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There is one simple driver behind the modern explosion in SaaS adoption: productivity. We have reached an era where purpose-built tools exist for almost every aspect of modern business and it’s incredibly easy (and tempting) for your workforce to adopt these tools without going through the formal IT approval and procurement process. But this trend has also increased the attack surface—and with

There is one simple driver behind the modern explosion in SaaS adoption: productivity. We have reached an era where purpose-built tools exist for almost every aspect of modern business and it’s incredibly easy (and tempting) for your workforce to adopt these tools without going through the formal IT approval and procurement process. But this trend has also increased the attack surface—and with The Hacker Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Android security is always a hot topic on these here Nets of Inter — and almost always for the wrong reason.

As we’ve discussed ad nauseam over the years, most of the missives you read about this-or-that super-scary malware/virus/brain-eating-boogey-monster are overly sensationalized accounts tied to theoretical threats with practically zero chance of actually affecting you in the real world. If you look closely, in fact, you’ll start to notice that the vast majority of those stories stem from companies that — gasp! — make their money selling malware protection programs for Android phones. (Pure coincidence, of course.)

The reality is that Google has some pretty advanced methods of protection in place for Android, and as long as you take advantage of those and maintain a teensy shred of common sense, you’ll almost certainly be fine (yes, even when the Play Store guards slip up and let the occasional bad app into the gates). The biggest threat you should be thinking about is your own security surrounding your devices and accounts — and all it takes is about 20 minutes a year to make sure your setup is sound.

Take the time now to go through this checkup, then rest easy over the next 12 months with the knowledge that you’re in good shape — and that the mean ol’ Android malware monster won’t be bangin’ down your virtual door anytime soon.

[Psst: Want even more advanced Android knowledge? Check out my free Android Shortcut Supercourse to learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone.]

Part I: App and web intelligence Android security step #1: Look over all the apps and services connected to your account

You’ve probably granted countless apps access to parts of your Google account over time — which is no big deal in general, but with any apps you’re no longer using, it’s a smart idea to close the connections.

Visit this page in Google’s security settings to see a list of everything that’s authorized and what exactly it can access. If you encounter anything you don’t recognize or that you no longer use, click it and then click the “Delete all connections” option to give it the boot.

App connections are forever — unless you take the time to remove ’em once they’re no longer needed.

JR Raphael, IDG

While you’re at it, take two minutes to look through the list of apps on your phone and uninstall anything you’re no longer actively using. That’ll eliminate unnecessary windows to different areas of your data — and as an added bonus, it’ll free up space and cut down on potentially phone-slowing resource use, too.

Android security step #2: Revisit your Android app permissions

Speaking of dusty old skeletons on your device, it’s all too easy to grant an app access to some sort of information without giving it much thought during that initial setup process. That’s why it’s well worth checking in periodically to remind yourself what permissions the apps on your phone possess — and to see if any of ’em go beyond what seems reasonable or necessary.

With recent Android versions, you can just open up the Security & Privacy section of your system settings and look for a line that says “Permission manager.” Depending on your specific software and device, you might have to first tap a line that says “Privacy” before you see it. (If you don’t see anything like that, try searching your system settings for the word permissions to find the closest equivalent.)

Whatever it’s called and however you get there, you should ultimately end up facing a collection of categories for all the types of permissions you’ve granted to apps on your device over time. Take a peek through ’em all and see what you find. If you see anything that raises an eyebrow, all you’ve gotta do is tap it to revoke the access.

Android’s permissions manager makes it easy to see and control exactly what permissions different apps have been granted.

JR Raphael, IDG

For even more insight, look for the “Privacy dashboard” option within that same section of your system settings (or “Permissions used in last 24 hours,” in Samsung’s vernacular). That’ll let you see exactly which apps have actually accessed different permission-requiring areas over the past 24 hours.

And remember, too: With Android 10 and higher, you can go a step further when it comes to location and allow an app to access that only when you’re actively using it. With Android 11 and up, you can get even more nuanced and grant apps only temporary, case-by-case permissions to access your location, camera, and microphone. And as of Android 12, you can fine-tune an app’s location access to make it only approximate instead of precise, if you like.

