5035942 Preview.)

KB5035853 (OS Builds 22621.3296 and 22631.3296)

Release date: March 12, 2024

This build fixes a bug that affected the February 2024 security and preview updates. They might not have installed, and your device might shave stopped responding at 96% with the error code “0x800F0922” and the error message, “Something did not go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes. Please keep your computer on.”

This build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5035853.)

KB5034848 (OS Builds 22621.3235 and 22631.3235) Preview

Release date: February 29, 2024

In this build, you can now use the Snipping Tool on your PC to edit the most recent photos and screenshots from your Android device. You will get an instant notification on your PC when your Android device captures a new photo or screenshot. To turn this on, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices. Choose Manage devices and allow your PC to access your Android device.

The build also adds support for the USB 80Gbps standard, the next generation of USB4 that has twice the bandwidth of USB 40Gbps. To use USB 80Gbps, you must have a compatible PC and USB4 or Thunderbolt peripheral.

The build also fixes several bugs, including one in which the Windows Settings Home page randomly stopped responding when you went to the page, and another in which devices failed to make the automatic switch from cellular to Wi-Fi when they could use Wi-Fi.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Windows 11 devices attempting to install the February 2024 security update, released February 13, 2024 (KB5034765), might face installation failures and the system might stop responding at 96%.

(Get more info about KB5034848 Preview.)

KB5034765 (OS Builds 22621.3155 and 22631.3155)

Release date: February 13, 2023

In this build, the Copilot in Windows icon now appears on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar. Also, the display of “Show desktop” at the rightmost corner of the taskbar will be off by default. To turn it back on, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can also right-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. These changes will be gradually rolled out.

This build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5034765.)

KB5034204 (OS Builds 22621.3085 and 22631.3085) Preview

Release date: January 23, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one that stopped search from working on the Start menu for some users because of a deadlock, and another that that caused devices to intermittently stop responding after you installed a print support app.

There is one known issue in this build, in which Windows devices using more than one monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows (in preview).

(Get more info about KB5034204 Preview.)

KB5034123 (OS Builds 22621.3007 and 22631.3007)

Release date: January 9, 2024

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which devices shut down after 60 seconds when you used a smart card to authenticate on a remote system, and another in which some Wi-Fi adapters could not connect to some networks, particularly those that use 802.1x to authenticate.

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one affecting ID admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5034123.)

KB5033375 (OS Builds 22621.2861 and 22631.2861)

Release date: December 12, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are four known issues in this build, including one which affects ID admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5033375.)

KB5032288 (OS Builds 22621.2792 and 22631.2792) Preview

Release date: December 4, 2023

In this update, Copilot in Windows (in preview) can be used across multiple displays, and it can be used with Alt+Tab. When you press Alt+Tab, the thumbnail preview for Copilot in Windows appears among other thumbnail previews of open windows. You can switch between them using the Tab keystroke. This is available to a small audience initially and will deploy more broadly in the months that follow.

The update also fixes a wide range of bugs, including one in which the Copilot icon did not show as being as active when it’s open on the taskbar.

There are four known issues in this update, one applicable to IT admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about KB5032288 Preview.)

KB5032190 (OS Builds 22621.2715 and 22631.2715)

Release date: November 14, 2023

This build introduces a preview of the Copilot for Windows AI assistant and a File Explorer with a new interface that includes new files displayed as a carousel, and that recognizes local and cloud folders. It also introduces the Windows Backup app that can be used to quickly get your current PC backed up and ready to move to a new PC. In addition, there are many other new features and interface changes throughout Windows, including for Settings, Windows Spotlight, security graphics, voice access, Narrator, and others.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this build, including one that affects ID admins in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in MDM apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5032190.)

KB5031455 (OS Builds 22621.2506 and 22631.2506) Preview

Release date: Oct. 31, 2023

This update introduces a preview of the Copilot for Windows AI assistant and File Explorer with a new interface that includes new files displayed as a carousel, and that recognizes local and cloud folders. It also includes minor interface changes to many parts of the operating system, including taskbar, system tray, security notifications, and more.

There is one known issue, which applies to IT admins: using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about KB5031455 Preview.)

KB5031455 (OS Build 22621.2506) Preview

Release date: Oct. 26, 2023

This build introduces a preview of the Copilot for Windows AI assistant and a File Explorer with a new interface that includes new files displayed as a carousel, and that recognizes local and cloud folders. It also introduces the Windows Backup app that can be used to quickly get your current PC backed up and ready to move to a new PC.

There is one known issue in this build that applies to IT admins: using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about KB5031455 Preview.)

KB5031354 (OS Build 22621.2428)

Release date: October 10, 2023

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5031354.)

KB5030310 (OS Build 22621.2361) Preview

Release date: September 26, 2023

This update adds websites to the Recommended section of the Start menu. These websites come from your browsing history. You can remove any website URL from the Recommended section using the shortcut menu. To turn off the feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Start.

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which the search box tooltip did not appear in the correct position, and another in which the search button disappeared when you interacted with the search flyout box.

In addition, if you want to use a variety of new features, such as the AI-driven Copilot for Windows and improvements to File Manager, Paint, and other apps, go to Settings > Windows Update, toggle on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available,” and then restart your PC. For more details, see Microsoft’s blog post.

(Get more info about KB5030310 Preview.)

KB5030219 (OS Build 22621.2283)

Release date: September 12, 2023

This build removes a blank menu item from the Sticky Keys menu and includes a variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5030219.)

KB5029351 (OS Build 22621.2215) Preview

Release date: August 22, 2023

This update makes a variety of changes to the way app defaults are handled. For details, see “A principled approach to app pinning and app defaults in Windows.” It also adds a new policy called “Enable optional updates,” which administrators can use to configure the monthly, optional cumulative updates for commercial devices. You can also use this policy for the gradual Controlled Feature Rollouts (CFR). To learn more, see “Enable and control optional updates for your organization.”

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Start menu icons were missing after you signed in for the first time, and another in which settings did not sync even if you turned on the toggle on the Windows Backup page in the Settings app.

(Get more info about KB5029351 Preview.)

KB5029263 (OS Build 22621.2134)

Release date: August 8, 2023

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and August 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5029263.)

KB5028254 (OS Build 22621.2070) Preview

Release date: July 26, 2023

This update makes brightness settings more accurate and fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which the Defender Firewall Profile failed to automatically switch from a trusted LAN to a public network. Another fix makes the connection between the client and the Windows Push Notification Services (WNS) server more reliable.

There is one known issue in this update, applicable to IT admins, in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5028254 Preview.)

KB5028185 (OS Build 22621.1992)

Release date: July 13, 2023

This build introduces a wide variety of new features, including improved sharing of a local file in File Explorer with Microsoft Outlook contacts, the rollout of notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu, and new text selection and editing voice access commands, such as for selecting a range of text in a text box and deleting all text in a text box. It also adds a “USB4 hubs and devices” Settings page at Settings > Bluetooth & devices > USB > USB4 Hubs and Devices.

The build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5028185.)

KB5027303 (OS Build 22621.1928) Preview

Release date: June 27, 2023

This update improves the sharing of a local file in File Explorer with Microsoft Outlook contacts. You now have the option to quickly email the file to yourself. In addition, loading your contacts from Outlook has been made simpler. This feature is not available for files stored in Microsoft OneDrive folders; OneDrive has its own sharing functionality.

The build also adds a VPN status icon, a small shield, to the system tray. It displays when you are connected to a recognized VPN profile. The VPN icon will be overlayed in your system’s accent color over the active network connection.

It also adds new features and improvements to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. For more information, see Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. It also lets you authenticate across Microsoft clouds. This feature also satisfies Conditional Access checks if they are needed.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which Narrator read the wrong state when you canceled the selection of an option button, and another that stopped Teams from alerting you about missed calls or messages.

There is one known issue in this update, applicable to IT admins, in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5027303 Preview.)

KB5027231 (OS Build 22621.1848)

Release date: June 13, 2023

The update fixes several bugs, including one that affects 32-bit apps that are large address aware and use the CopyFile API. You might have issues when you save, copy, or attach files. If you use some commercial or enterprise security software that uses extended file attributes, this issue will likely affect you. For Microsoft Office apps, this issue only affects the 32-bit versions. You might receive the error, “Document not saved.”

This build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and June 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5027231.)

KB5026446 (OS Build 22621.1778) Preview

Release date: May 24, 2023

This update shows the full amount of storage capacity of all your Microsoft OneDrive subscriptions on the Accounts page in the Settings app. It also adds Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, which improves audio fidelity and battery life when you pair your device with Bluetooth LE Audio earbuds and headphones. To use the feature, your device needs to support Bluetooth LE Audio.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one that did not let you access the Server Message Block (SMB) shared folder and another in which the Windows Firewall dropped all connections to the IP address of a captive portal when you chose the Captive Portal Addresses option.

There is one known issue in this update, applicable to IT admins, in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

Get more info about KB5026446 Preview.)

KB5026372 (OS Build 22621.1702)

Release date: May 9, 2023

This update adds a new toggle control on the Settings > Windows Update page. When you turn it on, your device will be prioritized to get the latest non-security updates and enhancements when they are available for your device. For managed devices, the toggle is disabled by default.

The update also fixes several bugs, including a race condition in the Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) in which the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) stopped responding when the system processed multiple local account operations at the same time.

It includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and May 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this update, one in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected, and another in which some apps might have intermittent issues with speech recognition, expressive input, and handwriting when using Chinese or Japanese languages.

(Get more info about KB5026372.)

KB5025305 (OS Build 22621.1635) Preview

Release date: April 25, 2023

This update lets you configure application group rules for firewall settings. It also adds a new toggle control on the Settings > Windows Update page. When you turn it on, your device will be prioritized to get the latest non-security updates and enhancements when they are available. For managed devices, the toggle is disabled by default.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one that stopped mobile device management customers from printing, and another in which the Tab Window Manager stopped responding in IE mode.

There are two known issues in this update, both of which are applicable to IT admins: one in which copying large multiple gigabyte files might take longer than expected to finish, and another in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5025305 Preview.)

KB5025239 (OS Build 22621.1555)

Release date: April 11, 2023

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and April 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, two of which are applicable to IT admins: one in which copying large multiple gigabyte files might take longer than expected to finish, and another in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5025239.)

KB5023778 (OS Build 22621.1485) Preview

Release date: March 28, 2023

This build includes several new features, including one in which notifications for Microsoft accounts are now on the Start menu. (Note that this feature is available to only a small number of people and will roll out to more in the next several months.) The build also offers a variety of new features and improvements in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint — go here for details.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which USB printers were classified as multimedia devices even though they are not, and another in which Microsoft PowerPoint stopped responding when you used accessibility tools.

There are four known issues in this update, three of which are applicable to IT admins, including one in which copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish, and another in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5023778 Preview.)

Updates to Windows 11 version 22H2 KB5023706 (OS Build 22621.1413)

Release date: March 14, 2023

This build implements phase three of Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) hardening. After you install this update, you cannot turn off the changes using the registry key. See KB5004442 for details. It also fixes a bug in which trying to join an Active Directory domain when reusing an existing computer account failed. See KB5020276 for details.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are four known issues in this update, three of which are applicable to IT admins, including one in which copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish, and another in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5023706.)

KB5022913 (OS Build 22621.1344) Preview

Release date: February 28, 2023

This build, Micorosoft’s second “moments” build, introduces a wide variety of new features, including an improved search box. As you type in the search box, search results now appear in a search flyout pane. And those who have preview access to Bing’s AI-powered search can now perform searches directly from the search box. (You can sign up get access to Bing’s AI-powered search.)

There are a variety of other new features as well, including the ability to link iPhone devices to Windows 11 PCs using a new preview of Phone Link for iOS. The update also lets you adjust Windows Studio Effects settings directly from quick settings in the taskbar. You can adjust background blur, eye contact, and automatic framing and apply them to your communications applications, with integration into Microsoft Teams. 

You can also open Quick Assist directly from the Start menu. The update also includes new widgets for Phone Link, Xbox Game Pass, and Spotify. In addition, the Snipping Tool has been given the ability to capture video, and Notepad gets tabs.

Windows 11 Pro devices and higher that are Azure Active Directory (AAD) joined can now get AI-powered recommended content on the Start menu, and touch devices get a variety of new ways to interact via touch. The Quick Assist app has been redesigned and can be opened directly from the Start menu. Windows will now offer energy recommendations to improve the energy efficiency of your PC and reduce your carbon footprint. Task Manager gets a variety of enhancements, including being able to filter processes using the binary name, PID, or publisher name.

For more information about these changes, see Microsoft’s blog post announcing today’s release.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which provisioning packages on Windows 11 failed to apply in certain circumstances when elevation was required, and another that caused reliability issues in Task View.

(Get more info about KB5022913 Preview.)

KB5022845 (OS Build 22621.1265)

Release date: February 14, 2023

This build includes wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, each applicable to IT admins, including one in which copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish, and another in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5022845.)

KB5022360 (OS Build 22621.1194) Preview

Release date: January 26, 2023

This build changes the way you view and control preview (optional) .NET Framework updates. All preview.NET Framework updates will now display on the Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates page. On that page, you can control which optional updates you want to install.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in searchindexer.exe that randomly stopped you from signing in or signing out, and another in which you would not be able to use AutoPilot to set up some systems with Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) firmware.

There are two known issues in this update, both of which affect IT admins. In one, using provisioning packages on Windows 11, version 22H2 might not work as expected. In the other, copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish.

(Get more info about KB5022360 Preview.)

KB5022303 (OS Build 22621.1105)

Release date: January 10, 2023

This build fixes Local Session Manager (LSM) bugs that allowed users who did not have admin rights to perform admin actions.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2023 Security Updates. It also fixes a bug in the Camera app, which stopped responding when memory was low.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this update, each applicable to IT admins, one in which copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish, and another in which using provisioning packages might not work as expected.

(Get more info about KB5022303.)

KB5021255 (OS Build 22621.963)

Release date: December 13, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the December 2022 Security Updates. It also fixes a bug in which Task Manager sometimes displayed certain elements in the user interface in unexpected colors, making some parts of the UI unreadable.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are four known issue in this update, each applicable to IT admins, including one in which After you install this update, you might be unable to reconnect to Direct Access after temporarily losing network connectivity or transitioning between Wi-Fi networks or access points.

(Get more info KB5021255.)

KB5020044 (OS Build 22621.900) Preview

Release date: November 29, 2022

In this build, Microsoft OneDrive subscribers get storage alerts on the Systems page in the Settings app. The alert appears when someone is close to their storage limit. You can also manage your storage and purchase additional storage in Settings. The build also combines Windows Spotlight with Themes on the Personalization page. This makes it easier to discover and turn on the Windows Spotlight feature.

Several bugs have been fixed, including one that stopped some modern applications from opening, and another that caused File Explorer to stop working when you close context menus and menu items.

There are two known issues in this update, both of which affect IT admins. In one, using provisioning packages on Windows 11, version 22H2 might not work as expected. In the other, copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish.

(Get more info about KB5020044 Preview.)

KB5019980 (OS Build 22621.819)

Release date: November 8, 2022

This build fixes a bug in Windows Explorer in which Explorer failed to localize folders. It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2022 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this update, applicable to IT admins, including one in which file copies using Group Policy Preferences might fail or might create empty shortcuts or files using 0 (zero) bytes. Known affected Group Policy Objects are related to files and shortcuts in User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings in Group Policy Editor.

(Get more info KB5019980.)

KB5018496 (OS Build 22621.755) Preview

Release date: October 25, 2022

This build adds Task Manager to the context menu when you right-click the taskbar. It is not yet enabled on all PCs, and will roll out in the coming weeks. Microsoft says the build also “enhances search visual treatments on the taskbar to improve discoverability.” Only a small group of people will get this feature right away. It will be deployed more broadly over the next few months.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that caused vertical and horizontal line artifacts to appear on the screen, and another that stopped the credential UI from displaying in IE mode when you use Microsoft Edge.

There are two known issues in this build that affect IT admins, including one in which copying large multiple-gigabyte files might take longer than expected to finish.

(Get more info about KB5018496 Preview.)

KB5019509 (OS Build 22621.675)

Release date: October 18, 2022

This build, Microsoft’s first “moment” update for Windows 11, introduces several new features, the most significant of which is the addition of tabs in File Explorer like those in browsers. Among other File Explorer improvements are the ability to pin important files on its home page for easy access to them. You’ll also be able to see actions that colleagues take on your shared files.

In addition, with a new feature called Suggested Actions, when you copy phone numbers or future dates, Windows provides suggestions for what you might want to do with them, such as making a call with Teams or Skype or adding an event in the Calendar app.

The new taskbar overflow menu shows all of your taskbar apps on a single menu entry. Also, there are new sharing features, letting you discover and share to more devices.

(Get more info about KB5019509.)

KB5018427 (OS Build 22621.674)

Release date: October 11, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2022 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, applicable to IT admins, in which files copied using Group Policy Preferences might fail or might create empty shortcuts or files using 0 (zero) bytes. Known affected Group Policy Objects are related to files and shortcuts in User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings in Group Policy Editor.

(Get more info KB5018427.)

Windows 11 KB5017389 (OS Build 22621.608) Preview

Release date: September 30, 2022

This build for Windows 11 22H2 fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused updates to the Microsoft Store to fail, another that stopped you from signing in to various Microsoft 365 apps, and another in which Task Manager stopped working when you switched between light and dark mode or changed the accent color.

(Get more info about KB5017389 Preview.)

Windows 11 2022 Update (version 22H2)

Release date: September 20, 2022

Version 22H2, called the Windows 11 2022 Update, is the first feature update released for Windows 11. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new:

• The Start menu now lets you create folders to organize your apps. You can now also choose from three layouts for the menu.
• The Task Manager has gotten a visual facelift and includes a new efficiency mode that lets you limit how many resources specific apps use.
• You can now open File Explorer directly into OneDrive, and you can also see at a glance OneDrive’s sync status, total capacity, and total space used — and get quick access to settings and options for managing storage.
• Multiple new touchscreen gestures have been added, including for toggling the Start menu and minimizing apps.
• The Clipchamp free video editor now comes as part of Windows 11.
• In Snap Layouts, you can now drag a window to the top of the screen and then drop it into a snap layout. In addition, Task View (Windows key + Tab) will show your Snap Groups so you can easily switch between them.

There are also these changes for IT and businesses:

• Sys admins get some new group policies for controlling the Start menu, taskbar, and system tray for their users.
• Sys admins also get a new group policy default with an account lockout policy to offer additional protections to Remote Desktop Protocol and other brute force password vectors.
• Security has been enhanced in several ways that protect against malware, ransomware, and more sophisticated attacks.

For more information about Windows 11 22H2, see our in-depth review.

Updates to Windows 11 original release (version 21H2) KB5017383 (OS Build 22000.1042) Preview

Release date: September 20, 2022

This build adds more dynamic Widgets content to the taskbar with notification badging. When you open the Widgets board, a banner appears at the top of the board. It provides more information about what triggered the notification badge.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that caused a “blue screen of death” after you changed the display mode while using more than one display. It also fixes a bug that forced the IE mode tabs in a session to reload.

(Get more info about KB5017383 Preview.)

KB5017328 (OS Build 22000.978)

Release date: September 13, 2022

This build fixes a bug in Microsoft accounts (MSA) in which the web dialog that you use to sign in or sign out might not appear. This issue occurs on devices that have installed KB5016691.

The build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which XPS Viewer might be unable to open XML Paper Specification (XPS) documents in some non-English languages, including some Japanese and Chinese character encodings.

(Get more info KB5017328.)

KB5016691 (OS Build 22000.918) Preview

Release date: August 25, 2022

This build gives IT admins the ability to remotely add languages and language-related features. Additionally, they can now manage language scenarios across several endpoint managers. It also enhances Microsoft Defender for Endpoint’s ability to identify and intercept ransomware and advanced attacks.

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that caused ServerAssignedConfigurations to be null in a few full configuration scenarios, and another that caused Microsoft Edge to stop responding when you use IE mode.

There is one known issue in this build: After installing this update, XPS Viewer might be unable to open XML Paper Specification (XPS) documents in some non-English languages, including some Japanese and Chinese character encodings.

(Get more info about KB5016691 Preview.)

KB5016629 (OS Build 22000.856)

Release date: August 9, 2022

This build fixes a bug that can prevent opening the Start menu. It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which IE mode tabs in Microsoft Edge might stop responding when a site displays a modal dialog box, which is a form or dialog box that requires the user to respond before continuing or interacting with other portions of the web page or app.

(Get more info about KB5016629.)

KB5015882 (OS Build 22000.832) Preview

Release date: July 21, 2022

This build lets you receive urgent notifications when focus assist is on, and gives you the option to update to a newer Windows 11 version at the very first startup of Windows if your device is eligible. It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that prevented troubleshooters from opening, one that caused port mapping conflicts for containers, and another that caused Windows to stop working when you enable Windows Defender Application Control with the Intelligent Security Graph feature turned on.

There are two known issues in this update, including one which IE mode tabs in Microsoft Edge might stop responding when a site displays a modal dialog box. In the other issue, after installing this update, some devices might be unable to open the Start menu. On affected devices, clicking or selecting the Start button or using the Windows key on your keyboard might have no effect.

(Get more info about KB5015882 Preview.)

KB5015814 (OS Build 22000.795)

Date: July 12, 2022

This build addresses an issue that redirects the PowerShell command output so that transcript logs do not contain any output of the command. That means the decrypted password is lost. The build also includes improvements made in the KB5014668 update.

