João has been covering the tech world for over 7 years, with a heavy focus on laptops and the Windows ecosystem. I also love all things tech and videogames, especially Nintendo, which he's always happy to talk about.
Prior to joining XDA in 2021, he worked at Neowin: https://www.neowin.net/news/poster/jo%C3%A3o-carrasqueira/
It's that time of the month again — Patch Tuesday is here, meaning every supported version of Windows is getting updates today to enhance security, fix bugs, and in some cases add new features to Windows. As per usual, the supported versions of Windows include Windows 11 versions 24H2, 23H2, and 22H2 (only for Enterprise and Education editions), along with Windows 10 version 22H2.
Copilot key remapping is now widely available in version 24H2
Image credit: MIcrosoft
The biggest news this month is the addition of an option to remap the Copilot key to open a different app on your PC for users running Windows 11 version 24H2. If you're not a fan of Copilot (and we wouldn't blame you if you aren't), this new option in the Settings app allows you to use the Copilot key to launch any app of your choosing, as long as it's an MSIX packaged app. That means some classic apps may not work, but if you want to launch something like the Snipping Tool or even the Settings app more quickly, this will be able to do that.
This feature was actually made available with last month's optional update, but now it's rolling out to everyone. Similarly, Microsoft has redesigned the Wi-Fi password sharing dialog in the Settings app to look more like the rest of Windows 11, which is an important step to modernize the OS. An option to detach virtual drives (VHD and VHDX) has also been added to the Settings app, and there's a new Windows Sandbox Client Preview that features some new capabilities, such as clipboard redirection, audio and video input control, and the ability to share folders with the host PC at runtime.
The full list of improvements and additions, including features from the previous optional update, can be found below:
[Task Manager (known issue)] Fixed: The count for the number of groups is wrong or always zero (0) on the Processes tab. This occurs when you turn on “Group by type.”
[Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)] Fixed: You cannot access your Dev Drive.
[Internet connection] Fixed: A small number of devices cannot connect to the internet. This occurs when a DHCP server response has duplicate DHCP options. This stops IPv4 connections on certain networks.
[Notifications]New!You can now stop the suggestions to turn off notifications from certain apps. Select the ellipses (…) in the notification and turn it off. You can also go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there. Look for “Notification Suggestions” in the senders list. An entry will only appear in the list after you receive a notification.
[Wi-Fi password dialog]New!The dialog now has the Windows 11 visual design. Go to Settings > Network & internet.
[Narrator]
New!This update adds a new Narrator shortcut. Press the Narrator key + Ctrl + X to copy what Narrator last spoke to the clipboard. This shortcut is useful when you want to quickly copy some content, like codes or numbers for use.
New!It will now auto read the contents of an email message in the new Outlook. This is like the behavior in Outlook classic.
[Start menu] New! “All apps” has the new name, “All.”
[ALT + Tab] Fixed: The screen goes black on some PCs for a few seconds when you switch between certain windows.
[Scanning apps] Fixed: They don't detect certain scanners although they are connected.
[Web sign-in] Fixed: You cannot sign in to your account from the web because the screen stops responding.
[Copilot key settings]New!You can configure the Copilot key on the keyboard. On new devices, the key opens the Copilot app. If you sign in to your account using a Microsoft Entra ID, the key opens the Microsoft 365 app. You can make the key open a different app or open Search. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Text input. To make the key open a different app, the app must be in a signed MSIX package. This ensures that the app meets security and privacy standards to keep you safe. If your PC’s keyboard does not have a Copilot key, changing this setting will do nothing.
[WindowsDisk Cleanup app] Fixed: This update addresses some of the causes for the wrong free space estimates and improves its accuracy.
[Virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx)]New!This update adds a detach virtual hard disk button to Settings. In the properties for your VHD or VHDx, go to Settings > System > Storage > Disks & Volumes. This might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.
[Networking]New!If you use the netsh wlan show networks command, it can now read SSIDs that are encoded using UTF-8. This means that Wi-Fi SSIDs that have Unicode characters (like emoji) will display properly in netsh output. This might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.
[Windows Sandbox Client Preview]New!This update adds the Windows Sandbox Client Preview. It includes:
Runtime clipboard redirection
Audio and video input control
The sharing of folders with the host at runtime To access these, select the ellipses (…) at the upper right on the app. This preview also includes a version of command-line support. (The commands might change over time). To learn more, use the wsb.exe–help command. You can find new updates for this app in the Microsoft Store. This might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.
[User interface (UI)] Fixed: You cannot view some parts of the UI when you run certain apps.
[Live kernel debug files (dumps)] Fixed: win32kbase.sys creates live kernel debug files when it should not.
[Winlogon] Fixed: A stop error occurs during shutdown.
[Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
[sfc /scannow command] Fixed: You get errors every time you run the command.
[Service for User to Self (S4U2self)] Fixed: Your device might have issues using S4U2self to authenticate. This occurs if Credential Guard is off, and the device joins an Active Directory domain that does not allow the RC4 cipher.
[DirectAccess (known issue)] Fixed: After a clean install or an in-place upgrade to Windows 11, version 24H2, you might face issues using DirectAccess. The connection might not complete and stays in a ‘connecting’ state.
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These changes are rolling out with the update labeled KB5046617, which brings the build number up to 26100.2314. You can download the update manually here if you don't want Windows Update to handle it for you.