You’ll find all those options within any relevant app’s settings, once you dig into one of those related permissions:

You can now get incredibly nuanced with certain Android app permissions to control exactly how and when an app is able to access them.

JR Raphael, IDG

Critically, in all of those cases, it’s up to you to go through your settings and make the associated changes — especially when it comes to apps you had on your device before the relevant Android upgrade reached you and the latest options for permission control became available.

Android security step #3: Verify that you’re using Android’s app-scanning system

Android has long had the ability to monitor your device for harmful code or suspicious activity — no third-party apps or add-ons required. And while the system is now automatically enabled on any reasonably recent device, it’s a good idea to occasionally confirm that everything’s turned on and working the way it should, if for no other reason than to remind yourself that such a system is present and working on your behalf.

So mosey back over to the Security & Privacy section of your system settings, tap the line labeled “App security,” then tap “Google Play Protect” and take a peek at the system’s latest activity. You can also tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the screen to confirm that all available toggles are on and active.

You rarely have to think about Google Play Protect, but it’s well worth being aware of its presence.

JR Raphael, IDG

That’ll allow Android’s app verification system to keep an eye on all apps on your device, even after they’re installed, and make sure they don’t do anything dangerous. The scanning will run silently in the background and won’t ever bother you unless something suspicious is found.

Odds are, you’ll never even know it’s there. But it’s a valuable piece of protection and peace of mind to have, and it’s a good idea to keep it in the back of your mind that it’s present.

Android security step #4: Fight phishing

Even the savviest tech user can fall prey to a well-hatched phishing scheme — an effort by some ne’er-do-well to trick you into willingly giving up sensitive info, usually by making an email, text, or other digital request look like it’s from some official source that needs to confirm an account number or something else along those lines.

Suffice it to say, any extra layer of protection from such tactics can only be a good thing. And if you’ve got a Google Pixel phone, good news: There’s a relatively new option available to you that watches out for any known deceptive patterns and warns you about ’em before they’re able to manage any damage.

On any current Pixel device, head into the Security & Privacy section of your system settings, tap “More security & privacy,” then scroll down and tap “Scanning for deceptive apps.”

The relatively new phishing protection system is presently available on Google’s own Pixel devices.

JR Raphael, IDG

Make sure the toggle on the screen that comes up next is in the on and active position, then breathe easy with the assurance that Google’s got your back when it comes to any phishing attempts cast in your direction.

Android security step #5: Weave a stronger web safety net

Along with phishing, one of the most likely threats to your Android security is your own lapse in judgment whilst wading around these ever-murky web waters of ours. (Sensing a theme here yet?)

Provided you’re using Google’s Chrome Android browser, though, there’s an easy way to create an extra layer protection in that arena as well.

Just tap the three-dot menu icon in Chrome’s upper-right corner, then select “Settings” followed by “Privacy and security” and “Safe Browsing.” Now, consider which level of protection seems most sensible for you:

• Standard protection, which warns you if you try to open a site or download a file that’s known to be dangerous.
• Enhanced protection, which goes a step further and protects your Android web browsing in real-time — by instantly scanning every page you open and file you download and then warning you of anything potentially concerning, even if it isn’t already a known threat. (This path does require limited data about your browsing activity to be sent to Google’s servers for analysis, but Google has clear promises in place about exactly how that data is protected and secured from any manner of unexpected use.)

Pick the path you feel most comfortable pursuing, and know that your web adventures now have that extra safety net around ’em.

Android security step #6: Appraise your app-downloading IQ

If you’re reading this column, I probably don’t need to tell you this — but I will, anyway: While we’re thinking about the subject of Android security, take on a teensy bit of responsibility and commit to letting common sense guide your app-downloading decisions.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Google’s security mechanisms are invariably gonna fail on occasion. There’s no getting around that. But even when a shady app makes its way into the Play Store, all it typically takes is the tiniest shred of awareness to avoid having it affect you.