There are two known issues in this update, one in which after installing the update, some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might have issues or might fail to open. In the other, after installing this update, IE mode tabs in Microsoft Edge might stop responding when a site displays a form or dialog box that requires the user to respond before continuing or interacting with other portions of the web page or app.

(Get more info about KB5015814.)

KB5014668 (OS Build 22000.778) Preview

Release date: June 23, 2022

This build adds IP address auditing for incoming Windows Remote Management (WinRM) connections in security event 4262 and WinRM event 91. This addresses an issue that fails to log the source IP address and machine name for a remote PowerShell connection.

The build also introduces search highlights — daily notable events and anniversaries and, for corporate customers, updates from your organization. Search highlights will roll out to Windows 11 customers over the next several weeks.

The build also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that affected the Cloud Clipboard service and prevented syncing between machines after a period of inactivity. It also fixes a bug that failed to hide the Windows Sandbox startup screen after Sandbox starts to run.

There are two known issues in this update, one in which after installing the update, some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might have issues or might fail to open. In the other, after installing this update, IE mode tabs in Microsoft Edge might stop responding when a site displays a form or dialog box that requires the user to respond before continuing or interacting with other portions of the webpage or app.

(Get more info about KB5014668 Preview.)

KB5016138 (OS Build 22000.740)

Release date: June 20, 2022

This out-of-band build, which is only available for Windows devices that use Arm processors, fixes a bug that prevented Windows Arm-based devices from signing in using Azure Active Directory (AAD). Apps and services that use AAD to sign in, such as VPN connections, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Outlook, might also be affected.

This build has two known issues. In one, for IT admins, some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might have issues or might fail to open. In the other, for all users, Windows devices might be unable use the Wi-Fi hotspot feature. When attempting to use the hotspot feature, the host device might lose the connection to the internet after a client device connects.

(Get more info about KB5016138.)

KB5014697 (OS Build 22000.739)

Release date: June 14, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which after installing this update, some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might have issues or might fail to open.

(Get more info about KB5014697.)

KB5014019 (OS Build 22000.708) Preview

Release date: May 24, 2022

This build introduces Windows spotlight on the desktop, which automatically displays new pictures on your desktop. It already exists for the lock screen. To turn it on, go to Settings > Personalization > Background > Personalize your background and choose Windows spotlight.

The build also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused the Input (TextInputHost.exe) app to stop working, another that caused some users to see a black screen when they sign in and sign out of Windows, and another that caused the Remote Desktop client application to stop working when you end a session.

There is one known issue in this update, in which after installing the update, some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might have issues or might fail to open.

(Get more info about KB5014019 Preview.)

KB5013943 (OS Build 22000.675)

Release date: May 10, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the May 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which after installing Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later on an affected version of Windows, recovery discs created using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app in Control Panel might be unable to start. Recovery discs that were created by using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app on devices that have installed Windows updates released before January 11, 2022 are not affected by this issue and should start as expected.

(Get more info about KB5013943.)

KB5012643 (OS Build 22000.652) Preview

Release date: April 25, 2022

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including a memory leak issue that affected Windows systems that are in use 24 hours each day of the week, another that caused video subtitles to be partially cut off, and another that prevented you from using the minimize, maximize, and close buttons on a maximized app window.

There is one known issue in this update: after IT admins install the Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later, recovery discs created by using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app in Control Panel might be unable to start. Recovery discs that were created with this app on devices running Windows updates released before January 11, 2022 are not affected by this issue.

(Get more info about KB5012643 Preview.)

KB5012592 (OS Build 22000.613)

Release date: April 12, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the April 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which after installing the Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later on an affected version of Windows, recovery discs (CD or DVD) created by using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app in Control Panel might be unable to start. Recovery discs that were created by using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app on devices that have installed Windows updates released before January 11, 2022 are not affected by this issue and should start as expected.

(Get more info about KB5012592.)

KB5011563 (OS Build 22000.593) Preview

Release date: March 28, 2022

This build allows Windows to display up to three high-priority “toast” (popup) notifications simultaneously for apps that send notifications for calls, reminders, or alarms using Windows notifications. It also fixes more than two dozen bugs, including one that crashed SystemSettings.exe, and another that affected searchindexer.exe and prevented Microsoft Outlook’s offline search from returning recent emails. 

There is one known issue in this update, in which when after IT admins install the Windows updates released January 11, 2022 or later, recovery discs (CDs or DVDs) created by using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app in Control Panel might be unable to start. Recovery discs that were created by using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) app on devices which have installed Windows updates released before January 11, 2022 are not affected by this issue and should start as expected.

 (Get more info about KB5011563 Preview.)

KB5011493 (OS Build 22000.556)

Release date: March 8, 2022

This build fixes a bug that occurs when you attempt to reset a Windows device and its apps have folders that contain reparse data, such as Microsoft OneDrive or OneDrive for Business. When you select Remove everything, files that have been downloaded or synced locally from OneDrive might not be deleted.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the March 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5011493.)

KB5010414 (OS Build 22000.527) Preview

Release date: February 15, 2022

This build lets you share cookies between Microsoft Edge Internet Explorer mode and Microsoft Edge, and adds support for hot adding and the removal of non-volatile memory (NVMe) namespaces. It also adds a variety of other features, including the ability to instantly mute and unmute a Microsoft Teams call from the taskbar, and quickly share open application windows directly from your taskbar to a Microsoft Teams call.

It also fixes many bugs, including one that affected the Windows search service and occurred when you queried using the proximity operator, and one that prevented printing properly for some low integrity process apps.

(Get more info about KB5010414 Preview.)

KB5010386 (OS Build 22000.493)

Release date: February 8, 2022

The build fixes a bug that causes a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) modify operation to fail if the operation contains the SamAccountName and UserAccountControl attribute. It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the February 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5010386.)

KB5008353 (OS Build 22000.469) Preview

Release date: January 25, 2022

The build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which Windows’ audio service stopped responding on some devices that support hardware-accelerated Bluetooth audio, another that prevented icons from appearing on the taskbar of a secondary display, and another that prevented the touch keyboard from appearing on the lock screen when a device has a Microsoft account (MSA).

There is one known issue in this update, in which recent emails might not appear in the search results of the Microsoft Outlook desktop app. For a short-term fix, you can disable Windows Desktop Search, which will cause Microsoft Outlook to use its built-in search.

 (Get more info about KB5008353.)

KB5010795 (OS Build 22000.438)

Release date: January 17, 2022

The out-of-band build fixes two bugs, one of which caused IP Security (IPSEC) connections that contain a Vendor ID to fail. VPN connections using Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) or IP security Internet Key Exchange (IPSEC IKE) could have also been affected. The other fixed bug prevented removable media formatted using the Resilient File System (ReFS) from mounting or caused the removable media to mount in the RAW file format. This issue occured after installing the January 11, 2022 Windows update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which some image editing programs might not render colors correctly on certain high dynamic range (HDR) displays.

(Get more info about KB5010795.)

KB5009566 (OS Build 22000.434)

Release date: January 11, 2022

The build fixes a bug in the Japanese Input Method Editors (IME), and includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the January 2022 Security Update notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one issue in this update, in which after installing Windows 11, some image editing programs might not render colors correctly on certain high dynamic range (HDR) displays. 

(Get more info about KB5009566.)

KB5008215 (OS Build 22000.376)

Release date: December 14, 2021

The build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the December 2021 Security Update notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are no known issues in this update.

(Get more info about KB5008215.)

KB5007262 (OS Build 22000.348) Preview

Release date: November 22, 2021

This optional update can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog or by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Optional updates available.

This builds fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused File Explorer to stop working after you closed a File Explorer window, and another that caused flickering when you hovered over icons on the taskbar if you’ve applied a high contrast theme.

There are no known issues in this update.

(Get more info about KB5007262 Preview.)

KB5007215 (OS Build 22000.318)

Release date: November 9, 2021

The build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the November 2021 Security Update notes. It also fixes a bug that causes improper rendering of some user interface elements or when drawing within some apps. And it makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5007215.)

KB5006746 (OS Build 22000.282) Preview

Release date: October 21, 2021

This non-security build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused distortion in the audio captured by voice assistants, and another in Windows Defender Exploit Protection that prevented some Microsoft Office applications from working on machines that have certain processors.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Windows print clients might encounter errors when connecting to a remote printer shared on a Windows print server after the build is installed.

(Get more info about KB5006746.)

KB5006674 (OS Build 22000.258)

Release date: October 12, 2021

This build fixes a bug related to compatibility issues between some Intel “Killer” and “SmartByte” networking software and Windows 11 (original release). It also makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates.

The build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the October 2021 Security Update notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5006674.)

Windows 11 original release

Release date: October 5, 2021

Windows 11 is the first new version of Windows that Microsoft has released since July 2015, when it launched Windows 10. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in it. (For more details, see our in-depth review of Windows 11.)

• The Start menu has been redesigned and slimmed down, and Live Tiles have been eliminated. It’s now easier to find applications to launch and files on which you’ve recently worked.
• Snap Layouts lets you group your open windows into one of a half-dozen pre-built screen layouts. Snap Groups helps you quickly switch from one Snap Layout to another.
• The Windows look and feel has gotten an overhaul, with rounded windows, spiffier animations, and an overall softer feel. Some built-in apps, such as File Explorer, get a simpler, easier-to-use interface.
• You can chat and videoconference directly from the taskbar using Microsoft Teams. However, it isn’t the full Teams service, so the full suite of enterprise Teams features, such the use of channels and being able to search through message archives, isn’t available.
• Cortana is still available in Windows 11 but doesn’t appear in the taskbar and is not enabled by default.

For IT, these features are notable:

• Windows 11 requires hardware with a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0 built into it for security. TPM uses hardware-based encryption to encrypt disks using Windows capabilities like BitLocker, and can stop dictionary attacks against passwords, among other capabilities.
• Windows 11 has a once-a-year feature update schedule rather than the two-a-year cycle under Windows 10. That will reduce update time, effort, and headaches.
• To help make sure enterprise applications and other software can run on Windows 11, Microsoft has released Test Base for Microsoft 365, an automated testing tool to check application compatibility.

Small and Medium Business, Windows, Windows 11

The launch of a major Windows 10 update isn’t the end of a process — it’s really just the beginning. As soon as one of Microsoft’s feature updates (such as Windows 10 version 22H2) is released, the company quickly gets to work on improving it by fixing bugs, releasing security patches, and occasionally adding new features.

In this story we summarize what you need to know about each update released to the public for the most recent versions of Windows 10 — versions 22H2 and 21H2. (Microsoft releases updates for those two versions together.) For each build, we’ve included the date of its initial release and a link to Microsoft’s announcement about it. The most recent updates appear first.

For details about how to install and manage Windows updates, see “How to handle Windows 10 and 11 updates.” If you’re looking for information about Insider Program previews for upcoming feature releases of Windows 10, see “Windows 10 Insider Previews: A guide to the builds.”

Updates to Windows 10 versions 21H2 and 22H2 Windows 10 22H2 KB5036979 (OS Build 19045.4355) Preview

Release date: April 23, 2024

With this build, you will start getting account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts in Settings > Home. The account also backs up all your account-related data and helps you to manage your subscriptions. The update also makes the Widgets on the lock screen more reliable.

A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which Windows Local Administrator Password Solution’s Post Authentication Actions (PAAs) did not occur at the end of the grace period. Instead, they occurred at restart.

(Get more info about KB5036979 Preview.)

KB5036892 (OS Builds 19044.4291 and 19045.4291)

Release date: April 9, 2024

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and April 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Copilot in Windows is not currently supported when your taskbar is located vertically on the right or left of your screen.

(Get more info about KB5036892.)

Windows 10 22H2 KB5035941 (OS Build 19045.4239) Preview

Release date: March 26, 2024

In this build, Windows Hello for Business admins can now use mobile device management to turn off the prompt that appears when users sign in to an Entra-joined machine. To do it, turn on the “DisablePostLogonProvisioning” policy setting. After a user signs in, provisioning is off for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.

The update also update improves the Remote Desktop Session Host. You can now set up its “clipboard redirection” policy to work in a single direction from the local computer to the remote computer. You can also reverse that order.

A number of bugs have also been fixed, including one in which a network resource could not be accessed from a Remote Desktop session when the Remote Credential Guard feature was turned on, and another that affected the time service, in which the Windows Settings app did not match what IT admins configured using MDM or a Group Policy Object.

(Get more info about KB5035941 Preview.)

KB5035845 (OS Builds 19044.4170 and 19045.4170)

Release date: March 12, 2024

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Copilot in Windows is not currently supported when your taskbar is located vertically on the right or left of your screen.

(Get more info about KB5035845.)

KB5034843 (OS Build 19045.4123) Preview

Release date: February 29, 2024

In this update, using Windows share, you can now directly share URLs to apps like WhatsApp, Gmail, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Sharing to X (formerly Twitter) is coming soon.

The update also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Azure Virtual Desktop virtual machines restarted randomly because of an access violation in lsass.exe, and another in Remote Desktop Web Authentication in which you might not have been able to connect to sovereign cloud endpoints.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Windows devices using more than one monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows. In the second issue, Copilot in Windows is not supported when your taskbar is located vertically on the right or left of your screen.

(Get more info about KB5034843 Preview.)

KB5034763 (OS Builds 19044.4046 and 19045.4046)

Release date: February 13, 2023

This build fixes several bugs, including one in which explorer.exe stopped responding when you restarted or shut down a PC that had a controller accessory attached to it.

It also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Copilot in Windows (in preview) is not currently supported when your taskbar is located vertically on the right or left of your screen.

(Get more info about KB5034763.)

KB5034203 (OS Build 19045.3996) Preview

Release date: January 23, 2024

The update fixes a variety of bugs, including one that affected BitLocker data-only encryption. A mobile device management (MDM) service, such as Microsoft Intune, might not get the right data when you use the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node.

It also fixed a bug that affected Group Policy Folder Redirection in a multi-forest deployment. The issue stopped you from choosing a group account from the target domain. And it addresses an issue that caused some single-function printers to be installed as scanners.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Windows devices using more than one monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows. In the second issue, Copilot in Windows is not supported when your taskbar is located vertically on the right or left of your screen.

(Get more info about KB5034203 Preview.)

KB5034122 (OS Builds 19044.3930 and 19045.3930)

Release date: January 9, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2024 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build, affecting ID admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5034122.)

KB5032189 (OS Builds 19044.3693 and 19045.3693)

Release date: December 12, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and December 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build, which affects ID admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in MDM apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5033372.)

Windows 10 22H2 KB5032278 (OS Build 19045.3758) Preview

Release date: November 30, 2023

The update adds the Copilot in Windows (in preview) button to the right side of the taskbar. This only applies to devices that run Home or Pro editions (non-managed business devices). When you select it, the AI-powered Copilot in Windows appears at the right on your screen. It will not overlap with desktop content or block open app windows. The update also adds Windows Update opt-in notifications to the screen when you sign in.

The update also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that affected non-admin processes. It also fixes a leak in volatile notifications, which might have stopped you from signing into your computer.

There is one known issue in this build that applies to IT admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about Windows 10 22H2 KB5032278 Preview.)

KB5032189 (OS Builds 19044.3693 and 19045.3693)

Release date: November 14, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and November 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build that affects ID admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in MDM apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment. To mitigate the issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or “Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives” policies to not configured.

(Get more info about KB5032189.)

KB5031445 (OS Build 19045.3636) Preview

Release date: October 26, 2023

The update fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which touchscreens did not work properly when you used more than one display, and another in which there was a memory leak in ctfmon.exe.

There is one known issue in this build, which applies to IT admins, in which using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the “Require Device Encryption” setting for some devices in your environment.

(Get more info about KB5031445 Preview.)

KB5031356 (OS Builds 19044.3570 and 19045.3570)

Release date: October 10, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5031356.)

KB5030300 (OS Build 19045.3516) Preview

Release date: September 26, 2023

This update brings back a search box design for accessing apps, files, settings, and more from Windows and the web. If you have a top, bottom, regular, or small icons taskbar, the search box appears.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Microsoft Defender stopped some USB printers from printing, and another in which in Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) AppID Tagging policies could have greatly increased device startup time.

(Get more info about KB5030300 Preview.)

KB5030211 (OS Builds 19044.3448 and 19045.3448)

Release date: September 12, 2023

This build fixes a bug that affected authentication in which using a smart card to join or rejoin a computer to an Active Directory domain could have failed.

The build also has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and September 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5030211.)

KB5029331 (OS Build 19045.3393) Preview

Release date: August 22, 2023

This update improves how Windows detects your location to help give you better weather, news, and traffic information. It also expands the rollout of notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu, which gives you quick access to important account-related notifications. In addition, it adds Windows Backup to your device.

The update also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which print jobs sent to a virtual print queue failed without an error, and another in which Remote Desktop (RD) sessions disconnected when multiple apps were in use.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5029331 Preview.)

KB5029244 (OS Builds 19044.3324 and 19045.3324)

Release date: August 8, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and August 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5029244.)

KB5028244 (OS Build 19045.3271) Preview

Release date: July 25, 2023

This update fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in which Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) errors might have occurred when you played a game, another in which some display and audio devices were missing when your system resumed from sleep, and another in which some VPN clients could not establish connections.

There is one issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5028244 Preview.)

KB5028166 (OS Builds 19044.3208 and 19045.3208)

Release date: July 11, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5028166.)

KB5027293 (OS Build 19045.3155) Preview

Release date: June 27, 2023

This update adds new features and improvements to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. For more information, see Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. It also lets you authenticate across Microsoft clouds. This feature also satisfies Conditional Access checks if they are needed.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one in which scheduled monthly tasks might not have run on time if the next occurrence happened when daylight savings time occured, and another in which all the registry settings under the Policies paths could have been deleted when you did not rename the local temporary user policy file during Group Policy processing.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5027293 Preview.)

KB5027215 (OS Builds 19044.3086 and 19045.3086)

Release date: June 13, 2023

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and June 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5027215.)

KB5026435 (OS Build 19045.3031) Preview

Release date: May 23, 2023

This update revamps the search box; Microsoft claims it will let you “easily access apps, files, settings, and more from Windows and the web. You will also have access to the latest search updates, such as search highlights.” If you don’t like the design, you can revert to the existing search box via taskbar context menu or by responding to a dialog that appears when you use search.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one that did not let you access the Server Message Block (SMB) shared folder and another in which the Windows Firewall dropped all connections to the IP address of a captive portal when you chose the Captive Portal Addresses option.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5026435 Preview.)

Updates to Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1, 21H2, and 22H2 KB5026361 (OS Builds 19042.2965, 19044.2965, and 19045.2965)

Release date: May 9, 2023

The update fixes a race condition in the Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) in which the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) stopped responding when the system processed multiple local account operations at the same time.

This build also includes the quality updates from the April 25 KB5025297 Preview (detailed below), along with a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and May 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5026361.)

KB5025297 (OS Build 19045.2913) Preview

Release date: April 25, 2023

This update adds the ability to sync language and region settings when you change your Microsoft account display language or regional format. Windows saves those settings to your account if you have turned on Language preferences sync in your Windows backup settings. It also lets you configure application group rules for firewall settings.

A variety of bugs have been fixed, including one that stopped mobile device management (MDM) customers from printing, and another in which the Tab Window Manager stopped responding in IE mode.

There is one known issue in this update: devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5025297 Preview.)

KB5025221 (OS Builds 19042.2846, 19044.2846, and 19045.2846)

Release date: April 11, 2023

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and April 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5025221.)

KB5023773 (OS Builds 19042.2788, 19044.2788, and 19045.2788) Preview

Release date: March 21, 2023

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Windows classifies USB printers as multimedia devices even though they are not, and another in which lsass.exe might stop responding when it sends a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) query to a domain controller that has a very large LDAP filter.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5023773 Preview.)

KB5023696 (OS Builds 19042.2728, 19044.2728, and 19045.2728)

Release date: March 14, 2023

This build implements phase three of Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) hardening. After you install this update, you cannot turn off the changes using the registry key. See KB5004442 for details. It also fixes a bug in which joining an Active Directory domain failed when you reused an existing computer account. See KB5020276 for details.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and March 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5023696.)

KB5022906 (OS Builds 19042.2673, 19044.2673, and 19045.2673) Preview

Release date: February 21, 2023

In this build, informational links open faster when you use Windows Spotlight on the lock screen. Several bugs were also fixed, including one that that stopped hyperlinks from working in Microsoft Excel, and another in IE mode in which the text on the status bar was not always visible.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5022906 Preview.)

KB5022834 (OS Builds 19042.2604, 19044.2604, and 19045.2604)

Release date: February 14, 2023

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and February 2023 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5022834.)

KB5019275 (OS Builds 19042.2546, 19044.2546, and 19045.2546) Preview

Release date: January 19, 2023

This build displays storage alerts for Microsoft OneDrive subscribers on the Systems page in the Settings app. Alerts appear when you are close to your storage limit. You can also manage your storage and purchase additional storage.

The build also fixes a number of bugs, including one that affected searchindexer.exe and randomly stopped you from signing in or signing out.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5019275 Preview.)

KB5022282 (OS Builds 19042.2486, 19044.2486, and 19045.2486)

Release date: January 10, 2023

This build fixes Local Session Manager (LSM) bugs that allowed users who did not have admin rights to perform admin actions.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and January 2023 Security Updates. It also fixes a bug in the Camera app, which stopped responding when memory is low.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5022282.)

