Microsoft battles more bugs in Windows 11 24H2 with new round of patches

Microsoft continues its quest to vanquish bugs from Windows 11 24H2, and the latest update seems to fix a number of them. Released this past Tuesday, KB5052093 is an optional update, which means you may have to wait for it to appear or manually download and install it if you’re in a hurry.

Also: Windows 11’s bug-fixing update is making things worse

Some of the new features and fixes are rolling out gradually, so you might not see them right away. But if you do forge ahead with the update, here’s what you’ll find sooner or later.

Squashed bugs

Let’s start with the squashed bugs. As one glaring example, File Explorer has been plagued by several glitches in Windows 11 24H2, many of which should now be fixed.

The KB5052093 update improves performance in File Explorer when loading files that contain a large number of media files. The context menu that appears when you right-click on a file stored in the cloud should appear quicker. Entering a URL in the address bar will now take you to the right location. The address bar will no longer overlap files when you switch to full-screen mode. And thumbnails for cloud files will now appear more consistently in search results.

Also: Don’t ignore Microsoft’s February Patch Tuesday – it’s a big one for all Windows 11 users

Previously, the colors in the Start menu might go awry if you opened the flyout menu for account manager. Certain apps wouldn’t recognize a connected scanner. Task Manager would sometimes identify an HDD (hard disk drive) as an SSD (solid-state drive). Using a Guest account to sign in to a PC in Shared PC mode might not work. And when setting a non-default color for the mouse pointer, it might revert to white after the User Account Control (UAC) dialog appeared. These should all now be fixed.

On the audio front, the volume would sometimes jump to 100% when your PC woke up from sleep. You might hear a mute and unmute sound several times in a row. A USB audio device could stop working after your PC had been idle for a short amount of time. These bugs should also now be resolved.

Glitch repairs

The update further repairs the following glitches: Remote Desktop would stop responding or incorrectly render the display when connecting to certain PCs. Using drag and drop to move emails and other files in certain applications would sometimes fail if your PC had a display with high DPI (dots per inch). Opening the Settings screen might trigger an error message stating that the memory could not be read.

Also: Microsoft removes guide for installing Windows 11 on unsupported PCs – but this hack still works

Improved features

Now let’s check out the new and improved features added by KB5052093.

You can now share files directly from a jump list on the Windows Taskbar. This works only with applications that normally display a jump list. Windows now allows multiple apps to access the camera’s video stream at the same time and adds a better debugging method if your camera isn’t working properly.

Microsoft has also spruced up the Windows Narrator, which can read aloud text and other content on the screen. When using Narrator in scan mode, you can press certain keys on your keyboard to skip past links, jump to the start of a table or other item, and jump to the end of an item. These tricks can prove helpful if you need to hear long web pages or lengthy emails.

Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025

Another improvement affects Windows Spotlight, which displays a random and changing background image on your desktop. Here, you can quickly learn about the chosen background image by hovering over it or clicking the “Learn about this picture” icon. Windows Spotlight is also now easier to find, as the icon will appear at the lower right corner of the desktop.

And there’s one more item, though this is less a feature and more an advertisement for Microsoft. With the latest update, you may now see a “referral card” for a PC Game Pass subscription on the home page of the Settings screen. This one appears only for qualifying users signed in with a Microsoft account. But the purpose of the ad is to convince you to invite your friends and family to try a PC Game Pass for free. Yep, Microsoft is always hawking one product or another, even in Windows.

Optional preview

Since this is an optional preview update being rolled out gradually, you may not be able to install it the usual way. To check, go to Settings and select Windows Update. Make sure the switch is on for “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available.” Click the button for Check for updates. If KB5052093 pops up and you need to apply it for its bug fixes, allow it to install.

If not, you can install it manually. For that, head to the Microsoft Update Catalog for the update and download the MSU files. The hiccup here is that the process for installing these files is tricky, especially if you’ve never gone this route before. Microsoft explains how to do it at the bottom of its support page for KB5052093.

Also: How to clear the cache on your Windows 11 PC (and why you shouldn’t wait to do it)

But as this is a preview update, the official version will become available next month on March 11 as part of the month’s Patch Tuesday. If you can wait a couple of weeks, I suggest holding off until these patches are more readily accessible through the usual update process.