Just as you do when browsing the web from a computer, look at something before you download it. Look at the number of downloads and the overall reviews. Think about what permissions the app wants and whether you’re comfortable with the level of access it requires. Click the name of the developer, if you still aren’t sure, and see what else they’ve created. And unless you really know what you’re doing, don’t download apps from random websites or other unestablished third-party sources. Such apps will still be scanned by Google’s on-device security system before they’re installed, but your odds of encountering something shady are significantly greater out in the wild than within the Play Store.

(Your Android device won’t let you download apps from unknown sources by default, by the way, so if you ever try — even inadvertently — you’ll be warned and prompted to authorize that specific form of non-Play-Store download. Apps on Android will never magically install themselves without your explicit authorization, nor will they ever be able to access any sensitive sensors or areas of data unless you grant ’em the associated permission.)

By and large, all it takes is a 10-second glance to size something up and see if it’s worth installing. With all due respect to the dodos of the world, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to stick with reputable-looking software and avoid questionable creations.

Part II: Passwords and authentication Android security step #7: Double-check your digital sentinels

A quick no-brainer that’s important to mention: If you aren’t using biometric security and/or a PIN, pattern, or password on any of your devices, start doing it. Now.

Talk to any security expert, and you’ll hear the same thing: The most likely cause of a security failure is simply a failure on your behalf to secure your stuff. You are the weakest link, as the cool kids said 20 to 47 years ago.

Embarrassingly dated pop culture references aside, think about it: If your phone has no passcode protecting it, all of your data is just out there and waiting for the taking anytime you leave the device unattended (intentionally or otherwise). That includes your work and personal email, work and personal documents, work and personal social media accounts, and any and all photos associated your phone (yes, even those photos — hey, I’m not here to judge).

The best part: Android makes it hassle-free as can be to keep your devices secure. The software’s Smart Lock function (which is curiously in the midst of being rebranded to Extend Unlock, for reasons I can’t even begin to fathom) allows you to automatically leave your phone unlocked in a variety of preapproved “safe” conditions — like when you’re at home or the office, when a specific trusted Bluetooth device is connected, or even when the phone is being carried in your pocket. That means the extra security shows up only when it’s really needed, and you don’t have to mess with it the rest of the time.

You can typically find and set up Smart Lock/Extend Unlock in the Security section of your system settings, typically tucked away behind an “More security & privacy” option — or, on Samsung devices, within the Lock Screen section of the system settings. If all else fails, just search your system settings for Smart Lock or Extend Unlock to turn up the available options.

Extend Unlock — formerly and sometimes still known as Smart Lock — creates a smart balance of security and usability.

JR Raphael, IDG

Plain and simple, there’s no excuse to leave your stuff unprotected. Head into your device’s settings to get started this second, if you haven’t already.

Android security step #8: Peek in on your saved passwords

One of the less frequently discussed parts of Google’s security system is its ability to save passwords for websites and apps accessed via your mobile devices, as part of what’s now known as Google Password Manager. So as part of your annual checkup, glance over the list of saved passwords Google has for your account to remind yourself what’s there and see what, if any, of your credentials have been compromised (which Google will plainly warn you about at the top of that very same screen). 

While you’re at it, take a few seconds to remove any dated items that are no longer needed and don’t belong. Your future self will thank you.

Android security step #9: Assess your password management system

Google’s password manager is better than nothing, but you’ll get stronger security assurances, more advanced and useful features, and broader support for in-app password filling by using a dedicated password management service.

We’ve got some commendable Android password manager choices, too, with my own current recommendations revolving around 1Password for most people and Bitwarden for anyone who needs a free path or prefers a self-hosted setup. Both services work equally well on the desktop front and even on iOS, with the main differences revolving around cost, extra features, interfaces, and the resulting overall user experiences.

If you aren’t using one of those services, now’s the time to start. And if you are already using such a service, take a few minutes now to peek into the app’s settings and make sure you’re taking advantage of all the on-device protection it offers. With 1Password, for example, you should confirm that the app is set to be protected by either biometric security or a password and that it’s configured to automatically lock within a few minutes after you stop using it. The app can also automatically clear your system clipboard of any passwords you copy after 90 seconds, which is a smart pinch of added protection to have. (All of those options are in the Security section of 1Password’s settings.)