KB5021233 (OS Builds 19042.2364, 19043.2364, 19044.2364, and 19045.2364)

Release date: December 13, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the December 2022 Security Updates. It also fixes a bug in the Camera app, which stopped responding when memory was low.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5019959.)

KB5020030 (OS Builds 19042.2311, 19043.2311, 19044.2311, and 19045.2311) Preview

Release date: November 15, 2022

In this build, the search box now appears, by default, on the taskbar when the taskbar is at the top of your screen or when you turn on small taskbar button mode. In addition, Cortana is no longer pre-pinned to your taskbar by default.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which print outputs were misaligned on some printers and another in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint in which automated investigation blocked live response investigations. The build also addresses some persistent update failures for the Microsoft Store.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge. In another bug, after installing this update, the audio on some Windows devices might not work.

(Get more info about KB5020030 Preview.)

KB5019959 (OS Builds 19042.2251, 19043.2251, 19044.2251, and 19045.2251)

Release date: November 8, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this update, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5019959.)

KB5020953 (OS Builds 19042.2194, 19043.2194, 19044.2194, and 19045.2194)

Release date: October 28, 2022

This build fixes a single bug that caused Microsoft OneDrive to stop working. It happened after you unlinked your device, stopped syncing, or signed out of your account.

This build has one known issue, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5020953.)

Windows 10 2022 Update (version 22H2)

Release date: October 18, 2022

The Windows 10 2022 Update is, in Microsoft’s words, “a scoped release focused on quality improvements to the overall Windows experience in existing feature areas such as quality, productivity and security.” In other words, there’s not much new here, although Computerworld blogger Susan Bradley did uncover a handful of new group policies in the release.

Home and Pro editions of the 2022 Update will receive 18 months of servicing, and Enterprise and Education editions will have 30 months of servicing.

To install the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Check for updates. If the update appears, select Download to install it.

(Get more info about the Windows 10 2022 Update.)

Updates to Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1, and 21H2 KB5018482 (OS Builds 19042.2193, 19043.2193, and 19044.2193)

Release date: October 25, 2022

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one that that caused an OS upgrade to stop responding, and then fail, and another in Microsoft Direct3D 9 games in which the graphics hardware stopped working if it didn’t have a native Direct3D 9 driver.

This build has one known issue, in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5018482.)

KB5020435 (OS Builds 19042.2132, 19043.2132, and 19044.2132)

Release date: October 17, 2022

This build fixes an issue that affected some types of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) connections, in which there were handshake failures. For developers, the affected connections are likely to receive one or more records followed by a partial record with a size of less than 5 bytes within a single input buffer. If the connection fails, your app will receive the error, “SEC_E_ILLEGAL_MESSAGE”.

This build has two known issues, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5020435 (OS Builds 19042.2132, 19043.2132, and 19044.2132)

KB5018410 (OS Builds 19042.2130, 19043.2130, and 19044.2130)

Release date: October 11, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and October 2022 Security Updates.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5018410.)

KB5017380 (OS Builds 19042.2075, 19043.2075, and 19044.2075) Preview

Release date: September 20, 2022

This build lets you search for the controls for news and interests on the taskbar and modify them using the Settings app. To change your settings, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > News and interests. You can also right-click the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.

The build also fixes a variety of bugs, including one that required you to reinstall an app if you didn’t get the app from the Microsoft Store. This occurs after you upgrade to Windows 10. It also fixes a bug that forced the IE mode tabs in a session to reload.

There are three known issues in this update, including one which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge. In another bug, after installing this update, the audio on some Windows devices might not work.

(Get more info about KB5017380 Preview.)

KB5017308 (OS Builds 19042.2006, 19043.2006, and 19044.2006)

Release date: September 13, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5017308.)

KB5016688 (OS Builds 19042.1949, 19043.1949, and 19044.1949) Preview

Release date: August 26, 2022

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which Microsoft Edge stopped responding when you use IE mode. This issue also prevented you from interacting with a dialog. It also fixes a bug that caused error 0x1E when a device was shut down or restarted.

There are three known issues in this update, including one which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge. In another bug, after installing this update, the audio on some Windows devices might not work.

(Get more info about KB5016688 Preview.)

KB5016616 (OS Builds 19042.1889, 19043.1889, and 19044.1889)

Release date: August 9, 2022

This build fixes several bugs, including one that can prevent the Input Indicator and Language Bar from displaying in the notification area. This issue affects devices that have more than one language installed.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

KB5015807 (OS Builds 19042.1826, 19043.1826, and 19044.1826)

Date: July 12, 2022

This build addresses an issue that redirects the PowerShell command output so that transcript logs do not contain any output of the command. That means the decrypted password is lost. The build also includes improvements made in the KB5014666 update.

This build has three known issues, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5015807.)

KB5014666 (OS Builds 19042.1806, 19043.1806, and 19044.1806) Preview

Release Date: June 28, 2022

This build adds IP address auditing for incoming Windows Remote Management (WinRM) connections in security event 4262 and WinRM event 91. This addresses an issue that fails to log the source IP address and machine name for a remote PowerShell connection. The build also includes several new Print and Scan features.

The build also fixes a number of bugs, including one that prevented the Snip & Sketch app from capturing a screenshot or from opening using the keyboard shortcut (Windows logo key + Shift + S).

This build has three known issues, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5014666 Preview.)

KB5016139 (OS Builds 19042.1767, 19043.1767, and 19044.1767)

Release date: June 20, 2022

This out-of-band build, which is only available for Windows devices that use Arm processors, fixes a bug that prevented Windows Arm-based devices from signing in using Azure Active Directory (AAD). Apps and services that use AAD to sign in, such as VPN connections, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Outlook, might also be affected.

This build has four known issues, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge. In another, Windows devices might be unable use the Wi-Fi hotspot feature. When attempting to use the hotspot feature, the host device might lose the connection to the internet after a client device connects.

(Get more info about KB5016139.)

KB5014699 (OS Builds 19042.1766, 19043.1766, and 19044.1766)

Release date: June 14, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5014699.)

KB5014023 (OS Builds 19042.1741, 19043.1741, and 19044.1741) Preview

Release date: June 2, 2022

This build fixes several bugs, including one that prevented Excel or Outlook from opening, one that slowed down file copying, and one that prevented internet shortcuts from updating.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info KB5014023 Preview.)

KB5015020 (OS Build 19042.1708)

Release date: May 19, 2022

This out-of-band build fixes two bugs: one that could cause authentication failures for some services on a server or client after you install the May 10, 2022 update on domain controllers, and another that could prevent the installation of Microsoft Store apps when you enable Control-flow Enforcement.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5015020.)

KB5013942 (OS Builds 19042.1706, 19043.1706, and 19044.1706)

Release date: May 10, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the May 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5013942).

KB5011831 (OS Builds 19042.1682, 19043.1682, and 19044.1682) Preview

Release date: April 25, 2022

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused a remote desktop session to close or a reconnection to stop responding while waiting on the accessibility shortcut handler (sethc.exe), another that that displayed a black screen for some users when they sign in or sign out, and another that prevented you from changing a password that has expired when you sign in to a Windows device.

(Get more info about KB5011831 Preview.)

KB5012599 (OS Builds 19042.1645, 19043.1645, and 19044.1645)

Release date: April 12, 2022

This build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the April 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5012599.)

KB5011543 (OS Builds 19042.1620, 19043.1620, and 19044.1620) Preview

Release date: March 22, 2022

This build introduces Search highlights, which display notable moments about each day, including holidays, anniversaries, and other events globally and in your region. To see more details at a glance, hover or click on the illustration in the search box.

There are also a variety of small new features, including a new policy that expands an app’s top three notifications by default in the Action Center for apps that send Windows notifications. It displays multiple notifications that you can interact with simultaneously.

In addition, there are a wide variety of bug fixes, including for a bug that stopped Microsoft Outlook’s offline search from returning recent emails, and another that prevented the User Account Control (UAC) dialog from correctly showing the application that is requesting elevated privileges.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5011543 Preview.)

KB5011487 (OS Builds 19042.1586, 19043.1586, and 19044.1586)

Release date: March 8, 2022

This build fixes a bug that occurs when you attempt to reset a Windows device and its apps have folders that contain reparse data, such as Microsoft OneDrive or OneDrive for Business. When you select Remove everything, files that have been downloaded or synced locally from Microsoft OneDrive might not be deleted.

It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the March 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5011487.)

KB5010415 (OS Builds 19042.1566, 19043.1566, and 19044.1566) Preview

Release date: February 15, 2022

The build lets you share cookies between Microsoft Edge Internet Explorer mode and Microsoft Edge, and adds support for hot adding and the removal of non-volatile memory (NVMe) namespaces.

It also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that affected the Windows search service and occurred when you queried using the proximity operator, and one that caused the Remote Desktop Service (RDS) server to become unstable when the number of signed in users exceeds 100. This prevented you from accessing published applications using RDS on Windows Server 2019.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5010415 Preview.)

KB5010342 (OS Builds 19042.1526, 19043.1526, and 19044.1526)

Release date: February 8, 2022

The build fixes a bug that causes a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) modify operation to fail if the operation contains the SamAccountName and UserAccountControl attribute. It also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the February 2022 Security Updates notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5010342.)

KB5009596 (OS Builds 19042.1503, 19043.1503, and 19044.1503) Preview

Release date: January 25, 2022

The build fixes a variety of bugs, including one that stops printing or prints the wrong output when you print using USB on Windows 10 version 2004 or later, and another that causes functioning Bluetooth devices to stop working when you attempt to connect to a non-functioning Bluetooth device. It also adds a reminder to Internet Explorer 11 that notifies you about its upcoming retirement.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5009596.)

KB5010793 (OS Builds 19042.1469, 19043.1469, and 19044.1469)

Release date: January 17, 2022

This out-of-band build fixes several bugs, including one that caused IP Security (IPSEC) connections that contain a Vendor ID to fail. VPN connections using Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) or IP security Internet Key Exchange (IPSEC IKE) could have also been affected. It also fixed a bug that could cause Windows Servers to restart unexpectedly after installing the January 11, 2022 update on domain controllers (DCs).

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5010793.)

KB5009543 (OS Builds 19042.1466, 19043.1466, and 19044.1466)

Release date: January 11, 2022

The build fixes a bug in the Japanese Input Method Editors (IME) and includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the January 2022 Security Update notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5009543.)

Updates to Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2, 21H1, and 21H2 KB5008212 (OS Builds 19041.1415, 19042.1415, 19043.1415, and 19044.1415)

Release date: December 14, 2021

The build includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the December 2021 Security Update notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5008212.)

KB5007253 (OS Builds 19041.1387, 19042.1387, 19043.1387, and 19044.1387) Preview

Release date: November 22, 2021

This optional update can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog or by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Optional updates available.

The build fixes a variety of bugs, including one that caused the 32-bit version of Microsoft Excel to stop working on certain devices when you exported to PDF, and another that caused the Settings page to unexpectedly close after you uninstalled a font.

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5007253 Preview.)

Windows 10 November 2021 Update (version 21H2)

Release date: November 16, 2021

Version 21H2, called the Windows 10 November 2021 Update, is the second feature update to Windows 10 released in 2021. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new:

• Wi-Fi security has been enhanced with WPA3 H2E standards support.
• GPU compute support has been added in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows (EFLOW) deployments for machine learning and other compute-intensive workflows.

There are also a number of features designed for IT and business:

• Windows Hello for Business has a new deployment method called cloud trust that simplifies passwordless deployments.
• For increased security, there have been changes to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) VPN APIs, which includes the ability to implement common web-based authentication schemes and to reuse existing protocols.
• Apps can now be provisioned from Azure Virtual Desktop. This allows those apps to run just like local apps, including the ability to copy and paste between remote and local apps.
• The release closes the gap between Group Policy and mobile device management (MDM) settings. The device configuration settings catalog has been updated to list more than 1,400 settings previously not available for configuration via MDM. The new MDM policies include administrative template (ADMX) policies, such as App Compat, Event Forwarding, Servicing, and Task Scheduler.
• An upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise includes Universal Print, which now supports print jobs of up to 1GB or a series of print jobs from an individual user that add up to 1GB within any 15-minute period.
• Universal Print integrates with OneDrive for web and Excel for web. This allows users of any browser or device connected to the internet to print documents hosted in OneDrive for web to a printer in their organization without installing printer drivers on their devices.

Microsoft has also announced that starting with this release, Windows 10 will get feature updates only once a year.

Updates to Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2, and 21H1 KB5007186 (OS Builds 19041.1348, 19042.1348, and 19043.1348)

Release date: November 9, 2021

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. The build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the November 2021 Security Update notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5007186.)

KB5006738 (OS Builds 19041.1320, 19042.1320, and 19043.1320)

Release date: October 26, 2021

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. It also fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that prevented subtitles from displaying for some video apps and streaming video sites, and another that sometimes caused lock screen backgrounds to appear black if they were set up to have a slideshow of pictures as the lock screen background.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5006738.)

KB5006670 (OS Builds 19041.1288, 19042.1288, and 19043.1288)

Release date: October 12, 2021

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. It also fixes a bug that prevented some applications, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader, from opening or caused them to stop responding.

The build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and the October 2021 Security Update notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5006670.)

KB5005611 (OS Builds 19041.1266, 19042.1266, and 19043.1266) Preview

Release date: September 30, 2021

This build fixes a small number of bugs, including one in which applications such as Microsoft Outlook suddenly stopped working during normal use, and another that caused blurry News and Interests icons with certain screen resolutions.

(Get more info about KB5005611.)

KB5005565 (OS Builds 19041.1237, 19042.1237, and 19043.1237)

Release date: September 14, 2021

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. It also fixes a bug that caused PowerShell to create an infinite number of child directories. The issue occurred when you used the PowerShell Move-Item command to move a directory to one of its children. As a result, the volume filled up and the system stopped responding.

The build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5005565.)

KB5005101 (OS Builds 19041.1202, 19042.1202, and 19043.1202)

Release date: September 1, 2021

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that reset syncing for Microsoft OneDrive to “Known folders only” after you installed a Windows update, and another in which flickering and residual line artifacts appeared when resizing images.

The build also includes more than 1,400 new mobile device management (MDM) policies. With them, you can configure policies that Group Policies also support. These new MDM policies include administrative template (ADMX) policies, such as App Compat, Event Forwarding, Servicing, and Task Scheduler. Starting in September 2021, you can use the Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM) Settings Catalog to configure these new MDM policies.

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5005101.)

KB5005033 (OS Builds 19041.1165, 19042.1165, and 19043.1165)

Release date: August 10, 2021

This build changes the default privilege requirement for installing drivers when using Point and Print. After installing this update, you must have administrative privileges to install drivers. See KB5005652, Point and Print Default Behavior Change, and CVE-2021-34481 for more information. The build also makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates.

The build also includes a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5005033.)

KB5004296 (OS Builds 19041.1151, 19042.1151, and 19043.1151)

Release date: July 29, 2021

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused the File Explorer window to lose focus when mapping a network drive, another that failed to detect internet connectivity when connected to a VPN, and another that caused System Integrity to leak memory.

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or a custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5004296.)

KB5004237 (OS Builds 19041.1110, 19042.1110, and 19043.1110)

Release date: July 13, 2021

This build fixes several bugs, including one that made it difficult to print to a variety of printers, primarily USB receipt or label printers. It also removes support for the PerformTicketSignature setting and permanently enables Enforcement mode for CVE-2020-17049.

It also has a variety of security updates for Windows Apps, Windows Management, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Authentication, Windows User Account Control (UAC), Operating System Security, Windows Virtualization, Windows Linux, the Windows Kernel, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, the Windows HTML Platforms, the Windows MSHTML Platform, and Windows Graphics.

For more details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5004237.)

KB5004945 (OS Builds 19041.1083, 19042.1083, and 19043.1083)

Release date: July 6, 2021

This build closes a remote code execution exploit in the Windows Print Spooler service, known as “PrintNightmare,” as documented in CVE-2021-34527.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

 (Get more info about KB5004945.)

KB5004760 (OS Builds 19041.1082, 19042.1082, and 19043.1082)

Release date: June 29, 2021

This out-of-band build fixes a bug that may prevent you from opening PDFs using Internet Explorer 11 or apps that use the 64-bit version of the WebBrowser control.

Among the build’s known issues are one in which when using the Microsoft Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) to enter Kanji characters in an app that automatically allows the input of Furigana characters, you might not get the correct Furigana characters. You might need to enter the characters manually.

(Get more info about KB5004760.)

KB5003690 (OS Builds 19041.1081, 19042.1081, and 19043.1081)

Release date: June 21, 2021

This build addresses about three dozen bugs, including one in which signing in using a PIN fails, and another that might cause a VPN to fail after renewing a user auto-enrolled certificate. It also removes Adobe Flash from your PC and makes improvements to the servicing stack, the component that installs Windows updates.

Among the build’s known issues are one in which when using the Microsoft Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) to enter Kanji characters in an app that automatically allows the input of Furigana characters, you might not get the correct Furigana characters. You might need to enter the characters manually.

(Get more info about KB5003690.)

KB5004476 (OS Builds 19041.1055, 19042.1055, and 19043.1055)

Release date: June 11, 2021

This out-of-band build fixes a bug that might redirect you to the Microsoft Store page for Gaming Services when you try to install or start an Xbox Game Pass game on your Windows 10 device. Additionally, you might receive error 0x80073D26 or 0x8007139F. For more information, see KB5004327.

In addition, the build makes improvements to the servicing stack, the component that installs Windows updates.

(Get more info about KB5004476.)

KB5003637 (OS Builds 19041.1052, 19042.1052, and 19043.1052)

Release date: June 8, 2021

This build includes improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. It also includes changes for verifying user names and passwords and for storing and managing files.

It also has a variety of security updates to the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Management, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Authentication, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Virtualization, Windows Kernel, Windows HTML Platform, and Windows Storage and Filesystems.

For more details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10. Devices using Windows Update for Business or that connect directly to Windows Update are not impacted.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5003637.)

KB5003214 (OS Builds 19041.1023, 19042.1023, and 19043.1023) Preview

Release date: May 25, 2021

This build adds the Open on hover option (which is checked by default) to the News and interests menu. To access it, right-click a blank space on the Windows taskbar and open the News and interests menu.

In addition, it makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. It also includes a wide variety of small bug fixes, including one that displayed items on the desktop after they have been deleted from the desktop, and another that caused configuration problems with devices that were configured using mobile device management (MDM) RestrictedGroups, LocalUsersAndGroups, or UserRights policies.

(Get more info about KB5003214 Preview.)

Windows 10 May 2021 Update (version 21H1)

Release date: May 18, 2021

Version 21H1, called the Windows 10 May 2021 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update, but it does have a few new features.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 21H1:

• Windows Hello multicamera support: If you have an external Windows Hello camera for your PC, you can set the external camera as your default camera. (Windows Hello is used for signing into PCs.) Why should this change matter to you? If you have an external camera, you probably bought it because it’s superior to the built-in, internal one on your computer. So with this change, you’ll be able to use the more accurate camera for logging into your PC.
• Improved Windows Defender Application Guard performance: Windows Defender Application Guard lets administrators configure applications to run in an isolated, virtualized container for improved security. With this change, documents will open more quickly. It can currently take up to a minute to open an Office document in it.
• Better Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Group Policy Service support: Microsoft has made it easier for administrators to change settings to support remote work.

Updates to Windows 10 versions 2004 and 20H2 prior to the 21H1 release KB5003173 (OS Builds 19041.985 and 19042.985)

Release date: May 11, 2021

This build includes a variety of security updates for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, the Windows Kernel, Windows Media, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, and the Windows Silicon Platform. For more details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide. It also updates security for Bluetooth drivers and Windows OLE (compound documents).

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10. Devices using Windows Update for Business or that connect directly to Windows Update are not impacted.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5003173.)

KB5001391 (OS Builds 19041.964 and 19042.964) Preview

Release date: April 28, 2021

This update gives you quick access to an integrated feed of dynamic content, such as news, weather, sports, and more, that updates throughout the day, via the Windows taskbar. You can personalize the feed to match your interests. For more details, see Microsoft’s “Personalized content at a glance: Introducing news and interests on the Windows 10 taskbar.”

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10. In addition, devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO images might have the legacy version of Microsoft Edge removed by the update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.

(Get more info about KB5001391 Preview.)

KB5001330 (OS Builds 19041.928 and 19042.928)

Release date: April 13, 2021

This update includes a wide variety of security updates, for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Apps, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Office Media, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Cryptography, the Windows AI Platform, Windows Kernel, Windows Virtualization, and Windows Media. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide website.

There are several other security issues addressed, including fixing a potential elevation of privilege vulnerability in the way Azure Active Directory web sign-in allows arbitrary browsing from the third-party endpoints used for federated authentication.

In this build, Microsoft also removed the Microsoft Edge legacy browser and replaced it with the new Chromium-based Edge.

There are several known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10. Devices using Windows Update for Business or that connect directly to Windows Update are not impacted.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5001330.)

KB5000842 (OS Builds 19041.906 and 19042.906) Preview

Release date: March 29, 2021

This update fixes a variety of minor bugs, including one that made high dynamic range (HDR) screens appear much darker than expected, and another that caused video playback to be out of sync in duplicate mode with multiple monitors.

There are several known issues in this build, including one in which System and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10. Devices using Windows Update for Business or that connect directly to Windows Update are not impacted.

(Get more info about KB5000842 Preview.)

KB5001649 (OS Builds 19041.870 and 19042.870)

Release date: March 18, 2021

This out-of-band update fixes a single bug in which graphical content could not be printed.