Windows 11 version 23H2 gets... some of those changes
If you're still running Windows 11 version 23H2, today's update doesn't actually add anything aside from what was in last month's preview update. The new update is labeled KB5046633, and you can manually download it here if you want to install it on your own terms.
As for what's new, the big highlight is basically the same as what version 24H2 is getting. You can now remap the Copilot key to any other packaged app on your PC, and most of the smaller changes are also shared between the two versions. That includes new capabilities for Narrator, the ability to turn notification suggestions off, and a couple of smaller tweaks. Microsoft does mention an additional fix for devices using too much power in Modern Standby, which is certainly welcome. Here's the full rundown:
[Notifications]New! You can now stop the suggestions to turn off notifications from certain apps. Select the ellipses (…) in the notification and turn it off. You can also go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn it off from there. Look for “Notification Suggestions” in the senders list. An entry will only appear in the list after you receive a notification.
[Start menu] New! “All apps” has the new name, “All.”
[Narrator]
New!This update adds a new Narrator shortcut. Press the Narrator key + Ctrl + X to copy what Narrator last spoke to the clipboard. This shortcut is useful when you want to quickly copy some content, like codes or numbers for use.
New!It will now auto read the contents of an email message in the new Outlook. This is like the behavior in Outlook classic.
[Copilot key settings]New!You can configure the Copilot key on the keyboard. On new devices, the key opens the Copilot app. If you sign in to your account using a Microsoft Entra ID, the key opens the M365 app. You can make the key open a different app or open Search. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Text input. To make the key open a different app, the app must be in a signed MSIX package. This ensures that the app meets security and privacy standards to keep you safe. If your PC’s keyboard does not have a Copilot key, changing this setting will do nothing.
[Battery use] Fixed: A device uses too much battery power while the device is in Modern Standby.
[Microsoft Teams] Fixed: The issue stops you from joining Teams meetings when you select an Outlook meeting reminder.
[Product activation phone numbers] Fixed: This adds new phone numbers for several regions.
[Multi-Function Printer (MFP)] Fixed: When you use a USB cable to connect to it, it prints specific network command text when you do want it to.
[vmswitch] Fixed: A vmswitch triggers a stop error. This occurs when you use Load Balancing and Failover (LBFO) teaming with two virtual switches on a virtual machine (VM). In this case, one virtual switch uses single root Input/Output virtualization (SR-IOV).
[Collector sets] Fixed: They do not close properly when an exception occurs during startup or while the set is active. Because of this, the command to stop a collector set stops responding.
[Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA)] Fixed: This update brings profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
[Windows Hello for Business] Fixed: PIN reset does not work when you select the “I forgot my PIN’ link on the credentials screen.
[Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
[WebView2 apps] Fixed: They do not detect input from Xbox 360 and Bluetooth controllers.
[Bluetooth] Fixed: An app stops responding because of a memory leak in a device.
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Windows 11 version 22H2 is also getting these updates, but only if you're running Enterprise and Education editions.
Windows 10 gets a new account manager in the Start menu
Turning to Windows 10 version 22H2, Microsoft is still making some changes to the UI, including a new account manager on the Start menu, which lets you see more of your account settings in one view. This is similar to something that's also rolled out to Windows 11 in recent months, showing you more information about your Microsoft account.
Otherwise, the update labeled KB5046613 is available for manual download here, and it comes with multiple fixes, including one for an issue where some games failed to start due to a DRM issue. Many of the fixes are also shared with the Windows 11 updates above. Here's the full list:
[Some games fail to start] Fixed: Some games do not start or stop responding after you install KB5044384. This occurs because some games use a third-party DRM component that is not compatible with that update. This update makes changes to support those games while the game developers address the DRM issue.
[Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] Fixed: This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
[Start menu] New! This update starts the roll out of the new account manager on the Start menu. The new design makes it easy to view your account and access account settings. To change to a different user, select the ellipses (...) next to Sign out. The Lock command is now on the power menu. Note This change might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.
[Multi-Function Printer (MFP)]
Fixed: When you use a USB cable to connect to it, it prints specific network command text when you do want it to.
Fixed: A scanner driver fails to install when you use a USB cable to connect to an MFP.
[vmswitch] Fixed: A vmswitch triggers a stop error. This occurs when you use Load Balancing and Failover (LBFO) teaming with two virtual switches on a virtual machine (VM). In this case, one virtual switch uses single root Input/Output virtualization (SR-IOV).
[Upgrade to Windows 11] Fixed: A race condition causes stop error 0x3B. This might occur when you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
[Product activation phone numbers] Fixed: This adds new phone numbers for several regions.
[Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA)] Fixed: This update brings profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
[WebView2 apps] Fixed: They do not detect input from Xbox 360 and Bluetooth controllers.
[Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) (known issue)] Fixed: You might see a black screen when you sign in to AVD. You might also notice that you cannot sign out of your account. The black screen persists even after you disconnect and reconnect to AVD. The application event log displays Event ID:1000, which indicates a fault in svchost.exe_AppXSvc.
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Note that these updates are also shared with Windows 10 LTSC 2021 editions.
Windows 10 LTSC editions
Aside from the latest supported version of Windows 10, multiple releases of the OS are also still supported exclusively through LTSC channels for specific enterprise customers. They're all getting updates today as well, so we've compiled them below for you:
As per usual, all updates rolling out during Patch Tuesday are mandatory, but you can download them manually to install them at your preferred time so you're not at the whim of Windows Update. We're now in the last year of Windows 10 updates for general consumers, so it's a good time to start considering an upgrade to Windows 11.