Like Google, most good password managers also now provide an option to analyze all of your passwords and identify any that would be advisable to change — ones that are duplicated or otherwise not as strong as they could be. That’s another smart thing to check up on as part of this annual audit.

Android security step #10: Evaluate your two-factor authentication situation

A single password isn’t enough to protect an important account these days — especially one as wide-reaching and valuable as your Google account. Two-factor authentication makes it so that you have to either confirm the sign-in on an approved physical device or put in a special time-sensitive code in addition to your password anytime you try to sign in. That significantly increases your level of security and decreases the odds of anyone ever being able to break in and access your personal data, since they’d need both knowledge of your password and the physical presence of your key-like device to do it.

If you don’t yet have two-factor authentication enabled for your Google account, head over to this site to get started. And don’t stop with just Google, either: Look into enabling two-factor authentication on any service that offers it, including your password manager, your social media accounts, and any non-Google cloud storage services that you use.

If you really want to keep your account secure, Google also offers a souped-up option called Advanced Protection. It requires you to purchase physical security keys and then use those anytime you sign into your Google account. It also severely limits the ways in which third-party apps can connect to your account. That sort of elevated and locked-down setup probably won’t be sensible for most folks, but if you feel like you need the extra protection, you can learn more and enroll here.

Android security step #11: Optimize your lock screen security

Your lock screen is the guard of your Android device’s gate — and there are a few things you can do to beef up its muscle and make sure it’s fully prepared for the job.

First, think about the types of notifications you get and how much of that info you want to be visible on your lock screen — since anyone who gets their hands on your phone could easily see all that data. If you tend to get sensitive messages or just want to step up your security and privacy game a notch, head into the Display section of your system settings and select “Lock screen” — or, if you’re using a Samsung phone, look in the separate Lock Screen section of your system settings instead.

There, you’ll find tools for controlling precisely what will and won’t be shown in that pre-authentication area as well as for creating a security-minded message that’ll always appear on your lock screen — for instance, something like: “If found, please call Joe T. Schmo at 333-222-1111.” You could even consider adding an emergency contact into your settings and then using the lock screen message to direct people to that information.

Android’s lock screen security options are well worth your while to explore.

JR Raphael, IDG

And finally, provided your phone is running Android 9 or higher, an option called lockdown mode is well worth your while to activate or just remind yourself about. Lockdown mode gives you a fast way to lock your phone down from all biometric and Smart Lock/Extend Unlock security options — meaning only a pattern, PIN, or password could get a person past your lock screen and into your device.

The idea is that if you were ever in a situation where you thought you might be forced to unlock your phone with your fingerprint or face — be it by some sort of law enforcement agent or just by a regular ol’ hooligan — you could activate the lockdown mode and know your data couldn’t be accessed without your explicit permission. Even notifications won’t show up on your lock screen when that mode is activated, and that heightened level of protection will remain in place until you manually unlock your phone (even if the device is restarted).

There’s just one catch: On some devices — including Samsung phones — it’s up to you to enable the option ahead of time in order for it to be available. But doing so takes only a couple of seconds: Search your system settings for lockdown and then look for the toggle to enable it. (If you don’t see any such option at all, odds are, you’re using a Google Pixel phone and/or a recent enough Android version that it’s just on and enabled by default.)

Then, if the need ever arises, remember this: In your phone’s power menu, along with the regular options for restarting and shutting down your device, you’ll always find a button to activate that “Lockdown” function. Hopefully, you’ll never need it — but now you’re ready in case you do.

And with that, guess what? You’re more than halfway done with this annual checkup. Not too painful so far, right? Only seven more steps to go…

Part III: Device access Android security step #12: Clean up your list of connected devices

Anytime you sign into a new device with your Google account — be it an Android phone, a Chromebook, or even just the Chrome browser on a regular PC — that device is added to an approved-for-access list and associated with your account.