There is one known issue in this update, in which system and user certificates may be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10.

(Get more info about KB5001649.)

KB5001567 (OS Builds 19041.868 and 19042.868)

Date: March 15, 2021

This out-of-band update fixes a single bug, which caused a blue screen when you attempted to print to certain printers using some apps.

There is one known issue in this update, in which system and user certificates may be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10.

(Get more info about KB5001567.)

KB5000802 (OS Builds 19041.867 and 19042.867)

Release date: March 9, 2021

This update includes a wide variety of security updates for the Windows Shell, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Apps, Windows User Account Control (UAC), Windows Virtualization, the Windows Kernel, the Microsoft Graphics Component, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge Legacy, and Windows Media. For details, see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB5000802.)

KB4601382 (OS Builds 19041.844 and 19042.844) Preview

Release date: February 24, 2021

This update fixes a variety of minor bugs, including one that caused video playback to flicker when rendering on certain low-latency capable monitors, and another that sometimes prevented the input of strings into the Input Method Editor (IME).

(Get more info about KB4601382.)

KB4601319 (OS Builds 19041.804 and 19042.804)

Release date: February 9, 2021

This update fixes a bug and includes a variety of security updates. The bug fixed could damage the file system of some devices and prevent them from starting up after running chkdsk /f.

Security updates are provided for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Apps, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Management, Windows Authentication, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Cryptography, Windows Virtualization, Windows Core Networking, and Windows Hybrid Cloud Networking. For details, see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

There are three known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4601319.)

KB4598242 (OS Builds 19041.746 and 19042.746)

Release date: January 12, 2021

This build fixes a variety of security vulnerabilities, including one with HTTPS-based intranet servers, and a security bypass vulnerability in the way the Printer Remote Procedure Call (RPC) binding handles authentication for the remote Winspool interface.

There are also security updates to Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Kernel, Windows Cryptography, Windows Virtualization, Windows Peripherals, and Windows Hybrid Storage Services. For details see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10, version 1809.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4598242.)

KB4592438 (OS Builds 19041.685 and 19042.685)

Release date: December 8, 2020

This update fixes a security vulnerability by preventing applications that run as a SYSTEM account from printing to “FILE:” ports. It also has security updates for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge, the Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, and Windows Virtualization. For details see the Microsoft Security Update Guide.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4592438.)

KB4586853 (OS Builds 19041.662 and 19042.662) Preview

Release date: November 30, 2020

This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused Narrator to stop responding after you unlock a device if the app was in use before you locked the device, and another that made makes the touch keyboard unstable in the Mail app.

There are two known issues in this update, one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10, and another in which users of the Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Japanese or Chinese languages might experience issues when attempting various tasks.

(Get more info about KB4586853.)

KB4594440 (OS Builds 19041.631 and 19042.631)

Release date: November 19, 2020

This minor build fixes issues with Kerberos authentication related to the PerformTicketSignature registry subkey value in CVE-2020-17049, which was a part of the November 10, 2020 Windows update.

There are two known issues in this update, one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10, version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10, and another in which users of the Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Japanese or Chinese languages might experience issues when attempting various tasks.

(Get more info about KB4594440.)

KB4586781 (OS Builds 19041.630 and 19042.630)

Release date: November 10, 2020

This build updates the 2020 DST start date for the Fiji Islands to December 20, 2020 and includes security updates to the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Input and Composition, Microsoft Graphics Component, the Windows Wallet Service, Windows Fundamentals, and the Windows Kernel. For details see the release notes for November 2020 Security Updates.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10, and another in which users of the Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Japanese or Chinese languages might experience issues when attempting various tasks.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4586781.)

KB4580364 (OS Builds 19041.610 and 19042.610)

Release date: October 29, 2020

This update makes it easier to connect to others in Skype, using Meet Now from the taskbar. In addition, there are a wide variety of bug fixes, including for one that displayed the incorrect CPU frequency for certain processors, another that displayed nothing on the screen for five minutes or more during a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session, and another that caused the Docker pull operation to fail due to a Code Integrity (CI) Policy that blocks the import of a Windows container image.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which system and user certificates might be lost when updating a device from Windows 10 version 1809 or later to a later version of Windows 10, and another in which users of the Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Japanese or Chinese languages might experience issues when attempting various tasks.

(Get more info about KB4580364.)

Windows 10 October 2020 Update (version 20H2)

Release date: October 20, 2020

Version 20H2, called the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update but does have a few new features.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 20H2:

• The new Chromium-based version of the Microsoft Edge browser is now built directly into Windows 10.
• The System page of Control Panel has been removed. Those settings have been moved to the Settings app.
• The Start menu’s tiled background will match your choice of Windows themes. So the tiled background will be light if you’re using the Windows 10 light theme and dark if you’re using the Windows 10 dark theme.
• When you use Alt-Tab, Edge will now display each tab in your browser in a different Alt-Tab window. Previously, when you used Alt-Tab, Edge would get only a single window. You can change this new behavior by going to Settings > System > Multitasking.
• When you pin a site to the taskbar in Edge, you can click or mouse over its icon to see all your browser tabs that are open for that website.
• When you detach a keyboard on a 2-in-1 device, the device will automatically switch to the tablet-based interface. Previously, you were asked whether you wanted to switch. You can change that setting by going to Settings > System > Tablet.
• The Your Phone app gets a variety of new features for some Samsung devices. When using one of the devices, you can interact with the Android apps on your phone from the Your Phone app on Windows 10.

What IT needs to know: Windows 10 version 20H2 also has a variety of small changes of note for sysadmins and those in IT.

• IT professionals who administer multiple mobile devices get a new Modern Device Management (MDM) “Local Users and Groups” settings policy that mirrors options available for devices that are managed through Group Policy.
• Windows Autopilot, used to set up and configure devices in enterprises, has gained a variety of small enhancement, including better deployment of HoloLens devices, the addition of co-management policies, enhancements to Autopilot deployment reporting, and the ability to reuse Configuration Manager task sequences to configure devices.
• Microsoft Defender Application Guard now supports Office. This allows untrusted Office documents from outside an enterprise to launch in an isolated container to stop potentially malicious content from compromising computers or exploiting personal information found on them.
• Latest Cumulative Updates (LCUs) and Servicing Stack Updates (SSUs) have been combined into a single cumulative monthly update, available via Microsoft Catalog or Windows Server Update Services.
• Biometric sign-on has been made more secure. Windows Hello now has support for virtualization-based security for certain fingerprint and face sensors, which protects, isolates, and secures a user’s biometric authentication data.

For more details, see Microsoft’s “What’s new for IT pros in Windows 10, version 20H2.”

Updates to Windows 10 version 2004 prior to the 20H2 release KB4579311 (OS Build 19041.572)

Release date: October 13, 2020

This build fixes a few minor bugs and includes a variety of security updates. Among the bugs fixed are an issue with creating null ports using the user interface, and another issue with a possible elevation of privilege in win32k.

Security updates were issued for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Authentication, Windows Virtualization, and Windows Kernel. For details, see the Release Notes for October 2020 Security Updates.

There are two known issues in this build: In one, users of Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese and Japanese might have issues with input. In the other, when installing a third-party driver you might receive the error “Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software.” You might also see the error “No signature was present in the subject” when attempting to view the signature properties using Windows Explorer.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4579311.)

KB4577063 (OS Build 19041.546) Preview

Release date: October 1, 2020

This build reduces distortions and aberrations in Windows Mixed Reality head-mounted displays and fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one that caused random line breaks when you redirect PowerShell console error output, and another that that prevented the Language Bar from appearing when a user signs in to a new session.

There is one known issue in this build: Users of Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese and Japanese might have issues with input.

(Get more info about KB4577063.)

KB4571756 (OS Build 19041.508)

Release date: September 8, 2020

This build includes security updates for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Kernel, Windows Virtualization, Windows Storage and Filesystems, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.

For details, see the Release Notes for September 2020 Security Updates.

The build also fixes a security vulnerability issue with user proxies and HTTP-based intranet servers, and addresses an issue with a possible elevation of privileges in windowmanagement.dll.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build: Users of Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese and Japanese might have issues with input.

(Get more info about KB4571756.)

KB4571744 (OS Build 19041.488)

Release date: September 3, 2020

This build fixes a laundry list of minor bugs, including one that prevented apps from downloading an update or opening in certain scenarios, another that prevented users from reducing the size of windows and another that caused File Explorer to stop working when you browsed directories of RAW images and other file types.

There is one known issue in this build: Users of Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese and Japanese might have issues with input.

(Get more info about KB4571744.)

KB4566782 (OS Build 19041.450)

Release date: August 11, 2020

This build includes security updates for the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows Graphics, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Kernel, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, the Windows Wallet Service, Microsoft Edge Legacy, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Authentication, the Windows AI Platform, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Update Stack, Windows File Server and Clustering, Windows Hybrid Storage Services, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, and Windows SQL components.

For details, see the Release Notes for August 2020 Security Updates.

The build also fixes an issue in Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps that allows single sign-on authentication when an app does not have the Enterprise Authentication capability.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

There is one known issue in this build: When using some apps, such as Microsoft Excel, users of the Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese and Japanese might receive an error, or the app might stop responding or close when attempting to drag using the mouse.

(Get more info about KB4566782.)

KB4568831 (OS Build 19041.423)

Release date: July 31, 2020

This minor build addresses a wide variety of bugs and issues, including one that caused the Settings page to close unexpectedly, which prevented default applications from being set up properly, and another that prevented some applications from printing to network printers.

There is one known issue in this build, in which when using some apps such as Excel, users of the Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese and Japanese might receive an error, or the app might stop responding or close when users attempt to drag using the mouse.

(Get more info about KB4568831.)

KB4565503 (OS Build 19041.388)

Release date: July 14, 2020

This build fixes several bugs, including one that might prevent you from connecting to OneDrive using the OneDrive app. It also has security updates for the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, the Microsoft Store, Windows Graphics, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Kernel, Windows Hybrid Cloud Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Update Stack, Windows MSXML, Windows File Server and Clustering, Windows Remote Desktop, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge Legacy, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine. For details, see the Release notes for the July 2020 Security Updates.

There is one known issue in this build, in which when using some apps, such as Microsoft Excel, users of the Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese and Japanese might receive an error, or the app might stop responding or close when attempting to drag using the mouse.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4565503.)

KB4567523 (OS Build 19041.331)

Release date: June 18, 2020

This minor build fixes a single issue, in which certain printers could not print, generated print errors, or caused apps and print spoolers to close unexpectedly.

There is one known issue in this build, which affects the ImeMode property to control the Input Method Editor (IME) mode for individual text entry fields to increase typing efficiency. Some IMEs in this build might have issues using the ImeMode property with certain apps, for example the input mode will not switch automatically to Kanji or Hiragana.

(Get more info about KB4567523.)

KB4557957 (OS Build 19041.329)

Release date: June 9, 2020

This build improves the reliability of voice assistants that use keywords and has security updates for the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Media, Windows Kernel, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Shell, Windows Silicon Platform, Microsoft Xbox, the Microsoft Store, Windows Cloud Infrastructure, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Authentication, Windows Cryptography, Microsoft HoloLens, Windows Virtualization, Windows Peripherals, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows File Server and Clustering, Windows Hybrid Storage Services, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, and the Windows Update Stack. For details, see the Release Notes for June 2020 Security Updates.

There are no known issues in this build.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4557957.)

Windows 10 May 2020 Update (version 2004)

Release date: May 27, 2020

Version 2004, called the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. This is a relatively minor update but does have a variety of new features for both users and system administrators. For more details, see: “Review: Windows 10 May 2020 Update delivers little tweaks that add up to… well, not a lot.”

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in 2004:

• Cortana now runs as a standalone app in a resizable window. It also loses a variety of capabilities, such as playing music, controlling home devices, and working on the lock screen.
• Task Manager now displays new information, including the temperature of your GPU and your disk type.
• Settings gets many small tweaks, including adding a header with account information, and a redone network status page that combines information that used to be found on multiple pages, such as your IP address, current connection properties and data usage.
• The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) gets more features. It now uses a real Linux kernel, and is faster than previously.
• IT can now take advantage of Windows Hello biometrics logins rather than passwords, by setting that up as the default on enterprise devices.
• Installing and setting up Windows for others has been made easier thanks to new controls added to Dynamic Update, which can lead to less downtime during installation for users.
• A variety of new commands have been given to PowerShell for Delivery Optimization, a Windows networking service that reduces bandwidth consumption by sharing the work of downloading update and upgrade packages among multiple devices in business deployments.
• The security of the Chromium version of Edge has been improved, thanks to porting Application Guard to it.

Updates to the November 2019 Update (version 1909) KB4556799 (OS Build 18363.836)

Release date: May 12, 2020

This build updates the 2020 start date for daylight saving time (DST) in the Kingdom of Morocco, and has security updates for Internet Explorer, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Edge, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Cryptography, Windows Authentication, Windows Kernel, Windows Linux, Windows Update Stack, Windows Network Security and Containers, Windows Active Directory, Windows Storage and Filesystems, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine. For details, see the Release Notes for May 2020 Security Updates.

There are no known issues in this build.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4556799.)

KB4550945 (OS Build 18363.815)

Release date: April 21, 2020

This update fixes a variety of small bugs, including one that turned off notifications for devices that use a VPN on a cellular network, and another that generated unexpected notifications when you change the default application settings.

(Get more info about KB4550945.)

KB4549951 (OS Build 18363.778)

Release date: April 14, 2020

This security update fixes a variety of security holes in Windows 10, including for Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and a Win32k Information Disclosure Vulnerability. For more details, see the April 2020 Security Update Release Notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4549951.)

KB4554364 (OS Build 18363.753)

Release date: March 30, 2020

This optional update fixes a bug that could cause Windows to display a limited or no internet connection status in the notification area on devices that use a manual or auto-configured proxy, especially with a virtual private network (VPN). The bug also could prevent some devices from connecting to the internet using applications that use WinHTTP or WinINet.

Note: Microsoft recommends that the update be applied only to devices that are affected by the bug.

There are no known issues in the update.

(Get more info about KB4554364.)

KB4541335 (OS Build 18363.752)

Release date: March 24, 2020

This minor update fixes half-a-dozen small bugs, including one that caused an error when printing to a document share, and another that prevented applications from closing. There are no known issues in the update.

(Get more info about KB4541335).

KB4551762 (OS Build 18363.720)

Release date: March 12, 2020

This security-only update has a patch for Microsoft Server Message Block 3.1.1 (SMBv3), a network communication protocol issue that provides shared access to files, printers, and serial ports. For details, see the March 2020 Security Updates Release Notes.

There is one known issue with the update: when using Windows Server containers, you might encounter problems with 32-bit applications and processes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4551762.)

KB4540673 (OS Build 18363.719)

Release date: March 10, 2020

This build fixes one small bug and plugs a series of security holes. It fixes an issue that prevented some users from upgrading Windows 10 because of corrupted third-party assemblies.

The update also has security patches Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Media, Windows Silicon Platform, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Authentication, Windows Peripherals, Windows Update Stack, and Windows Server. For details, see the March 2020 Security Updates Release Notes.

There is one known issue with the update, in which when using Windows Server containers, you might encounter problems with 32-bit applications and processes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4540673.)

KB4535996 (OS Build 18363.693)

Release date: February 27, 2020

This build fixes a wide variety of minor bugs, including one that prevented some applications from printing to network printers, and another that caused Microsoft Narrator to stop working when a user session is longer than 30 minutes.

(Get more info about KB4535996.)

KB4532693 (OS Build 18363.657)

Release date: February 11, 2020

This Patch Tuesday build fixes two small bugs and plugs a series of security holes. It fixes problems people experienced when migrating cloud printers during an upgrade and improves the installation experience when updating to Windows 10, version 1903.

The update also has security patches for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Cryptography, Windows Virtualization, Windows Network Security and Containers, Windows Server, Windows Management, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, and Windows Shell. For details, see the February 2020 Security Updates Release Notes.

There are no known issues with the update.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4532693.)

KB4532695 (OS Build 18363.628)

Release date: January 28, 2020

This build improves the accuracy of Windows Hello face authentication and fixes a variety of small bugs, including one that caused a gray box to appear when you searched within Control Panel and File Explorer, another that prevented File Explorer’s Quick Access control from pasting clipboard content using the right mouse button, and another that caused the touch keyboard to close when you selected any key. There are no known issues with the update.

(Get more info about KB4532695.)

KB4528760 (OS Build 18363.592)

Release date: January 14, 2020

This build has security updates for Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Management, Windows Cryptography, Windows Storage and Filesystems, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, and Windows Server. For details, see the January 2020 Security Updates Release Notes. It also has updates for Microsoft HoloLens (OS Build 18362.1044).

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4528760.)

KB4530684 (OS Build 18363.535)

Release date: December 10, 2019

This minor update fixes two minor issues — one that might cause error 0x3B in cldflt.sys on some devices, and another that might prevent you from creating a local user account using the Input Method Editor (IME) for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean languages when setting up a new Windows device during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE).

The update also has security patches for Windows Virtualization, Windows Kernel, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, and Windows Server. For details, see the December 2019 Security Updates Release Notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4530684.)

KB4524570 (OS Build 18363.476)

Release date: November 12, 2019

This update fixes security issues in Windows, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge (EdgeHTML-based). For details, see Microsoft’s November 2019 Security Update notes.  

There is one known issue in this update, in which you may not be able to create a local user when setting up a new Windows device during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) while using Input Method Editor (IME). This issue might affect you if you are using the IME for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean languages. 

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4524570.)

Windows 10 November 2019 Update (version 1909)

Release date: Nov. 12, 2019

Version 1909, called the Windows 10 November 2019 Update, is the most recent update to Windows 10. There are very few new features in this update, making it more like a service pack of old than a feature update. At this point it’s not clear whether in the future there will be one full-featured update and one service-pack-like update per year or whether Microsoft will go back to its two-feature-updates-a-year schedule. For more details, see “What we know so far about the unusual Windows 10 1909” and “5 unanswered questions about Windows 10 1909.”

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in 1909.

• It lets you create calendar events straight from the taskbar. To do it, click the time on the taskbar and you’ll open the Calendar view. Now click a date and time, then type the event’s name into the text box. You’ll also be able to choose the date, time and location.
• When you type a search into the search box, it will now search through files in your OneDrive account as well as on your PC. Also, as you type, a drop-down menu with suggested files appears. Click a file to open it.
• Voice assistants in addition to Cortana, including Amazon’s Alexa, will be able to run on Windows 10’s lock screen.
• Under-the-hood improvements should speed up the performance of some PCs, as well as increase the battery life in some laptops.
• The Start Menu has gotten minor tweaks. When you hover over items in the navigation pane on the left side of the menu, the items clearly show what you’re about to click.

What IT needs to know: The following features in 1909 are of note for IT staff.

• Windows containers no longer need to have their host and container versions match. That requirement restricted Windows from supporting mixed-version container pod scenarios. Previously, containers from older versions of Windows 10 couldn’t be run on newer versions of Windows 10. In this update, it’s possible, so that a container made using 1903, for example, can be run on 1909.
• Windows Defender Credential Guard, which protects enterprise users’ logins and credentials against theft, is now available for ARM64 devices. Some Windows 10 convertible PCs use ARM64.
• Enterprises can now use Microsoft’s Intune enterprise mobility management (EMM) service to allow devices running Windows 10 in S mode to install and run Win32 (desktop) apps. Before this, S Mode only allowed devices to run apps from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft Store apps don’t run on the desktop.
• The security of BitLocker encryption has been improved. Whenever BitLocker is used to encrypt a device, a recovery key is created, but before this security improvement, it was possible for an unauthorized user to get access to the recovery key and decrypt the device. Now, PCs have additional security if a key is exposed. Here’s how Microsoft explains the change: “Key-rolling or Key-rotation feature enables secure rolling of Recovery passwords on MDM managed AAD devices upon on demand request from Microsoft Intune/MDM tools or upon every time recovery password is used to unlock the BitLocker protected drive.”

Updates to the May 2019 Update (version 1903)

Note: Starting in November 2019, Microsoft began issuing identical updates for Windows 10 versions 1903 and 1909. The updates above under “Windows 10 November 2019 Update (version 1909)” are the same as those delivered to version 1903.

KB4522355 (OS Build 18362.449)

Release date: October 24, 2019

This update fixes a wide variety of minor bugs, including one that prevented Microsoft Narrator from working in certain touch mode scenarios; another that prevented windows from being shrunk in some cases; and another that caused the Start menu, the Cortana Search bar, Tray icons, or Microsoft Edge to stop responding in certain scenarios after installing a monthly update.

There are no known issues in this update.

(Get more info about KB4522355.)

KB4517389 (OS Build 18362.418)

Release date: October 8, 2019

This update fixes a variety of security issues in Windows Shell, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Cryptography, Windows Authentication, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Kernel, Microsoft Scripting Engine, and Windows Server. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide. It also addresses an issue in security bulletin CVE-2019-1318 that may cause client or server computers that don’t support Extended Master Secret (EMS) RFC 7627 to have increased connection latency and CPU utilization. In addition, it fixes an issue with applications and printer drivers that utilize the Windows JavaScript engine (jscript.dll) for processing print jobs.

There are no known issues in this update.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4517389.)

KB4524147 (OS Build 18362.388)

Release date: October 3, 2019

This security update protects against the Internet Explorer scripting engine security vulnerability (CVE-2019-1367) and also fixes an issue with the print spooler service that has caused some print jobs to fail.

It doesn’t replace the upcoming October 2019 monthly update, scheduled to be available on October 8.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4524147.)

KB4517211 (OS Build 18362.387)

Release date: September 26, 2019

This minor build fixes a wide variety of small bugs, including an issue that caused some devices to disconnect from a virtual private network (VPN) on cellular networks, and another that prevented older systems from upgrading to the latest operating systems because a display driver error.

There is one known issue in this build, in which the Input Method Editor (IME) may become unresponsive or may have high CPU usage.

(Get more info about KB4517211.)

KB4522016 (OS Build 18362.357)

Release date: September 23, 2019

This security update fixes a zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer, a Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability that could allow someone to introduce malicious code into a browser. For details, see Microsoft’s security vulnerability information.

There are two known issues in this update, one in which the audio for certain games is quieter or different than expected, and another in which the Input Method Editor (IME) may become unresponsive or may have high CPU usage.

What IT needs to know: Because of the severity of the vulnerability and the fact that criminals are already exploiting it, Microsoft recommends installing the patch right away.

(Get more info about KB4522016.)

KB4515384 (OS Build 18362.356)

Release date: September 10, 2019

This is primarily a security update. One set of security updates protects against a new subclass of speculative execution side-channel vulnerabilities, known as Microarchitectural Data Sampling, for 32-bit (x86) versions of Windows. To take advantage of the fix, use the Registry settings described in these Windows client and Windows Server guidance articles.

In addition, there are security updates for Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Authentication, Windows Cryptography, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Wireless Networking, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Kernel, Windows Virtualization, and Windows Server. For more details, go to the September 2019 Security Update notes.

This build also ostensibly fixes a bug that causes high CPU usage from SearchUI.exe on devices that have disabled searching the web using Windows Desktop Search. However, Microsoft has confirmed that some users are experiencing similar problems with Search after installing the new build.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4515384.)

KB4512941 (OS Build 18362.329)

Release date: August 30, 2019

This update fixes a wide variety of minor bugs, including an issue that prevented Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) from running automated forensic data collection when using registry-based proxy configuration, and another that displayed a black screen when Remote Desktop was used to connect to a machine running Windows 10, version 1903.

There is one known issue in this build: On devices that have disabled web search via Windows Desktop Search, search may not return any results and may have high CPU usage.

(Get more info about KB4512941.)

KB4512508 (OS Build 18362.295)

Release date: August 13, 2019

This update fixes an issue that may prevent devices from starting up or cause them to continue restarting if they are connected to a domain that is configured to use MIT Kerberos realms.

In addition, there are security updates to Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Wireless Networking, Windows Cryptography, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Virtualization, Windows Storage and Filesystems, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Linux, Windows Kernel, Windows Server, Windows MSXML, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge. For more details, go to the August 2019 Security Update notes.

There are two known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Sandbox may fail to start with “ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (0x80070002)” on devices in which the operating system language is changed during the update process when installing Windows 10, version 1903, and another in which devices that start up using Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) images from Windows Deployment Services (WDS) or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) may fail to start with the error “Status: 0xc0000001, Info: A required device isn’t connected or can’t be accessed” after installing this update on a WDS server.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4512508.)

KB4505903 (OS Build 18362.267)

Release date: July 26, 2019

This build has more than three dozen bug fixes, including for an issue that prevented Windows Hello face recognition from working after a restart, another that prevented some people from changing the display brightness after their devices resumed from Sleep or Hibernation, another that reduced Bluetooth audio quality when certain audio profiles were used for extended periods, and another that caused a mouse press and release to sometimes produce an extra mouse movement.

There are several known issues in this build, including one in which Windows Sandbox may fail to start with “ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (0x80070002)” on devices in which the operating system language is changed during the update process when installing Windows 10, version 1903, and another in which devices connected to a domain that is configured to use MIT Kerberos realms may not start up or may continue to restart. Devices that are domain controllers or domain members are both affected.

(Get more info about KB4505903.)

KB4507453 (OS Build 18362.239)

Release date: July 9, 2019

This build fixes several minor bugs, including one in which BitLocker would go into recovery mode when it was being provisioned at the same time updates were being installed, and another in which Mixed Reality users saw a tilted world after connecting their headsets.

Also included are security updates to Windows Wireless Networking, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Server, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Kernel, Microsoft HoloLens, Internet Explorer, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Virtualization, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Edge, and Windows Cryptography. For details, go to the July 2019 Security Update notes.

There are several known issues in this build, including one in which opening or using the Window-Eyes screen reader app may result in an error and some features may not function as expected, and another in which Windows Sandbox may fail to start with “ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (0x80070002)” on devices in which the operating system language is changed during the update process when installing Windows 10, version 1903.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4507453.)

KB4501375 (OS Build 18362.207)

Release date: June 27, 2019

This build fixes a variety of minor bugs, including one in which the cursor didn’t display when it was hovered over the keyboard magnifier, and another that caused Office 365 applications to stop working after opening when they were deployed as App-V packages.

There is one known issue in the build, in which Windows Sandbox may fail to start with “ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (0x80070002)” on devices in which the operating system language is changed during the update process when installing Windows 10, version 1903.

(Get more info about KB4501375.)

KB4503293 (OS Build 18362.175)

Release date: June 11, 2019

This build addresses only security issues. In one, the build prevents connections between Windows and Bluetooth devices that are not secure and use well-known keys to encrypt connections, including security fobs. You’ll have to contact the manufacturer of your Bluetooth device to see if there’s a software update for it. For more details, see CVE-2019-2102 and KB4507623.

Also included are security updates to Windows Virtualization, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Server, Windows Authentication, Windows Cryptography, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows SQL Components, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, and Internet Information Services. For details, go to the June 2019 Security Update notes.

There is one known issue in the build, in which Windows Sandbox may fail to start with “ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (0x80070002)” on devices in which the operating system language is changed during the update process when installing Windows 10, version 1903.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4503293.)

KB4497935 (OS Build 18362.145)

Release date: May 29, 2019

This build addresses two dozen minor bugs in the just-released version of Windows 10, including one in which a File Share Witness does not remove Server Message Block (SMB) handles, which causes a server to eventually stop accepting SMB connections, and another in which Night light mode may be turned off during display mode changes.

There are two known issues in the build, including one in which Windows Sandbox may fail to start with “ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (0x80070002)” on devices in which the operating system language is changed during the update process when installing Windows 10, version 1903.

(Get more info about KB4497935.)

Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903)

Release date: May 21, 2019

Version 1903, called the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, is the feature update that preceded the November 2019 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• Windows 10 Home and Pro users can now control whether to install the twice-yearly feature updates like the Windows 10 May 2019 Update via a new “Download and install now” option. However, when users’ current version of Windows reaches what Microsoft calls “end of service” — the point at which Microsoft no longer supports it — Windows 10 will install the latest feature update automatically. End of service is typically 18 months after a Windows 10 feature update is released.
• Windows 10 users can pause any minor Windows updates that Microsoft issues in between the big feature updates for up to 35 days.
• Cortana and the search box have been separated. To perform a Cortana search, you can say “Hey Cortana” and speak your search, click the Cortana icon to the right of the search box and speak, or press the Windows key + C and speak. All other searches are done by Windows Search.
• You can now use search to find files in any location on your PC, not just in default libraries and folders like OneDrive, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop. However, that requires indexing, which reduces laptop battery life and could slow down PC performance.
• You can uninstall more built-in apps than previously, including 3D Viewer (previously called Mixed Reality Viewer), Calculator, Calendar, Groove Music, Mail, Movies & TV, Paint 3D, Snip & Sketch, Sticky Notes, and Voice Recorder.

What IT needs to know: The Professional and Enterprise versions of Windows 10 get a new security tool called Windows Sandbox. It lets you test out software and websites in their own containers, so that if they’re dangerous, they can’t get to Windows 10 itself. Close the sandbox, and the software or website vanishes.

IT administrators can also extend the safety features of Windows Defender Application Guard beyond Edge via browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox and an app from the Microsoft store. When users browse to an untrusted site in Chrome or Firefox, the site will open in Edge, inside a virtual machine using Windows Defender Application Guard.

Updates to the October 2018 Update (version 1809) KB4497934 (OS Build OS 17763.529)

Release date: May 21, 2019

This build brings a major change to the way you update Windows 10. You no longer have to accept every one of Microsoft’s twice-yearly feature updates such as the just released Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903). When there’s a new feature update available, a “Download and install now” link appears in the Windows Update Settings pane. If you don’t want to install it, don’t click the link.

However, there is one caveat: When your current version of Windows nears what Microsoft calls “end of service” — the point at which Microsoft no longer supports it — Windows 10 will install the latest feature update.

In addition, this update fixes more than 20 issues in the latest version of Windows 10, including one that caused Microsoft Edge to hide annotations added to a PDF file, such as inked notes, highlights and comments, and another that failed to record a local user’s last logon time even when the user had accessed the server’s network share.

There are a handful of issues with this build, including one in which when attempting to print from Microsoft Edge or other Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications you may receive the error, “Your printer has experienced an unexpected configuration problem. 0x80070007e.” There may also be issues using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) to start a device from a Windows Deployment Services (WDS) server configured to use Variable Window Extension.

(Get more info about KB4497934.)

KB4494441 (OS Build 17763.503)

Release date: May 14, 2019

This build fixes minor issues in the latest version of Windows 10, including one that caused zone transfers between primary and secondary DNS servers over TCP to fail, and another that caused “Error 1309” while installing or uninstalling certain types of .msi and .msp files on a virtual drive.

In addition, security updates are included for Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Graphics, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Cryptography, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Kernel, Windows Virtualization, and Windows Server. For more information about them, see the May 2019 Security Updates Release Notes. 

There are several issues in the build, including one in which when attempting to print from Microsoft Edge or other Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications you may receive the error “Your printer has experienced an unexpected configuration problem. 0x80070007e.” There may also be issues using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) to start a device from a Windows Deployment Services (WDS) server configured to use Variable Window Extension.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4494441.)

KB4495667 (OS Build 17763.475)

Release date: May 3, 2019

This build fixes more than two dozen minor issues in the latest version of Windows 10, including one that caused some touch screens to stop working after restarts, and another that caused Internet Explorer Automation to fail in certain instances. The build also adds several minor features, including one that allows the built-in Administrator account to run Microsoft Office setup after downloading the installer in Microsoft Edge.

There are several issues in the build, including one in which Custom URI Schemes for Application Protocol handlers may not start the corresponding application for local intranet and trusted sites on Internet Explorer. There may also be issues using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) to start a device from a Windows Deployment Services (WDS) server configured to use Variable Window Extension. And when attempting to print from Microsoft Edge or other Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications, you may receive the error “Your printer has experienced an unexpected configuration problem. 0x80070007e.”

(Get more info about KB4495667.)

KB4493509 (OS Build 17763.437)

Release date: April 9, 2019

This build fixes a handful of minor bugs in the latest version of Windows 10, including one that may cause authentication issues for Internet Explorer 11 and other applications that use WININET.DLL, and another that may cause compound document (OLE) server applications to display embedded objects incorrectly if you use the PatBlt API to place embedded objects into the Windows Management Framework (WMF).

In addition, security updates are included for Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Server, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Kernel, Windows Input and Composition, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Virtualization, Windows MSXML, Windows SQL components, and Microsoft Edge. For more information about them, see the April 2019 Security Updates Release Notes.  

There are several known issues in the build, including one in which Custom URI Schemes for Application Protocol handlers may not start the corresponding application for local intranet and trusted sites on Internet Explorer. There may also be issues using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) to start a device from a Windows Deployment Services (WDS) server configured to use Variable Window Extension.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4493509.)

KB4490481 (OS Build 17763.404)

Release date: April 2, 2019

This build fixes several dozen minor issues with the latest version of Windows 10, including one that prevented users from configuring their screens for high-dynamic-range (HDR) video playback, and another that failed to register USB cameras correctly for Windows Hello after their initial setup. It also fixes an issue that caused Windows to reuse an expired Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) lease if the lease expired while the OS was shut down, and another that prevented the authentication credentials dialog from appearing when an enterprise web server attempted to connect to the internet.

There are several issues in the build, including one in which Internet Explorer 11 and other applications that use WININET.DLL may have authentication issues, and another in which Custom URI Schemes for Application Protocol handlers may not start the corresponding application for local intranet and trusted sites on Internet Explorer.

(Get more info about KB4490481.)

KB4489899 (OS Build 17763.379)

Release date: March 12, 2019

This build fixes several minor issues with the latest version of Windows 10 and includes security patches. Among other issues, it fixes a tracking and device calibration issue in Microsoft HoloLens that some people have experienced. Although people may see an improvement 10 to 15 minutes after installing the update, Microsoft recommends resetting the holograms for best results.

In addition, security updates are included for Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Shell, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers, Windows Server, Windows Linux, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Wireless Networking, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Kernel, Windows, and Windows Fundamentals. The Security Update Guide’s Release Notes has details.

There are several issues in the build, including one in which after installing the update on machines that have multiple audio devices, applications that provide advanced options for internal or external audio output devices may stop working unexpectedly.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4489899.)

KB4482887 (OS Build 17763.348)

Release date: March 1, 2019

This build fixes several dozen minor issues with the latest version of Windows 10. Among them is one that caused the Action Center to suddenly appear on the wrong side of the screen before appearing on the correct side and another that caused the screen to remain black after resuming from Sleep if the laptop lid was closed while the laptop was being disconnected from a docking station.

The build also turns on a patch called “Retpoline” for some Windows devices, which may improve protection against the Spectre variant 2 vulnerability. For more details, see “Mitigating Spectre variant 2 with Retpoline on Windows.”

There is one known issue in the build, in which Internet Explorer 11 may have authentication issues when two or more people use the same user account for multiple, concurrent login sessions on the same Windows Server machine.

(Get more info about KB4482887.)

KB4487044 (OS Build 17763.316)

Release date: February 12, 2019

This build fixes several minor issues with the latest version of Windows 10. Among them is one in which Windows Hello for Business Hybrid Key Trust deployment sign-on fails if Windows 2019 Server domain controllers (DC) are used for authentication. It also fixes a bug in Microsoft HoloLens that allows users to bypass the lock screen sign-in process in some workflows.

In addition, security updates are included for Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Edge, Windows Server, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows Wireless Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Graphics, and Windows App Platform and Frameworks. The Security Update Guide’s Release Notes has details.

There is one known issue in the build, in which after installing the previous build, KB4480116, some users cannot load a webpage in Microsoft Edge using a local IP address. Browsing fails or the webpage becomes unresponsive.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4487044.)

KB4476976 (OS Build 17763.292)

Release date: January 22, 2019

This build fixes 20 minor issues with the latest version of Windows 10. Among them is one in which File Explorer stopped working when you clicked the Turn On button for the timeline feature when the “Allow upload of user activities” group policy was disabled. This build also fixed a problem that caused Remote Desktop Services to stop accepting connections after accepting several connections, and another one that caused Microsoft Edge to stop working with certain display drivers.

There are two known issues in the build. In one, applications that use a Microsoft Jet database with the Microsoft Access 97 file format may fail to open if the database has column names greater than 32 characters. The database will display the error “Unrecognized Database Format.” In the other issue, after installing the previous build (KB4480116), some users some users cannot load a webpage in Microsoft Edge using a local IP address. Browsing fails or the webpage becomes unresponsive.

(Get more info about KB4476976.)

KB4480116 (OS Build 17763.253)

Release date: January 8, 2019

This minor build has several security updates and addresses a single minor issue. It fixes the problem in which using esentutl /p to repair a corrupt Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) database results in a mostly empty database that is corrupted and can’t be mounted.

One security update addresses a vulnerability in session isolation that affects PowerShell remote endpoints. For security reasons, from this build and onward, PowerShell remote endpoints cannot be configured to work with non-administrator accounts.

In addition, security updates are included for Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows MSXML, Windows Kernel, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Wireless Networking, Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Linux, Windows Virtualization, and the Microsoft Scripting Engine. The Security Update Guide’s Release Notes has details.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4480116.)

KB4483235 (OS Build 17763.195)

Release date: December 19, 2018

This minor build has only a single change: a security update to Internet Explorer.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4483235.)

KB4471332 (OS Build 17763.194)

Release date: December 11, 2018

This minor security update fixes an issue that may prevent the use of the Seek Bar in Windows Media Player when playing specific files. The issue does not affect normal playback.  The build also has security updates for Windows Authentication, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Wireless Networking, Windows Kernel, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Scripting Engine. See the Security Update Guide for details.

There are no known issues in the update.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4471332.)

KB4469342 (OS Build 17763.168)

Release date: December 5, 2018

This non-feature update fixes 20 minor issues, including one that can cause mapped drives to fail to reconnect after starting and logging onto a Windows device, and another in which there are long delays when taking a photo with the Camera app in certain lighting conditions.

There are two known issues in this update, including one in which users may not be able to use the Seek Bar in Windows Media Player when playing specific files. This issue does not affect normal playback. Microsoft expects a fix to be available in mid-December.

(Get more info about KB4469342.)

KB4467708 (OS Build 17763.134)

Release date: November 13, 2018

This update addresses several security issues, including security updates for Microsoft Edge, Windows Scripting, Internet Explorer, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Graphics, Windows Media, Windows Kernel, Windows Server, and Windows Wireless Networking.

In addition, it provides protections against a subclass of speculative execution side-channel vulnerability known as Speculative Store Bypass (CVE-2018-3639) for AMD-based computers. These protections are not enabled by default in the update. To turn the protections on after installing the update, follow the instructions in KB4073119. For Windows Server guidance, follow the instructions in KB4072698. Additionally, IT staff should follow the mitigations that have already been released for Spectre Variant 2 (CVE-2017-5715) and Meltdown (CVE-2017-5754).

In addition to the security updates, the build fixes several issues, including one that prevented users from signing in to a Microsoft account (MSA) as a different user if signing in a second time, and another that caused the on-screen keyboard to appear when running automated tests or when you install a physical keyboard.

There are two known issues in this update, one in which some users cannot set Win32 program defaults for certain app and file type combinations using the Open with… command or Settings > Apps > Default apps, and another in which Microsoft Notepad and other Win32 programs cannot be set as default applications.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4467708.)

KB4464455 (OS Build 17763.107)

Release date: November 13, 2018

This minor, non-feature update fixes a variety of small issues, including one in which Internet Explorer performance became degraded when using roaming profiles or when the Microsoft Compatibility List wasn’t being used. Other issues fixed include one that caused a long delay in taking a photo using the Camera app in certain lighting conditions, and one that caused applications to lose IPv4 connectivity when IPv6 is unbound.

There are two known issues in this update: one in which some users cannot set Win32 program defaults for certain app and file type combinations using the Open with… command or Settings > Apps > Default apps, and another in which Microsoft Notepad and other Win32 programs cannot be set as default applications.

(Get more info about KB4464455.)

KB4464330 (OS Build 17763.55)

Release date: October 9, 2018

This very minor, non-feature update fixes an issue in which an incorrect timing calculation may prematurely delete user profiles on devices subject to the “Delete user profiles older than a specified number of day” group policy. It also has security updates for Windows Kernel, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Linux, Windows Wireless Networking, Windows MSXML, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Peripherals, Microsoft Edge, Windows Media Player, and Internet Explorer. (Go to the Security Update Guide for more details about these updates.)

There are no known issues with the update.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4464330.)

Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809)

Release date: October 2, 2018; paused October 5; re-released November 13, 2018

Version 1809, called the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, is the feature update that preceded the May 2019 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• A new, powered-up Windows Clipboard can hold multiple clips, store clips permanently, let you preview clips and choose which one you’d like to paste into a document, and share clips across Windows 10 devices.
• A new screenshot and annotation tool called Snip & Sketch lets you capture and annotate the entire screen, a rectangular portion of the screen or a freehand-drawn portion of it. After you take a screen capture, you can annotate it and then save it to a file, copy it to the Clipboard, open it in another program or share it via email, social media and other methods.
• Storage Sense, which helps save storage space, now works with OneDrive Files On-Demand to clean out files you’ve downloaded from OneDrive cloud storage to your PC but that you don’t use any longer. You can choose how long you would like the cloud files to stay on your PC unused before you want them deleted, from never to 60 days.
• The Microsoft Edge browser lets you set autoplay permissions for sound and video on websites on a site-by-site basis. It also lets you look up word definitions in its built-in eReader for books and PDFs, and mark up PDFs and books using a highlighter and by adding notes.
• The new Your Phone app links Windows 10 devices to iOS and Android phones. It allows you to start web browsing on an iOS or Android device and then continue where you left off on your PC. It also lets you view photos on your Android phone from your Windows 10 PC.
• Search Previews have been powered up slightly. You no longer need to click to display the preview panel; it opens automatically. It also now shows files found on your PC.
• Smaller changes include a new dark theme for File Explorer; the addition of the SwiftKey swipe keyboard, which lets you enter text by swiping a finger across an onscreen keyboard; updates that are less intrusive; and faster sign-ins on shared PCs.

What IT needs to know: There are few significant changes that affect IT in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, other than New Microsoft Edge Group Policies that let admins enable and disable full-screen mode, printing, the favorites bar, and browser history saves. IT can also allow or ban Edge extensions (not that there are many available) and configure the Home button and new tab page and startup options.

Updates to the April 2018 Update (version 1803) KB4458469 (OS Build 17134.319)

Release date: September 20, 2018

This non-feature update fixes several dozen issues, including one that prevents custom keyboard layouts from working correctly, another that prevents some Bluetooth devices from pairing with Windows, and another in which a daily, repetitive task starts unexpectedly when the task is first created or starts when the task is updated.

There are no known issues with the update.

(Get more info about KB4458469.)