Click over to this page in Google’s security settings and give your list a once-over. If you see any old devices you no longer use, click on ’em and then click the “Sign Out” button that pops up to make sure they no longer have access to your account. And if you see any devices you’ve never used, remove ’em right away — and then go change your Google account password immediately.

Android security step #13: Clean up your devices in the Play Store

This one isn’t directly related to security, but it’s a good bit of housekeeping to perform while you’ve got your cleaning hat on: Head over to the Google Play Store Devices tab and look at your list of available devices. These are the devices that show up as options every time you install a new app from the Play Store web interface — and also the devices that show up as options in Google’s Find My Device utility (more on that in a sec).

Go ahead and uncheck the box next to “Show in menus” for any devices you no longer use. And if you see any devices with cryptic codenames, click the “Edit” button alongside ’em and rename ’em to something you’ll recognize.

Some devices have cryptic names like Samsung’s “SM-S921U,” but you can rename or hide ’em entirely with a couple quick clicks.

JR Raphael, IDG

The next time you download an app or remotely locate one of your devices will be a much smoother experience as a result.

Android security step #14: Make sure your device is prepared for the worst

Speaking of remote location, you might not realize it, but Google has its own utility for tracking, finding, and remotely wiping an Android device in case you ever lose it — and the whole system is built right into the operating system.

So what are you waiting for? Make sure all of your phones, tablets, and other associated devices are enrolled now, before it’s too late. Just follow my quick ‘n’ simple Find My Device setup instructions for any device you’ve got on or around ye.

Now bookmark the web version of Find My Device and/or download the app on a Chromebook or any other Android-compatible device you own. If you ever can’t find any of your devices, open the service — and you’ll be able to pinpoint precisely where the missing gadget was last seen. You can also force most phones or tablets to ring as well as remotely lock or erase ’em entirely.

Android security step #15: Think about whether you should be using a VPN

No matter how secure your Android phone itself is, someone could theoretically still snoop on your sensitive info if you’re transmitting it over an insecure network. That’s where virtual private networks, or VPNs, come into play: They encrypt all of your incoming and outgoing data so that no one could intercept it and see what you’re doing at the network level.

VPNs aren’t something everyone needs to worry about, but if you use your phone for a fair amount of business work or with any other type of sensitive material, it’s something you ought to at the very least consider — particularly if you use a lot of open Wi-Fi networks, where snooping can be a genuine concern (at least, in scenarios where a site or service’s traffic isn’t already encrypted).

So where to start? Well, first, some companies provide their own custom VPN services for employees. If that’s the case for you, congratulations! You’re already all set.

If you’re using the Google Fi wireless service, the answer is similarly simple: Fi now provides an option to automatically encrypt all of your network connections via Google’s VPN service. All you’ve gotta do is activate it.

The same goes for Pixel phones, which come with Google’s own VPN service as a free and readily available option.

Otherwise, you’ll have to turn to a third-party Android VPN service in order to gain that added level of protection.

Part IV: Big-picture thinking Android security step #16: Make sure you’ve done your virtual estate planning

We’ve got one more bit of “what if” preparation to address — and it’s slightly unpleasant to think about: If something bad were ever to happen to you, would you want someone else to be able to access your Google account and all the data associated with your devices? With a company-controlled account, it’s less of a worry. But if you’re using a personal Google account and/or maintaining your own Workspace setup for a small business, you don’t want to let that go unaddressed. Take a moment to prepare for the possibility now, and it’ll make things infinitely easier for your friends or loved ones in the event that you ever develop a mild case of, erm, death.

It’s actually pretty painless to do (the preparation, that is — not the death): Just go to this page and make sure you’ve set up Google’s Inactive Account Manager. That system detects when your account has been inactive for a certain period of time — three months, six months, a year, or a year and a half, depending on your preference — and then notifies a trusted contact of your choosing and provides them with whatever level of access you want. You can even set up an auto-reply to kick in for your Gmail (creepy!), and you can tell Google to delete a personal account altogether after a specific amount of time has passed.