KB4464218 (OS Build 17134.286)

Release date: September 17, 2018

This non-feature update fixes a single issue that occurs after installing any of the updates released between July 24, 2018 and September 11, 2018. In those updates, Windows no longer recognizes the Personal Information exchange (PFX) certificate used for authenticating to a Wi-Fi or VPN connection. So Intune takes a long time to deliver user profiles because it doesn’t recognize that the required certificate is on the device. This build fixes the problem.

There are no known issues with the update.

(Get more info about KB4464218.)

KB4457128 (OS Build 17134.285)

Release date: September 11, 2018

This non-feature update includes several security updates and fixes an issue that causes the Program Compatibility Assistant (PCA) service to have excessive CPU usage. It provides protection against a Spectre Variant 2 vulnerability (CVE-2017-5715) for ARM64 devices. And it also includes security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft scripting engine, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Windows Hyper-V, Windows datacenter networking, Windows virtualization and kernel, Windows Linux, Windows kernel, Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows MSXML, and Windows Server. (See the Security Update Guide for details.)

There are no known issues with the update.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4457128.)

KB4346783 (OS Build 17134.254)

Release date: August 30, 2018

This non-feature update addresses a little more than a dozen problems, including one in which an issue in Microsoft Foundation Class applications may cause applications to flicker, and another in which Microsoft Edge or other UWP applications can’t perform client authentication when the private key is stored on a TPM 2.0 device.

There is one known issue in the update: Microsoft Edge may fail when using the New Application Guard Window, but normal Microsoft Edge instances aren’t affected.

(Get more info about KB4346783.)

KB4343909 (OS Build 17134.228)

Release date: August 14, 2018

This non-feature update addresses a handful of minor issues, including fixing a problem that caused high CPU usage and performance degradation on some systems with Family 15h and 16h AMD processors, and fixing another one that significantly reduced battery life after upgrading to Windows 10 version 1803, the Windows 10 April 2018 Update.

It also has security fixes, including several for Windows Server, and protections against a new speculative execution side-channel vulnerability known as L1 Terminal Fault (L1TF) that affects Intel Core processors and Intel Xeon processors

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4343909.)

KB4340917 (OS Build 17134.191)

Release date: July 24, 2018

This non-feature update addresses a dozen minor issues, including problems updating time zone information, an issue that prevented OpenType fonts from printing in Win32 applications and an issue with Roaming User Profiles where the AppDataLocal and AppDataLocallow folders are incorrectly synchronized at user logon and logoff, among others.

There is one known issue: After installation of any of the July 2018 .NET Framework Security Updates, a COM component will fail to load because of “access denied,” “class not registered,” or “internal failure occurred for unknown reasons” errors. For more details, see KB4345913.

(Get more info about KB4340917.)

KB4345421 (OS Build 17134.166)

Release date: July 16, 2018

This non-feature update addresses a small number of issues, including one in which the DHCP Failover server may cause enterprise clients to receive an invalid configuration when requesting a new IP address, resulting in a loss of connectivity. It also fixes another issue that may cause the restart of the SQL Server service to fail occasionally, listing the error “Tcp port is already in use.” There are no known issues with the update.

(Get more info about KB4345421.)

KB4338819 (OS Build 17134.165)

Release date: July 10, 2018

This security update addresses a small number of issues, including one that may cause the Mitigation Options Group Policy client-side extension to fail during GPO processing. It also evaluates the Windows ecosystem to help ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows and enables debugging of WebView content in UWP apps using the Microsoft Edge DevTools Preview app that’s available in the Microsoft Store.

The update also includes security updates for Internet Explorer, Windows apps, Windows graphics, Windows data center networking, Windows wireless networking, Windows virtualization, Windows kernel, and Windows Server. All security updates fix vulnerabilities in the Microsoft .NET Framework.

The update has a known issue: After installing this update on a DHCP Failover Server, Enterprise clients may receive an invalid configuration when requesting a new IP address.  This may result in loss of connectivity as systems fail to renew their leases.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4338819.)

KB4284848 (OS Build 17134.137)

Release date: June 26, 2018

This non-feature update fixes a wide variety of bugs, including a performance issue on Windows Mixed Reality that occurred on some laptops with hybrid graphics adapters, such as the Surface Book 2, and another in which the Video Settings HDR streaming calibration slider stopped working due to a conflict with the panel brightness intensity settings configured by some OEMs.

The ancient, security-challenged SMBv1 protocol also has a fix for a bug in which users got the “An invalid argument was supplied” error message when accessing files or running programs from a shared folder using the protocol. The release also fixes a bug in which media content previously generated by Media Center didn’t play after the Windows 10 April 2018 Update was installed. There were more than a dozen other minor bugs squashed as well.

(Get more info about KB4284848.)

KB4284835 (OS Build 17134.112)

Release date: June 12, 2018

This update addresses a variety of issues, including several security problems. It fixes a problem that stops the GameBar from launching and also adds support for the SameSite cookie web standard to Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. Among other changes, it also addresses an issue in which some systems started up to a black screen. That occurred because previous updates to Windows 10 version 1803 were incompatible with specific versions of PC tune-up utilities after installation.

The update also provides protections for an additional subclass of speculative execution side channel vulnerabilities known as Speculative Store Bypass  (CVE-2018-3639). The protections aren’t enabled by default. IT administrators who want to turn them on for the Windows client should follow the instructions in KB4073119. For Windows Server guidance, follow the instructions in KB4072698. This should be done in addition to the mitigations already released for Spectre Variant 2 (CVE-2017-5715) and Meltdown (CVE-2017-5754).

The release also includes security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft scripting engine, Windows Desktop Bridge, Windows apps, Windows shell, Windows kernel, Windows Server, Windows storage and filesystems, Windows wireless networking, remote code execution, and Windows virtualization and kernel.

There is a known issue in this update, in which some users running Windows 10 version 1803 may receive an error “An invalid argument was supplied” when accessing files or running programs from a shared folder using the SMBv1 protocol. To work around the problem, enable SMBv2 or SMBv3 on both the SMB server and the SMB client, as described in KB2696547.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4284835.)

KB4338548 (OS Build 17134.83)

Release date: June 5, 2018

This extremely minor update fixes a single bug in which 2017 and 2018 versions of Intuit QuickBooks Desktop couldn’t run in multi-user mode on Windows 10 version 1803 devices.

(Get more info about KB4338548.)

KB4100403 (OS Build 17134.81)

Release date: May 23, 2018

This update fixes a variety of minor bugs, including one in which Internet Explorer might cause communication between web workers to fail in certain asynchronous scenarios with multiple visits to a web page, and another that caused Windows Hello enrollment to fail on hardware with dGPUs.

There are several known issues with the update, including one in which some users running Windows 10 version 1803 may receive an error “An invalid argument was supplied” when accessing files or running programs from a shared folder using the SMBv1 protocol.

(Get more info about KB4100403.)

KB4103721 (OS Build 17134.48)

Release date: May 8, 2018

This update fixes several minor bugs, closes security holes and introduces no new features. Among other fixes, it addresses one that causes some devices to stop responding or working when using applications such as Cortana or Chrome after installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. And security updates are included for Windows Server, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft scripting engine, Windows app platform and frameworks, Windows kernel, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows storage and filesystems, HTML help and Windows Hyper-V.

The update has one known issue – when some devices with Intel SSD 600p Series or Intel SSD Pro 6000p Series hard disks attempt to upgrade to the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, they may repeatedly enter a UEFI screen after restart or stop working. Microsoft is working with Intel and hardware partners  to identify and block devices with Intel SSD 600p Series or Intel SSD Pro 6000p Series from installing the April 2018 Update. It also is working on a fix that will allow those devices to eventually install the update.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4103721.)

Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803)

Release date: April 30, 2018

Version 1803, called the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the October 2018 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• The most important new feature is Timeline, which lets you review and resume activities and open files you’ve started on your PC, or any other Windows PCs you have. It also tracks what you’ve done on iOS and Android devices if you install Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana on them and are logged in. It shows a list of activities day by day for up to 30 days. Each activity shows up as a large tile, with the file name and document title or URL and website name across it, and the name of the application or app that created it across the top. Click any activity to reopen it. (Note that at present, Timeline only tracks activities in certain Microsoft programs such as the Edge browser and Office applications.)
• The new Diagnostic Data Viewer is supported, which Microsoft is designed to let you see the “diagnostic data collected from your Windows devices, how it is used, and to provide you with increased control over that data.” However, the information is presented in such a complex, technical way that even programmers will likely have a difficult time understanding it. The viewer isn’t built directly into the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. Instead, you have to download it from the Microsoft Store.
• The My People feature now lets you pin up to 10 contacts on the Windows taskbar. Previously, you could only pin up to three.
• Microsoft Edge gets several minor tweaks, including a revamped Hub, the ability to mute auto-playing audio in tabs, and a forms-filler for web-based forms.
• The Notebook feature of Cortana gets a new, cleaner interface for its Notebook. It now has two tabs, Organizer and Manage Skills. The Organizer makes it easier to create lists and set reminders. The Manage Skills tab lets you add “skills” to Cortana, such as controlling your home and its appliances, connecting Cortana to music services such as Spotify, tracking your fitness and more.
• You get more control over app permissions, such as whether they can access your camera, location and contacts.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update:

• Windows 10 Professional now gets the Windows Defender Application Guard, which protects Microsoft Edge. There’s also a new feature in the application guard that lets users download files inside Edge instead of directly to the operating system, as a way to increase security.
• There are new policies for Group Policy and Mobile Device Management (MDM) that can better control how Delivery Optimization is used for Windows Update and Windows Store app updates. You can also now monitor Delivery Optimization using Windows Analytics.
• Windows AutoPilot also gets a tweak that lets IT make sure policies, settings and apps are provisioned on devices before users begin using them.
• Windows gets the Linux curl and tar utilities for downloading files and extracting .tar archives built directly into Windows. Windows also now natively supports Unix sockets (AF_UNIX) with a new afunix.sys kernel driver. That will make it easier to port software to Windows from Linux as well as from other Unix-like operating systems.
• There are a host of improvements to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which lets you run a variety of Linux distributions on Windows 10. Linux applications can run in the background, some launch settings for Linux distributions can be customized, and Linux applications have been given access to serial devices. The new Unix sockets report is available for the Windows Subsystem for Linux as well as Windows itself.
• The Windows 10 Pro for Workstations version of Windows 10 gets a new power scheme called Ultimate Performance it’s only for desktop PCs, not those that can be powered by batteries. In addition, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations no longer ships with games like Candy Crush or other similar consumer-focused apps. Instead, it features enterprise- and business-related apps.
• Administrators have been given the power to configure an enterprise’s PCs to run custom scripts during feature updates, which will make configuration and deployment easier.

For  more details, see the Microsoft blog post “Making IT simpler with a modern workplace.”

Updates to the Fall Creators Update (version 1709) KB4093105 (OS Build 16299.402)

Release date: April 23, 2018

This update fixes three dozen minor bugs and issues and introduces no new features. Among other fixes, it addresses one that removes user-pinned folders or tiles from the Start menu in some cases, and another that causes Skype and Xbox to stop working.

The update has one known issue — it reports that KB4054517 failed to install because of error 0x80070643, even though the installation was successful. If you want to verify the installation and make sure are no additional updates available, select Check for Updates. Microsoft is working on a resolution to the problem and will issue a fix in an upcoming Windows update.

(Get more info about KB4093105.)

KB4093112 (OS Build 16299.371)

Release date: April 10, 2018

This update fixes a variety of minor bugs and issues and plugs a number of security holes. Among other fixes, it addresses one that causes an access violation in Internet Explorer when it runs on the Microsoft Application Virtualization platform. It also fixes an issue that might cause the App-V service to stop working on an RDS server that hosts many users. There are also updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows kpp platform and frameworks, Microsoft scripting engine, Windows graphics, Windows Server, Windows kernel, Windows datacenter networking, Windows wireless networking, Windows virtualization and Kernel, and Windows Hyper-V.

The update has a variety of issues. In one, after it’s installed, users may experience unexpected panning or scrolling in certain apps while using the pen. In another, Windows Update History reports that KB4054517 failed to install because of error 0x80070643.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4093112.)

KB4089848 (OS Build 16299.334)

Release date: March 22, 2018

This non-security updates fixes a variety of minor bugs and issues but offers no new features. Among other issues, it fixes a problem in which Bluetooth devices failed to receive data after a restart, and problems Microsoft Edge had in rendering PDF documents with backgrounds created using various third-party publishing tools. It also fixed an issue with the press-and-hold feature when using a pen in Tablet mode, and another that caused monitors to disconnect after a computer woke from Sleep.

(Get more info about KB4089848.)

KB4088776 (OS Build 16299.309)

Release date: March 13, 2018

This update fixes a variety of bugs and closes several security holes. It fixes a problem in which pinch and zoom gestures don’t work on some hardware when using Internet Explorer, and another one in which Internet Explorer becomes unresponsive in certain scenarios when a Browser Helper Object is installed. It also fixes a bug in which media and other applications become unresponsive or fail when upgrading graphics drivers, and one in which after installing KB4090913, the Mixed Reality Portal failed to initialize.

The update also includes security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Desktop Bridge, Windows Kernel, Windows Shell, Windows MSXML, Device Guard, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Installer, and the Microsoft Scripting Engine.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4088776.)

KB4090913 (OS Build 16299.251)

Release date: March 5, 2018

This update fixes a significant bug and adds no new features. The bug was one in which some USB devices and onboard devices, including built-in laptop cameras, keyboards, or mice, stopped working. It occurred when the Windows Update servicing stack incorrectly skipped installing newer versions of critical drivers in the cumulative update and uninstalled the currently active drivers.

The current update has a variety of known issues, including that some devices may fail to start after installing it and return the error message INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. See Microsoft’s suggested workarounds.

(Get more info about KB4090913.)

KB4074588 (OS Build 16299.248)

Release date: February 13, 2018

This February 2018 “Patch Tuesday” update fixes a wide variety of bugs, adds no new features and offers a several security updates. Among other bugs handled, it fixes an issue in Internet Explorer where pressing the delete key inserted a new line in input boxes in an application. It also updates time zone information and fixes a bug that caused delays when switching keyboard languages using Alt+Shift. There are a number of known issues with the update, including one in which Windows Update History incorrectly reports that KB4054517 failed to install. 

The patch also includes security updates to Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Windows Search component, Windows Kernel, Windows Authentication, Device Guard, Common Log File System driver, and the Windows storage and file systems.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4074588.)

KB4058258 (OS Build 16299.214)

Release date: January 31, 2018

This minor non-feature update fixes a variety of minor bugs, including one in which colors are distorted when the system is connected to displays that support the wide color gamut, and another in which delays are caused when switching keyboard languages using Alt+Shift. The update also includes unnamed security protections for 32-bit (x86) versions of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. There are several known issues with the update, including that after its installation, “Windows Update History reports that KB4054517 failed to install because of error 0x80070643.”

(Get more info about KB4058258.)

KB4073291 (OS Build 16299.201)

Release date: January 18, 2018

This update is only for PCs with the 32-bit (x86) version of Windows 10 1709 that have already installed the January 3, 2018 update (KB4056892, OS Build 16299.192). Microsoft has provided no information about this update beyond a list of files that are in it (CSV download) and that it “provides additional protections for 32-Bit (x86) version of Windows 10 1709.” However, it notes that there are a number of known issues with the update, including that “Windows Update History reports that KB4054517 failed to install because of Error 0x80070643.”

(Get more info about KB4073291.)

KB4056892 (OS Build 16299.192)

Release date: January 3, 2018

This update fixes a variety of minor bugs, including one in which event logs stop receiving events when a maximum file size policy is applied to the channel. It also fixes several Microsoft Edge-related issues including one in which printing an Office Online document in Microsoft Edge fails and another in which Microsoft Edge stops responding for up to 3 seconds while displaying content from a software rendering path.

Also included are security updates for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows 10, .NET Framework and more. For details see the January 2018 Security Updates Release Notes.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4056892.)

KB4054517 (OS Build 16299.125)

Release date: December 12, 2017 

This update fixes a variety of minor bugs, including one in which Windows Defender Device Guard and Application Control block some applications from running, even in Audit-Only Enforcement Mode. It also fixes a variety of issues with updating time zone information.

Also included are 34 security updates to the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Edge and Windows Server. The most notable of them are fixes to two remote code execution bugs in the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine. For details about the two remote execution bugs, see CVE-2017-11937 and CVE-2017-11940.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4054517.)

KB4051963 (OS Build 16299.98)

Release date: November 30, 2017

This minor, non-feature update includes a variety of bug fixes. It addresses several problems with Internet Explorer, including a script-related issue that caused the browser to stop working in some cases, and another in which forms submissions didn’t work properly. It also fixed performance problems when users run full-screen Microsoft DirectX 9 games and applications. And it fixes an issue in which user selections for Feedback Frequency in Settings > Privacy > Feedback & diagnostics weren’t saved.

(Get more info about KB4051963.)

KB4048955 (OS Build 16299.64)

Release date: November 14, 2017

This first “Patch Tuesday” release for the Fall Creators Update contains no new features, but has a variety of bug fixes and security patches. It fixes a problem that caused the Mixed Reality Portal to stop responding on launch and one where black screens appeared when switching between windowed and full-screen modes when playing some Microsoft DirectX games. It also fixes an issue in which application tiles were missing from the Start menu. A variety of other problems have been solved as well.

Fifty-three security vulnerabilities have also been also fixed, with 20 of them rated as critical. Security holes have been patched throughout Windows, including in Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows, Microsoft Office, ASP.NET Core, and Chakra Core.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4048955.)

KB4043961 (OS Build 16299.19)

Release date: October 17, 2017

This very minor, non-feature update addresses only a few small issues, including a bug in which, after apps are removed, they’re reinstalled on every restart, logoff and login. There are also security updates to Windows kernel-mode drivers, Microsoft Graphics Component, Internet Explorer, Windows kernel, Microsoft Windows Search Component, Windows TPM, Windows NTLM, Device Guard, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Wireless Networking, Microsoft Windows DNS, Windows Server, Microsoft JET Database Engine, and the Windows SMB Server.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4043961.)

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709)

Release date: October 17, 2017

Version 1709, called the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the April 2018 Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in it. (For more details, see our full review.)

• OneDrive gets a new feature called Files On-Demand that gives you access to all of your OneDrive files on every device, without having to download them first. You’ll be able to see all the files you have in OneDrive, even if they’re only in the cloud and not on your PC. Icons tell you which are local and which are in the cloud. Just open the file, and if it’s not on your PC, it gets downloaded.
• The new My People feature lets you pin three contacts to the Windows taskbar and then communicate with them instantly without having to open a separate app such as Skype or Mail. You can also click to see a list of all communications between them and you at a glance.
• You can now send web links from your iOS or Android device to your PC and have them open in Microsoft Edge.
• Cortana gets several new features, including displaying results in a scrollable flyout panel, so you don’t have to launch a web browser.
• Microsoft Edge gets some minor improvements, including better Favorites handling and the ability to mark up PDFs and e-books.
• Security has been beefed up, including the addition of Windows Defender Exploit Guard, which includes intrusion rules and policies to protect against a variety of threats, notably zero-day exploits. A new anti-ransomware feature called Controlled Folder Access has also been added; it lets only approved apps have access to Windows system files and folders.
• New privacy features include the ability to review the kinds of devices and services apps from the Microsoft Store want access to before you download them.
• The update incorporates Microsoft’s new design system and guidelines, called Fluent Design. Overall, transitions are smoother, and there are subtle changes to the transparency effect.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update:

• The notoriously insecure SMBv1 networking protocol, exploited in recent ransomware attacks including WannaCry and Petya, won’t be included on clean installs of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, but SMBv1 components will remain if you do in-place upgrades on PCs that already have the component installed.
• Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a suite of tools introduced in Windows 10 that helps enterprise customers protect their users and networks against threats and respond to attacks, is being beefed up. Among other things, it will run on the Windows Server OS.
• ATP is also part of Windows Defender Application Guard for Microsoft Edge, available only for Windows 10 Enterprise Edition. It protects against malware attacks by confining visits to unknown or untrusted websites to a virtual machine, so that attacks can’t spread to a PC or the network.
• Windows AutoPilot, which improves self-service deployments of Windows 10 PCs, gets a variety of tweaks, including better mobile device management (MDM) services.
• Windows Analytics’ new Device Health tool gathers information on how PCs perform in an enterprise, and based on that, identifies potential issues and outlines steps to resolve them.
• Enterprises get more control over what kind of information Windows Analytics gathers for the IT staff. In order to improve users’ privacy, IT staff can limit the information collected by Windows Analytics to only diagnostic data.

For more details about new features for IT, see “What’s new in Windows 10, version 1709 IT Pro content,”  “Announcing end-to-end security features in Windows 10” and “Delivering the Modern IT promise with Windows 10” from Microsoft.

Updates to the Creators Update (version 1703) KB4041676 (OS Build 15063.674)

Release date: October 10, 2017

This non-feature update addresses a wide variety of issues, including ones related to security. It fixes a bug that won’t allow some games from downloading from the MIcrosoft Store. The build also fixes an issue in which some Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and Centennial apps (.NET and Win32-based Windows applications that have been packaged to be published to the Microsoft Store) have a gray icon and display the error message “This app can’t open” on launch.

In addition, security updates are included for many parts of Windows, including Microsoft Windows Search Component, Windows kernel-mode drivers, Microsoft Graphics Component, Internet Explorer, Windows kernel, Microsoft Edge, Windows Authentication, Windows TPM, Device Guard, Windows Wireless Networking, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Microsoft Windows DNS, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Server, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Microsoft JET Database Engine, and the Windows SMB Server.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4041767.)

KB4040724 (OS Build 15063.632)

Release date: September 25, 2017

This non-feature update addresses two very minor issues: Cellular connectivity and reliability have been improved, and performance problems with Microsoft Edge that were introduced in KB40387888 have been resolved.

(Get more info about KB4040724.)

KB4038788 (OS Build 15063.608)

Release date: Sept. 12, 2017

This non-feature update addresses a wide variety of miscellaneous minor issues, including one where some machines fail to load wireless WAN devices when they resume from Sleep, and another where spoolsv.exe stops working. Also addressed is a problem in which the option to join Azure AAD is sometimes unavailable during the out-of-box experience, and another in which clicking the buttons on Windows Action Center notifications results in no action being taken.

What IT needs to know

This release includes security updates to Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows kernel-mode drivers, Windows shell, Microsoft Uniscribe, Microsoft Edge, Device Guard, Windows TPM, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Hyper-V, Windows kernel and Windows Virtualization. Because it’s a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4038788.)

KB4034674 (OS Build 15063.540)

Release date: Aug. 8, 2017

This non-feature update addresses a variety of minor issues, primarily aimed at IT. Two fixes are for mobile devices: One in which the policies provisioned using Mobile Device Management (MDM) don’t take precedence over policies set by provisioning packages, but should, and another in which an access violation in the Mobile Device Manager Enterprise feature causes stop errors. Also addressed is an issue in which the Site to Zone Assignment List group policy (GPO) was not set on machines when it was enabled.

There are also security updates for many Windows features and services, including Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Windows Search Component, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Windows PDF Library, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Server, Windows kernel-mode drivers, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows shell, Common Log File System Driver, Internet Explorer, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.

(Get more info about KB4034674.)

KB4032188 (OS Build 15063.502)

Release date: July 31, 2017

This non-feature update addresses a variety of minor issues and bugs, including one in which Win32 applications have problems working with various Bluetooth LE devices including head tracking devices, a reliability issue with launching the Settings app while an application is using the camera, and a bug in which video playback artifacts appear during transitions from portrait to landscape on mobile devices.

What IT needs to know: Several minor issues addressed in this update affect IT, including the Mobile Device Manager Enterprise feature not allowing headsets to work correctly, and a bug that can cause a service using a Managed Service Account (MSA) to fail to connect to a domain after an automatic password update.

(Get more info about KB4032188.)

KB4025342 (OS Build 15063.483)

Release date: July 11, 2017

This security update (a Patch Tuesday release) fixes 54 vulnerabilities in Windows 10, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Exchange. Nineteen of the vulnerabilities were rated as critical, 32 as important and three as moderate.

The critical bugs include six remote code execution ones, including one for Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality head-mounted display that is currently available only to developers. It allowed the device to be hacked “by merely receiving WiFi packets, apparently without any form of authentication at all,” in Microsoft’s words.

Microsoft Edge received patches for thirteen critical scripting engine memory corruption vulnerabilities, including one in which an attacker could gain the same user rights as the current user.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update. In addition to the patches for Windows 10 Creators Update are security patches for Windows Server 2016 / Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

(Get more info about KB4025342.)

KB4022716 (OS Build 15063.447)

Release date: June 27, 2017

This non-security update kills more than three dozen minor bugs. Among them are one that causes the Camera app to use a lot of memory on mobile platforms, which reduces battery life. The update also improves Bluetooth connectivity with wearable devices.

What IT needs to know: Some of the bugs affect networks, including one in which network printers may fail when using the printer vendor’s setup software on machines with less than 4GB of RAM. Installing the printers using the Settings app or from Devices and Printers in Control Panel will ensure they’re installed properly. In addition, the update fixes an issue which prevented users from connecting to the Terminal Services Gateway (TSG) running on Windows Server 2008 SP2 after it has been upgraded to the Creators Update, with the result that users were not able to access Remote Desktop Services or remote apps.

(Get more info about KB4022716.)

KB4022725 (OS Builds 15063.413 and 15063.414)

Release date: June 13, 2017

This security update closes dozens of security holes, including two remote code execution vulnerabilities (CVE-2017-8464, which is similar to Stuxnet, and CVE-2017-8543, which is a wormlike attack).

It also fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which a user may have to press the space bar to dismiss the lock screen to log in, even after the log on is authenticated using a companion device.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied immediately, especially because several of the security holes are being actively used by attackers. (Get more info about KB4022725.)

KB4020102 (OS Build 15063.332)

Release date: May 25, 2017

This non-security update fixes a wide variety of bugs but offers no new features. Among other issues, it fixes a problem when network printers may fail to install using the printer vendor’s setup software on PCs with less than 4GB of RAM. It also fixes several problems with Internet Explorer, including one where non-administrator users can’t install ActiveX controls. (Get more info about KB4020102.)

KB4016871 (OS Builds 15063.296 and 15063.297)

Release date: May 9, 2017

This is a security update that also includes minor bug fixes, but no new features. The security updates are for Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows SMB Server, Windows COM, Microsoft Scripting Engine, the Windows kernel, Windows Server, and the .NET Framework. Among the bugs fixed are one in which autochk.exe can randomly skip drive checks and not fix data corruptions, which could lead to data loss.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update. (Get more info about KB4016871.)

KB4016240 (OS Build 15063.250)

Release date: April 25, 2017

This non-security update squashes a wide variety of bugs but includes no new features. It fixes a bug that caused intermittent logout from web applications and another that made systems unresponsive in certain situations after running Direct3D apps in full-screen exclusive mode. Previous to this patch, Windows Forms configuration issues caused antivirus applications to stop working at startup; they now work.

What IT needs to know: Two of the bugs fixed with this release are one in which some VMs experienced network connectivity loss while provisioning IP addresses and another that prevented Group Policy settings from disabling the lock screen. (Get more info about  KB4016240.)

KB4015583 (OS Build 15063.138)

Release date: April 11, 2017

This security update includes only a few minor bug fixes and no new features. It updates security for Scripting Engine, libjpeg image-processing library, Hyper-V, Windows kernel-mode drivers, Adobe Type Manager Font Driver, Internet Explorer, Graphics Component, Active Directory Federation Services, .NET Framework, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, Microsoft Edge and Windows OLE. In addition, it fixes a problem with updating time zone information.

What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update. (Get more info about KB4015583.)

KB4016251 (OS Build 15063.13)

Release date: April 5, 2017

This non-security update fixes a few very minor bugs and has no new features. It repairs a problem that caused the Surface USB: Bluetooth radio to sometimes fail during hibernate/resume, and fixes an issue in which a virus protection product driver installation would trigger a system crash on Windows build 15060 configured with DeviceGuard. (Get more info about KB4016251.)

Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703)

Release date: April 5, 2017

Version 1703, dubbed the Creators Update, is the major update to Windows 10 that preceded the Fall Creators Update. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new for users in the Creators Update. (For more details, see our full review.)

• It helps you better organize the Start menu by letting you put multiple tiles for apps into a single folder — for example, you can group all social media apps into one folder.
• Users are given a bit more control over the update process: They can delay an update for three days and keep delaying it in three-day increments, or choose specific times for updates to install.
• The Edge browser has gotten some improvements, including having Flash disabled by default for security reasons and supporting the ePub and PDF formats for reading books and other content.
• Microsoft added some 3D and virtual reality features, including running HoloLens virtual reality and mixed reality apps for the first time, and introducing a Paint 3D app for creating 3D objects.
• System settings that previously were in multiple locations have been consolidated into the Settings app.
• There’s a new all-in-one security dashboard called Windows Defender Security Center that consolidates many security and computer health settings and information.
• New gaming features include streaming gaming sessions over the internet; a Game Mode to improve gaming performance; and a Game bar to let you record your gameplay, take screenshots and perform games-related tasks.
• The Cortana personal assistant gets a few modest additions, including scheduling monthly reminders and helping you set up devices.

What IT needs to know: IT staff should be aware of these features that are new in the Windows 10 Creators Update:

• Security has been improved in a number of ways, including adding new features and insights into Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to better investigate and respond to network threats. Among the new features are sensors in memory, better intelligence and improved remediation capabilities.
• Several new configuration service providers (CSPs) available in the Creators Update let administrators manage Windows 10 devices through Mobile Device Management (MDM) or provisioning packages. The DynamicManagement CSP, for instance, can enable or disable certain device features depending on location, network presence or time.
• New mobile application management capabilities can protect data on personal mobile devices without requiring each device to be part of the corporate MDM.
• The Windows Configuration Designer (previously called Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer) includes new wizards to make it easier to create provisioning packages, including for desktop devices, Windows mobile devices, Surface Hub devices, HoloLens devices and kiosk devices.
• Enterprise security administrators get a more comprehensive documentation library for Windows Defender Antivirus.
• If an enterprise-wide update policy hasn’t been configured, users with Windows Pro, Windows Enterprise or Windows Education editions have much more control over how Windows updates. With the Creators Update, users can now automatically delay cumulative monthly updates for up to 30 days, and can delay feature updates by up to 365 days.

For more details about new features for IT, see the Microsoft blog posts “Windows 10 Creators Update advances security and best-in-class modern IT tools” and “What’s new in Windows 10, version 1703 IT pro content.”

Microsoft, Small and Medium Business, Windows, Windows 10

Follow this real-life network attack simulation, covering 6 steps from Initial Access to Data Exfiltration. See how attackers remain undetected with the simplest tools and why you need multiple choke points in your defense strategy. Surprisingly, most network attacks are not exceptionally sophisticated, technologically advanced, or reliant on zero-day tools that exploit The Hacker Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday announced the arrest of two co-founders of a cryptocurrency mixer called Samourai and seized the service for allegedly facilitating over $2 billion in illegal transactions and for laundering more than $100 million in criminal proceeds. To that end, Keonne Rodriguez, 35, and William Lonergan Hill, 65, have been charged Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Frankly, I didn’t think the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had the guts to ban non-compete agreements that prevent many workers from joining rival companies. I was wrong. On Tuesday, by a 3-2 party-line vote, the agency’s Democratic majority decided to do just that.

Though they’ve long been called “agreements,” anyone who’s ever had to sign one knows that would-be employees seldom have any choice in the matter. You agree and get the job, or you don’t and stay on the unemployment line. And, oh, by the way, 30% to 40% of workers are required to sign non-competes after they’ve already accepted a job. 

That’s why labor unions, liberal think tanks, and millions of employees hate them. 

You might think non-competes are only an issue for top tech engineers, software developers, and executives. Wrong — so, so wrong. 

Sure, historically, companies used these agreements to lock down highly skilled workers and executives with access to trade secrets or proprietary information. But that hasn’t been the case for decades. According to the Economic Policy Institute, a third of companies now require all their workers to sign non-competes. That includes “valued” employees such as hourly workers in minimum wage jobs doing janitorial duties or food service. 

Couldn’t this be fought in the courts? Technically, sure it can. But as the Trembly law firm put it, “Non-compete litigation is typically fast-paced and expensive.” The key word in that sentence is “expensive.” If you’re an employee seeking to get free of a non-compete, unless the company you’re moving to will fight for you, you won’t be able to afford the lawsuit. 

The FTC argues that while requiring workers in low-end jobs to sign non-competes is an overstretch, valuable employees shouldn’t be restricted either. After all, the agency claims, “Trade secret laws and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) both provide employers with well-established means to protect proprietary and other sensitive information. Researchers estimate that over 95% of workers with a non-compete already have an NDA.”

In addition, as FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said: “Non-compete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once non-competes are banned.”

I don’t know if the end of non-competes would do all that. But I do know that in the decades I’ve been writing about technology, I’ve seen non-competes become iron collars around the necks of tech’s best and brightest workers, help desk staffers and even the people who keep the offices clean. 

I understand businesses want to reduce competition and prevent their workers from easily jumping ship, but I’ve never thought non-compete agreements were the right way to do so. Want to keep your best staffers? Pay them, let them work from home, and give them a pathway to promotion. This isn’t rocket science. 

Nevertheless, my attorney friends tell me that their corporate employers or clients had fits when word of the FTC ruling came out. You would have thought a lightning bolt had fried their stock prices out of the blue sky. 

Really? While I was surprised by the FTC action, anyone who’s been paying attention knew that non-compete agreements were getting walloped left, right, and sideways. 

True, as Republican Commissioner Andrew Ferguson said, the ruling “nullifies more than 30 million existing contracts and forecloses tens of millions of future contracts.” That’s a big deal. But, again, the writing was on the wall. 

That’s why, while way too many CEOs are having conniptions at the moment, business and law-savvy groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce  immediately sued the FTC, seeking to overturn the decision. They were ready. 

Their lawyers are arguing that the ban applies to a host of contracts that could not harm competition in any way. Besides, the FTC didn’t have the power to issue such a ban. And, in any case, such a categorical ban wasn’t legal. Those are the arguments, at least.

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Stick around and find out. I have every expectation that this will grind its way through the court system all the way to the Supreme Court sometime in the late 2020s. (I expect, by the way, that the issue that will decide the case won’t have anything directly to do with the FTC’s ruling; it’ll revolve around whether the FTC has the power to make such a fundamental legal policy change.)

In the meantime, you have about four months to decide what to do about your non-compete agreements before the FTC ruling goes into effect. Once it hits, all existing non-compete agreements will be nullified, except for those applying to executives in “policy-making positions” who make at least $151,164 a year. And the ruling won’t let your company impose any new non-competes, even on executives.

Personally, I’d dump any non-compete agreements immediately and rewrite my employment contracts to use NDAs and trade secrets in their place. No matter what the courts decide, employees hate non-compete agreements — that won’t change.

And what does all this mean for top tech talent that’s been feeling trapped? It’s time to talk to your bosses about whether they really want to keep you around and explain that the carrot of a better deal will be a whole lot sweeter than the threat of a non-compete clause. If they don’t hear you? Get ready to walk. The doors are opening.

Careers, Government, IT Jobs, IT Skills, Regulation

Google has once again pushed its plans to deprecate third-party tracking cookies in its Chrome web browser as it works to address outstanding competition concerns from U.K. regulators over its Privacy Sandbox initiative. The tech giant said it's working closely with the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and hopes to achieve an agreement by the end of the year. As part of theNewsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

A new malware campaign leveraged two zero-day flaws in Cisco networking gear to deliver custom malware and facilitate covert data collection on target environments. Cisco Talos, which dubbed the activity ArcaneDoor, attributing it as the handiwork of a previously undocumented sophisticated state-sponsored actor it tracks under the name UAT4356 (aka Storm-1849 by Microsoft). "Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Meta will license the software underpinning its Quest headsets to third-party hardware manufacturers in a bid to spur wider adoption of mixed-reality technology. 

Access to Horizon OS — the operating system used in Quest devices — should reduce barriers to market for hardware makers seeking to create new products, Meta said. And software developers will benefit from a larger audience for mixed-reality apps that can be sold in Meta’s Horizon app store (formerly Quest Store). 

“Developers will have a much larger range of hardware that can run their apps, and more device makers will expand their market to a wider range of users, much like we’ve seen with PCs and smartphones,” Meta said in a blog post Monday.

​The push for an open ecosystem offers Meta a chance to build on its early dominance in the AR/VR market, say analysts, while lowering the barrier for entry to hardware makers. 

“This is a smart move for Meta to diversify their hardware ecosystem, while also working to make Meta Horizon OS the standard mixed-reality headset OS,” said Will McKeon-White, senior analyst at Forrester.“Before, they were effectively dependent on Oculus sales — this decouples their OS from their headset and hardware efforts.”

What is Horizon OS — and who will use it?

Based on a modified version of Google’s Android operating system, Meta’s Horizon OS is the result of a decade of work to build virtual and mixed reality products, the company said. Meta has spent billions of dollars in recent years to create devices such as the Quest 3 and Quest Pro. This includes adding features such as real-time video pass-through, “inside-out” tracking that tracks a user’s movements and position, and spatial anchors that allow digital objects to be fixed in physical space. 

Several companies have already lined up to incorporate Horizon OS into their hardware: Lenovo, Asus, and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming business. 

Asus and Xbox will focus on gaming, while Lenovo — which previously partnered with Meta to produce the Oculus Rift S — will develop headsets targeted at “productivity, learning and development,” Meta said. It may take a couple of years before the devices are available, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an Instagram video message Monday.  

By opening its OS to others in the market, Meta is “taking a page out of the Google playbook,” said Ramon Llamas, research director with IDC’s devices and displays team, referencing Android’s position in the smartphone and smartwatch markets. 

“Google put together the platform and a bunch of vendors ran with it,” he said, noting that Google’s own hardware competes with partners such as Samsung and others that rely on Android.

As with Android on smartphones, access to a pre-existing software ecosystem is a big draw for mixed-reality headset vendors, particularly at an early stage of the market when demand remains low.

Eliminating barriers for hardware makers

Creating a mixed-reality headset is a significant engineering challenge for hardware makers, Llamas said, and the need to also build the underlying software compounds the issue. “Especially if you’re a small player, that’s a terrific hurdle to cross,” he said.

Some of those issues are now being removed, however. Headset vendors can now get specialized VR chipsets from Qualcomm, with a software platform available from Meta. “That’s an attractive value proposition — this is going to remove a lot of barriers for a lot of companies,” said Llamas.

A more mature ecosystem could help drive customer adoption. By incorporating Meta’s Horizon OS, hardware vendors could find it easier to convince customers they have the requisite apps and ecosystem to support their product, said Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy. 

Despite the potential benefits, hardware vendors need to consider whether partnering with Meta is the right strategy. “It remains to be seen who else is going to jump on board,” he said. “There’s a lot to like, but do your due diligence and make sure this is a good fit for you.”

Competition from Apple, Google                         

Meta is the dominant player in AR/VR market, accounting for over 60% of units sold in Q4 of 2023, according to IDC data. It’s a large chunk of a relatively small market, with IDC forecasting 9.7 million devices will be sold globally this year. 

Though demand for mixed-reality devices has not yet taken off, Meta faces competition on several fronts. The launch of Apple’s Vision Pro earlier this year provided a new rival (alongside validation of the device category), though Apple’s costly device is only expected to sell a few hundred thousand units this year.

Google is also expected to provide the operating system for Samsung’s mixed-reality headset that’s due to launch later this year. While Google is the major challenger to Apple’s mobile ecosystem with Android, the extent of its ambitions in the AR/VR market remain aren’t clear at this stage.

Meta, which has made the biggest investment in mixed-reality technologies in recent years, has an early advantage, said Sag, with a relatively strong library of 3D apps compared to Google and Apple; the latter two are effectively starting from scratch with their own software efforts. 

The decision to provide access to its OS could provide another advantage going forward. “Meta has the headstart here…, opening their ecosystem and making development easier will be a challenge to Apple and Google and will ultimately benefit everyone, with more competition among ecosystems,” said Sag.

For mixed-reality device customers, increased competition in the market should be good news. 

“The real winner in all this is going to be the end user,” said Llamas. “It’s going to be the consumer for now, and it’s going to be the enterprise user shortly thereafter.”

Augmented Reality, Google, Virtual Reality

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Monday sanctioned two firms and four individuals for their involvement in malicious cyber activities on behalf of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC) from at least 2016 to April 2021. This includes the front companies Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN) and Dadeh Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an ongoing attack campaign that's leveraging phishing emails to deliver malware called SSLoad. The campaign, codenamed FROZEN#SHADOW by Securonix, also involves the deployment of Cobalt Strike and the ConnectWise ScreenConnect remote desktop software. "SSLoad is designed to stealthily infiltrate systems, gather sensitive Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Tails 6.2 is a new Linux distribution release that expands its multilingual support and improves security features. The distribution is a Debian-based operating system that enables users to remain incognito online and securely browse the web.

In Complete Guide to Keylogging in Linux: Part 1 , we discussed how to write keyloggers for Linux by reading keyboard device events. This article will continue to discuss keyboard event capture so you have more techniques to use for keylogger attacks in network security.

Fedora 40 , the newest version of the Fedora operating system, is an efficient and lightning-fast release with various new and useful features. Compared to its previous releases, Fedora 40 is lightning-fast and offers maximum efficiency to users.

Keylogger attacks in network security have become more popular over time. Therefore, businesses must implement procedures and tactics to prevent these network security issues from harming a server.

High-end APT groups perform highly interesting social engineering campaigns in order to penetrate well-protected targets. For example, carefully constructed forum responses on precision targeted accounts and follow-up “out-of-band” interactions regarding underground rail system simulator software helped deliver Green Lambert implants in the Middle East. And, in what seems to be a learned approach, the XZ Utils project penetration was likely a patient, multi-year approach, both planned in advance but somewhat clumsily executed.

This recently exposed offensive effort slowly introduced a small cast of remote characters, communications, and malicious code to the more than decade old open-source project XZ Utils and its maintainer, Lasse Collin. The backdoor code was inserted in February and March 2024, mostly by Jia Cheong Tan, likely a fictitious identity. The end goal was to covertly implement an exclusive use backdoor in sshd by targeting the XZ Utils build process, and push the backdoored code to the major Linux distributions as a part of a large-scale supply chain attack.

While this highly targeted and interactive social engineering approach might not be completely novel, it is extraordinary. Also extraordinary is the stunningly subtle insertion of malicious code leveraging the build process in plain sight. This build process focus during a major supply chain attack is comparable only to the CozyDuke/DarkHalo/APT29/NOBELIUM Solarwinds compromise and the SUNSPOT implant’s cunning and persistent presence – its monitoring capability for the execution of a Solarwinds build, and its malicious code insertion during any Solarwinds build execution. Only this time, it’s human involvement in the build process.