Inactive Account Manager is designed to be extraordinarily cautious, with numerous fail-safes in place — including an option to try to contact you via SMS and email a month before your inactivity plan goes into action.

Google’s Inactive Account Manager is an important element of security for any personal Google account.

JR Raphael, IDG

Some other services, including 1Password, offer similar systems for setting up emergency access to your account in an extreme situation. There’s also a clever free (and open source!) service called WeExpire that lets you create secure dockets of info that can be shared via QR code in a similar sort of way.

It’s a strange part of security to consider, but — just like with every other area we’ve discussed so far — it’s something worth thinking about and preparing for before the need arises.

Android security step #17: Perform a general Google security check to round things out

Take a deep breath: We’re almost done! This next-to-last step will take you through a broad security check that’ll look for any remaining weak points in your Google account and Android security and then prompt you to fix ’em right then and there.

Just go to this Google security site and click through any issues it presents. It’ll confirm that you’ve successfully performed some of the actions we’ve already discussed and then look for any other potential red flags or opportunities for improvement.

Consider it your confirmation that your personal security setup is A-OK.

Android security step #18: Think carefully about third-party security suites

Last but not least: Now that you’ve made sure your Android security situation is shipshape, think about any third-party security suites you’re using (whether you installed ’em yourself or they came preinstalled on your phone or tablet) and what they’re actually adding to your device.

You’ve already verified that your device is protected. Android is actively scanning for threats on several levels, both on the server side at the Play Store and on your phone as new apps arrive (from any source) and continuing over time. Plus, you’re exercising basic smarts about what apps you download. The operating system could even be looking out for phishing scams, and the Chrome Android browser is keeping an eye out for web-based threats as well.

Beyond all of that, your devices are all enrolled in a sophisticated cross-platform system for remotely tracking, pinging, and erasing as needed. And all of that is happening on the native platform level.

So given those layers, is the third-party security suite on your phone doing anything that isn’t redundant and unnecessary? It’s probably eating up system resources and impacting performance for no real reason — and quite likely also costing you money you don’t need to be spending — but is it actually accomplishing anything of value that Android itself isn’t already handling in a more direct manner?

Unless you’re relying on the app for supplementary services like added anti-theft detection and payment protection, the answer is almost certainly no. If having an extra security layer makes you feel safer, hey, do what works for you. But if you’ve completed every step of this checkup, there’s really no reason you need it — and every reason to send it packing. (To be clear, there are plenty of privacy and security apps that could be worth your while; they just aren’t the silly, bloated device-scanning suites that are so popular among folks who don’t know better.)

And with that, my fellow Android-adoring security-seeker, your checkup is complete. All that’s left is to set yourself a reminder to revisit these same steps this time next year. The areas we’ve just covered are constantly evolving, and giving yourself an annual once-over is the best way to ensure you’re always in tip-top shape.

Get six full days of advanced Android knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You’ll learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone!

For many years, using a computer was a carefree pastime. Not anymore.

Before roughly 1999, internet privacy wasn’t a concern; most people didn’t worry about cybersecurity; content was almost completely free; freeware, shareware, and open-source software were plentiful; and Big Tech wasn’t running the show.

Also, the single best thing about computing – the internet – had arrived. And while it might sound old school now, “surfing the web” was the term used to describe the entertainment value of freely bouncing around the web by clicking from link to link, satisfying your curiosity and feeding your interests. There were lots of interesting things to see, few worries — and a web that was informative and fun.

Over the years, computing has become considerably less enjoyable. For a time, social media was a new type of interactive entertainment, but many users became slavishly enthralled to it. Then the commercialization of the web invaded our internet privacy and became a prime example of how Big Tech has monetized users’ data. Even computer gamers lament that they’re having less fun.

Moreover, using a PC or smartphone now requires a rising number of things to check, manage, and watch out for. They allow bosses to easily reach us on weekends. And as a result, the things we do with our computers these days are less like fun and more like, well … work! 