It’s notable that one of the key differentiators of the Solarwinds incident from prior supply chain attacks was the adversary’s covert, prolonged access to the source/development environment. In this XZ Utils incident, this prolonged access was obtained via social engineering and extended with fictitious human identity interactions in plain sight.

One of the best publicly available chronological timelines on the social engineering side of the XZ Utils incident is posted by Russ Cox, currently a Google researcher. It’s highly recommended reading. Notably, Cox writes: “This post is a detailed timeline that I have constructed of the social engineering aspect of the attack, which appears to date back to late 2021.”

A Singaporean guy, an Indian guy, and a German guy walk into a bar…

Three identities pressure XZ Utils creator and maintainer Lasse Collin in summer 2022 to provoke an open-source code project handover: Jia Tan/Jia Cheong Tan, Dennis Ens, and Jigar Kumar. These identities are made up of a GitHub account, three free email accounts with similar name schemes, an IRC and Ubuntu One account, email communications on XZ Utils developer mailing lists and downstream maintainers, and code. Their goal was to grant full access to XZ Utils source code to Jia Tan and subtly introduce malicious code into XZ Utils – the identities even interact with one another on mail threads, complaining about the need to replace Lasse Collin as the XZ Utils maintainer.

Note that the geographic dispersion of fictitious identities is a bit forced here, perhaps to dispel hints of coordination: Singaporean or Malaysian (possibly of a Hokkien dialect), northern European, and Indian. Misspellings and grammar mistakes are similar across the three identities’ communications. The “Jia Tan” identity seems a bit forced as well – the only public geolocation data is a Singaporean VPN exit node that the identity may have used on March 29 to access the XZ Utils Libera IRC chat. If constructing a fictitious identity, using that particular exit node would definitely be a selected resource.

Our pDNS confirms this IP as a Witopia VPN exit. While we might expect a “jiat75” or “jiatan018” username for the “Jia Tan” Libera IRC account, this one in the screenshot above may have been used on March 29, 2024 by the “JiaT75” actor.

One additional identity, Hans Jansen, introduced a June 2023 performance optimization into the XZ Utils source, committed by Collin, and later leveraged by jiaT75’s backdoor code. Jia Tan gleefully accepted the proposed IFUNC additions: “Thanks for the PR and the helpful links! Overall this seems like a nice improvement to our function-picking strategy for CRC64. It will likely be useful when we implement CRC32 CLMUL too :)”.

This pull request is the Jansen identities’ only interaction with the XZ Utils project itself. And, unlike the other two identities, the Jansen account is not used to pressure Collin to turn over XZ Utils maintenance. Instead, the Hans Jansen identity provided the code and then disappeared. Nine months later, following the backdoor code insertion, Jansen urged a major Linux vendor in the supply chain to incorporate the backdoored XZ Utils code in their distribution. The identity resurfaced on a Debian bug report on March 24, 2024, creating an opportunity to generate urgency in including the backdoored code in the Debian distribution.

Jia Tan Identity and Activity

The Jia Cheong Tan (JiaT75) GitHub account, eventually promoted to co-maintainer of XZ Utils, which inserted the malicious backdoor code, was created January 26, 2021. JiaT75 was not exclusively involved in XZ Utils, having authored over 500 patches to multiple GitHub projects going back to early 2022.

• oss-fuzz
• cpp-docs
• wasmtime
• xz

These innocuous patches helped to build the identity of JiaT75 as a legitimate open source contributor and potential maintainer for the XZ Utils project. The patch efforts helped to establish a relationship with Lasse Collin as well.

The first JiaT75 code contribution to XZ Utils occurred on October 29, 2021. It was sent to the xz-devel mailing list. It was a very simple editor config file introduction. Following this initial innocuous addition, over the next two years, JiaT75 authored hundreds of changes for the XZ project.

Yes, JiaT75 contributed code on both weekends and what appear to be workdays. However, an interesting anomaly is that the 2024 malicious commits occur out of sync with many previous commits. A Huntress researcher going by the alias “Alden” posted a visualization of the malicious Jia Tan commits to XZ Utils. JiaT75 commits the malicious code completely out of sync with prior work times on Feb 23–26, and March 8 and 9, 2024.

The time differences for the malicious commits is noticeable. What might this anomaly suggest? We speculate on several possibilities:

• the JiaT75 account was used by a second party to insert the malicious code, either known or unknown to the individual contributor.
• the JiaT75 individual contributor was rushed to commit the malicious backdoor code.
• the JiaT75 account was run by a team of individuals and one part of the team needed to work without interruption outside of the usual constructed work day.

Especially devious is the manner in which the obfuscated backdoor code is introduced in multiple separate pieces by JiaT75. Even though it was open-source, the bulk of the backdoor does not show up in the XZ source-code tree, is not human readable, and was not recognized.

Summer 2022 Pressure to Add a Maintainer

Multiple identities of interest pressured Lasse Collin to add a maintainer over the summer of 2022. The intensity of pressure on Collin varies per account, but they all create opportunities to pressure Collin and interact.

Name GitHub Account Email Creation Jia Tan/Jia Cheong Tan JiaT75 [email protected] January 26, 2021 Dennis Ens – [email protected] – Jigar Kumar – [email protected] –

If we take the first interaction on the xz-devel mailing list as the start of the campaign, Jia Tan sent a superficial code patch on September 29, 2021. This timestamp is eight months after the github account creation date. This initial contribution is harmless, but establishes this identity within the open-source project.

A year later, Jigar Kumar pressured Lasse Collin to hand over access to Jia Tan over the spring and summer of 2022 in six chiding comments over two different threads.

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:42:57 -0700 Re: [xz-devel] [PATCH] String to filter and filter to string “Your efforts are good but based on the slow release schedule it will unfortunatly be years until the community actually gets this quality of life feature.” Thu, 28 Apr 2022 10:10:48 -0700 Re: [xz-devel] [PATCH] String to filter and filter to string “Patches spend years on this mailing list. 5.2.0 release was 7 years ago. There
is no reason to think anything is coming soon.” Fri, 27 May 2022 10:49:47 -0700 Re: [xz-devel] [PATCH] String to filter and filter to string “Over 1 month and no closer to being merged. Not a suprise.” Tue, 07 Jun 2022 09:00:18 -0700 Re: [xz-devel] XZ for Java “Progress will not happen until there is new maintainer. XZ for C has sparse
commit log too. Dennis you are better off waiting until new maintainer happens
or fork yourself. Submitting patches here has no purpose these days. The
current maintainer lost interest or doesn’t care to maintain anymore. It is sad
to see for a repo like this.” Tue, 14 Jun 2022 11:16:07 -0700 Re: [xz-devel] XZ for Java “With your current rate, I very doubt to see 5.4.0 release this year. The only
progress since april has been small changes to test code. You ignore the many
patches bit rotting away on this mailing list. Right now you choke your repo.
Why wait until 5.4.0 to change maintainer? Why delay what your repo needs?” Wed, 22 Jun 2022 10:05:06 -0700 Re: [xz-devel] [PATCH] String to filter and filter to string “Is there any progress on this? Jia I see you have recent commits. Why can’t you
commit this yourself?”

The Dennis Ens identity sets up a thread of their own, and follows up by pressuring maintainer Collin in one particularly forceful and obnoxious message to the list. The identity leverages a personal vulnerability that Collin shared on this thread. The Jigar Kumar identity responds twice to this thread, bitterly complaining about the maintainer: “Dennis you are better off waiting until new maintainer happens or fork yourself.”

Thu, 19 May 2022 12:26:03 -0700 XZ for Java “Is XZ for Java still maintained? I asked a question here a week ago
and have not heard back. When I view the git log I can see it has not
updated in over a year. I am looking for things like multithreaded
encoding / decoding and a few updates that Brett Okken had submitted
(but are still waiting for merge). Should I add these things to only
my local version, or is there a plan for these things in the future?” Tue, 21 Jun 2022 13:24:47 -0700 Re: [xz-devel] XZ for Java I am sorry about your mental health issues, but its important to be
aware of your own limits. I get that this is a hobby project for all
contributors, but the community desires more. Why not pass on
maintainership for XZ for C so you can give XZ for Java more
attention? Or pass on XZ for Java to someone else to focus on XZ for
C? Trying to maintain both means that neither are maintained well.

Reflecting on these data points still leads us to shaky ground. Until more details are publicized, we are left with speculation:

• In a three-year project, a small team successfully penetrated the XZ Utils codebase with a slow and low-pressure campaign. They manipulated the introduction of a malicious actor into the trusted position of code co-maintainer. They then initiated and attempted to speed up the process of distributing malicious code targeting sshd to major vendor Linux distributions
• In a three-year project, an individual successfully penetrated the XZ Utils codebase with a slow and low-pressure campaign. The one individual managed several identities to manipulate their own introduction into the trusted position of open source co-maintainer. They then initiated and attempted to speed up the process of distributing malicious code targeting sshd to major vendor Linux distributions
• In an extremely short timeframe in early 2024, a small team successfully manipulated an individual (Jia Tan) that legitimately earned access to an interesting open-source project as code maintainer. Two other individuals (Jigar Kumar, Dennis Ens) may have coincidentally complained and pressured Collin to hand over the maintainer role. That leveraged individual began inserting malicious code into the project over the course of a couple of weeks.

Spring 2024 Pressure to Import Backdoored Code to Debian

Several identities attempted to pressure Debian maintainers to import the backdoored upstream XZ Utils code to their distribution in March 2024. The Hans Jansen identity created a Debian report log on March 25, 2024 to raise urgency to include the backdoored code: “Dear mentors, I am looking for a sponsor for my package “xz-utils”.”

Name Email address Hans Jansen [email protected] krygorin4545 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

The thread was responded to within a day by additional identities using the email address scheme name-number@freeservice[.]com:

Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:27:47 +0000 From: krygorin4545 <[email protected]> Subject: Re: RFS: xz-utils/5.6.1-0.1 [NMU] — XZ-format compression utilities Also seeing this bug. Extra valgrind output causes some failed tests for me. Looks like the new version will resolve it. Would like this new version so I can continue work Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 22:50:54 +0100 (CET) From: [email protected] Subject: Re: RFS: xz-utils/5.6.1-0.1 [NMU] — XZ-format compression I noticed this last week and almost made a valgrind bug. Glad to see it being fixed. Thanks Hans!

The code changes received pushback from Debian contributors:

Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:27:47 +0000 From: krygorin4545 <[email protected]> Subject: new upstream versions as NMU vs. xz maintenance Very much *not* a fan of NMUs doing large changes such as
new upstream versions.But this does give us the question, what’s up with the
maintenance of xz-utils? Same as with the lack of security
uploads of git, which you also maintain, are you active? Are you well?

To which one of these likely sock puppet accounts almost immediately responded, in order to counteract any distraction from pushing the changes:

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2024 12:46:32 +0000 From: krygorin4545 <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Bug#1067708: new upstream versions as NMU vs. xz maintenance Instead of having a policy debate over who is proper to do this upload, can this just be fixed? The named maintainer hasn’t done an upload in 5 years. Fedora considered this a serious bug and fixed it weeks ago (). Fixing a valgrind break across many apps throughout Debian is the priority here. What NeXZt?

Clearly social engineering techniques have much lower technical requirements to gain full access to development environments than what we saw with prior supply chain attacks like the Solarwinds, M.E.Doc ExPetya, and ASUS ShadowHammer incidents. We have presented and compared these particular supply chain attacks, their techniques, and their complexities, at prior SAS events [registration required], distilling an assessment into a manageable table.

Unfortunately, we expect more open-source project incidents like XZ Utils compromise to be exposed in the months to come. As a matter of fact, at the time of this writing, the Open Source Security Foundation (OSSF) has identified similar social engineering-driven incidents in other open-source projects, and claims that the XZ Utils social engineering effort is highly likely not an isolated incident.

Back in the 19th century, if the United States or some other military power wanted to bend a smaller country to its will, it would often display its might with a show of force, sending a fearsome display of gunboats just offshore its target. The naval display usually made its point: not a single shell had to be fired for the smaller nation to accede to the demands of the day. 

It was known as gunboat diplomacy.

Today, gunboats no longer rule the world. Tech (and, increasingly, generative AI) do. And Microsoft is now working hand in glove with the federal government to use its considerable genAI might to win what is being called a “tech Cold War” the US is waging against China.

The cooperation has just begun, but it’s already bearing fruit, getting a powerful genAI company based in the United Arab Emirates to cut its ties to China and align with the US. At first blush, it sounds like a win-win: What can possibly be bad about boxing out China from the Middle East, increasing US cooperation with Arab states, and showering profits on a US company for its help?

As it turns out, a lot could wrong. There are significant dangers when the most powerful (and wealthiest) nation on the planet works so closely and secretly with the world leader in AI. The biggest danger: by cooperating so closely with Microsoft, is the US giving up on ever trying to reign in genAI, which researchers have already warned could represent an existential threat to humanity if not regulated properly?

Let’s look at the how the federal government and Microsoft worked together to outmaneuver China and push it out of G42, the most influential AI company in the Middle East, and what that means for emerging plans to regulate genAI tools and platforms.

Boxing China out of the Middle East’s Best AI Company

The immediate target of this round of tech diplomacy is the United Arab Emirates-based G42, which is about as well-connected as any company can be. The New York Times describes it as “a crown jewel for the UAE, which is building an artificial intelligence industry as an alternative to oil income.” It’s controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, the UAE’s national security adviser, who is among the most powerful members of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, according to Forbes.

The Times says G42 is right in the middle of US efforts to blunt  “China’s ambitions to gain supremacy in the world’s cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data, quantum computing, cloud computing, surveillance infrastructure and genomic research.”

Before the Microsoft deal, the US was especially concerned about G42’s connections to large Chinese tech firms, including telecommunications giant Huawei — which is under US sanctions — and possibly even the Chinese government.

According to the Times, US officials worried G42 was being used to siphon off advanced American technology to Chinese tech firms or to the Chinese government. “Intelligence reports have also warned that G42’s dealings with Chinese firms could be a pipeline to get the genetic data of millions of Americans and others into the hands of the Chinese government,” the Times reported.

Enter Washington’s most powerful officials and the point of its sharp spear, Microsoft. We don’t know exactly what happened behind the scenes. But we do know a deal was “largely orchestrated by the Biden administration to box out China as Washington and Beijing battle over who will exercise technological influence in the Persian Gulf region and beyond,” according to the Times.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo traveled twice to the Emirates to get the complex agreement done. It gave the US — and Microsoft — exactly what they wanted. Microsoft will invest $1.5 billion in G42, which will sell Microsoft services to train and tune genAI models. G42 will also use Microsoft’s Azure cloud services, and it agreed to a secret security arrangement, of which no details have been made public. 

Chinese technology, including from Huawei and others, will be stripped out of the company. Microsoft President Brad Smith will join G42’s board, and Microsoft will audit the company’s use of its technology. (It wouldn’t be a surprise if that auditing is designed in part to ensure the connection between G42 and Chinese companies and government has been completely severed.)

So, in essence, the US pushed China out of the most influential genAI company in the Middle East and Microsoft now has a significant foothold in a region that will be spending countless billions on AI as it pivots away from an oil economy. In the words of the Times, the deal could become “a model for how US firms leverage their technological leadership in AI to lure countries away from Chinese tech, while reaping huge financial awards.”

What happens next?

The G42 deal has largely flown under the radar, while much more public skirmishes have been fought in the tech Cold War between the US and China — including the battle over banning TikTok in the US and China’s decision to force Apple to pull WhatsApp, Threads and Signal from its Chinese App Store. But TikTok and the others are just a side show. The future is AI, not tweens watching 30-second videos about silly pranks and makeup tips.

That means Microsoft will have an increasingly close relationship with the US government, as will other genAI leaders, including Alphabet, OpenAI, Meta and Amazon. If the US is to thwart China’s AI and tech ambitions, it desperately needs those companies’ cooperation.

But that kind of cooperation comes at a price. The US has a terrible track record in reigning in tech. The Biden administration has been willing to use anti-trust laws to go after Big Tech, even though Congress has been unwilling to act. But it’s hard to imagine the government will continue to wield the Big Stick of anti-trust investigations and lawsuits if, at the same time, it’s asking Microsoft and others to do its bidding against China. 

The first victim of the tech Cold War against China might well be serious government oversight over the dangers of AI.

Generative AI, Government, Microsoft, Regulation, Technology Industry

Has there ever been something as simultaneously invaluable and irritating as our modern-day device notifications?

All the beeps, bloops, and blorps our various gadgets send our way serve an important purpose, of course — at least in theory. They keep us attuned to our professional and personal networks and everything around ’em to make sure we never miss anything important.

But they also demand our attention, interrupt what we’re doing, and annoy us endlessly, often with stuff that really doesn’t require any immediate acknowledgment or reaction.

And while Android’s notification systems offer plenty of nuanced control over how different alerts do and don’t reach you, it still seems virtually impossible to avoid swimming in a sprawling sea of stuff in your phone’s notification panel at the end of each day.

So what if there were a better way — a smarter system that could monitor your incoming Android notifications for you, condense all the less pressing noise down into a single alert, and make sure you see only the messages, meetings, and reminders that really matter?

[Get fresh practical knowledge in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things to try every Friday!]

My friend and fellow Android-appreciating organism, have I got just the thing for you.

Meet your Android notification nanny

Brace yourself, dear biped: I’m about to draw your attention to one of the best and most powerful Android productivity tools out there — and one shockingly few mortal beings seem to be aware of.

Much like the Android app drawer enhancement we talked about the other day, it’s a perfect example of the type of advanced customization and efficiency-enhancing intelligence that’s possible only on Android. But you really have to be in the know to know about it.

Allow me to introduce you to a brilliant little somethin’ called BuzzKill.

BuzzKill is an Android app that, in the simplest possible terms, lets you create custom filters for your Android phone’s notifications — almost like Gmail filters, only for Android alerts instead of emails.

I’ve talked about BuzzKill before and shown you all the basics of how it works and what kinds of simple, insanely helpful things it can do for you. Today, I want to zone in on a specific new “experimental” feature the app recently started offering and why it might be worth your attention.

The feature is called Summarize. And it does exactly what you’d expect, from that name: It takes clusters of incoming notifications that meet certain conditions and then combines ’em together into a single, far less overwhelming and distraction-creating alert.

You might, for instance, ask BuzzKill to intercept all incoming notifications from your Android Messages app during the workday and combine ’em into one notification you can easily see at a glance when you’re ready to catch up. Or maybe you’d want it to collect all your incoming Slack alerts in the evenings and group those together to avoid a freeway-style backup at the top of your screen.

Heck, maybe you want it to watch for all notifications from Messages, Slack, and Gmail on the weekends, keep ’em all together in a single summarized notification, and then ding your phone incessantly if any of the incoming messages has a specific word or phrase indicating a need for immediate attention — something like, say, “urgent,” “broken,” or “holy humbuggery, what in the name of codswallop just happened?!”

Whatever the specifics, you’ll only have to think through and set up those parameters once. And from that moment forward, anytime notifications meeting your conditions come in, you’ll see something like this:

Android notifications, summarized — with minimal clutter and distraction.

JR Raphael, IDG

Just a single combined alert for all that activity — not bad, right?

If there’s nothing particularly important, you can swipe it away in one swift gesture, using any finger you like (hint, hint; choose carefully). If you want to explore any of the summarized contents further, you can tap the “Expand” command in the notification’s corner to — well, y’know…

My Android notifications expanded back into their standard, split-apart state.

JR Raphael, IDG

Kinda handy, wouldn’t ya say?

Where BuzzKill’s powers really come into play are with all the extenuating circumstances you can set up — and how impossibly easy the app makes it to manage it all. All I did to get the above going was create a super-simple “if this, then that”-style rule within BuzzKill, like so:

The behind-the-scenes magic that makes my Android notification summarizing happen.

JR Raphael, IDG

And then, to build in a supplementary rule that makes sure certain high-priority notifications stand out from that summary and grab my immediate attention, I created a second “if this, then that” guideline:

BuzzKill understands that there’s an exception to every rule.

JR Raphael, IDG

See? Told ya it was easy!

And make no mistake about it: All of this all just scratching the surface of what BuzzKill can accomplish. One of my favorite ways to use it, for instance, is to keep low-priority notifications from interrupting me at all during the workday and instead have ’em batched together into a single evening-time delivery.

All my Photos alerts arrive in one batch daily, thanks to this nifty notification rule.

JR Raphael, IDG

I also rely on it to prevent rapid-fire back-to-back messages from buzzing my phone 7,000 times in seven seconds — a problem Android 15 appears poised to address, too, albeit in a much less nuanced and customizable way.

Take that, rapid-fire short-message texters!

JR Raphael, IDG

The app’s new experimental notification summarization option is so interesting and packed with potential, though, I just had to share it with you once I really started exploring it and thinking through all the ways it could be helpful.

BuzzKill costs four bucks, as a one-time up-front payment. The app doesn’t require any unusual permissions, doesn’t collect any form of data from your phone, and doesn’t have any manner of access to the internet — meaning it’d have no way of sharing your information even if it wanted to.

It’s yet another illuminating illustration of the incredible productivity power Android provides us — a power anyone can embrace, with the right set of know-how.

And now, you have it. Happy filtering!

Learn all sorts of useful tech tricks with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things try every Friday — straight from me to you.

Android, Google, Mobile Apps, Productivity Software

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