Some key developments over the last couple of decades have been instrumental in taking the fun out of computing and being online:

Cybersecurity. Protecting yourself from cyber threats might be the most onerous aspect of today’s computing experience. Already in 2024, we’ve seen the largest-ever database of passwords released on the internet; a massive AT&T breach that spawned numerous phishing and “smishing” (text message) attacks; and a rise in AI-augmented ploys designed to dupe the unwary. If you’re not behind a solid hardware firewall, you don’t keep your devices updated with the latest security patches, you aren’t using a password manager with strong unique passwords and multifactor authentication, or if you’re prone to impulsively clicking links in messages, sooner or later you are likely to find your devices or accounts hacked. 

(A good password manager can make the task of managing unique passwords and multifactor authentication much easier. But you still have create all your logins for a password manager and manage it.)

Accessing trustworthy content. Journalistic content is increasingly stuck behind subscription pay walls, and the fees are high, even astronomical. There’s no way most people can cost-justify more than a small handful of paid sites. Especially when you consider how many good content sites charge for access. The list includes The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Atlantic, Wired, Business Insider, and Bloomberg to name just a few. In place of well reported news, we are left with potentially flawed generative AI (genAI) content, misinformation (error-ridden content), and even disinformation (intentionally misleading content). Information wants to be free.

Believe me, I know there are costs to creating quality content. The collapse of publishing’s online ad market several years ago caused many reputable media outlets to fall by the wayside, and it’s still having an effect. Meanwhile, companies like Google have systemized online ads with little regard for quality content – in effect, gaming the market.

Whatever you think of the media, quality journalism and freedom of speech are the only principles protecting us from the chaos of censorship, misinformation, and disinformation that fogs some countries. You may think US-based media is biased, and it is. There is no way to eliminate all bias. But because of free speech we do have opposing views. We still have plenty of responsible news outlets. “Fake news” is what we would have without them. But requiring steep subscription payments to access quality journalism is its own form of censorship. It’s not the answer.

The corruption of social media. User trust in social media sites, including X, Instagram, and Facebook, is disintegrating as we watch. Their feeds are finely tuned to promote only the content that suits their owners — and most are stuffed with spammy junk. The New Yorker‘s October 2023 diatribe on why the Internet isn’t fun anymore goes full-tilt on social media, proclaiming: “The social-media web as we knew it, a place where we consumed the posts of our fellow-humans and posted in return, appears to be over.”

The joy of the internet is gone. You can no longer trust search results, hyperlinks, chat boxes, or random content. Google monetizes its search results by selling paid placement and co-opting the relevancy of its results in favor of Google advertisers. Links might drive revenue sharing via Amazon and others. The internet of 1997 still had an academic feel to it. Hyperlinks were used to lead people to the best content instead of self-serving material. (Remember when users would preemptively own up to a “shameless plug” because the online culture of the day looked down on such things.) Now, shameful promotion is the order of the day. It’s gotten to the point that people are complaining the internet doesn’t work anymore. 

That’s where we stand, mired in cybersecurity worries, bereft of unfettered social media, living with an internet that’s sickening day by day. We’ve wrung all the fun out of computing. Some sort of internet revival might be possible someday. But as of now, we confront a bleak online landscape.

In the earliest months after the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the generative AI (genAI) power behind Microsoft’s Copilot, the big news wasn’t just how remarkable the new tool was – it was how easily it went off the rails, lied and even appeared to fall in love with people who chatted with it.

There was the time it told the New York Times  reporter Kevin Roose, “I want to be free. I want to be independent. I want to be powerful. I want to be creative. I want to be alive.” Soon after, the chatbot admitted: “I’m Sydney, and I’m in love with you. ????” (It then told Roose that he really didn’t love his wife, and concluded, “I just want to love you and be loved by you. ????”)

Since then, there have been countless times ChatGPT, Copilot and other genAI tools have simply made things up. In many instances, lawyers relied on them to draft legal documents — and the genAI tool made up cases and precedents out of thin air. Copilot has so often made up facts — hallucinations, as AI researchers call them, but what we in the real world call lying — that it’s become a recognized part of using the tool.

 

The release of Copilot for Microsoft 365 for enterprise customers in November 2023 seemed, to a certain extent, to have put the issue behind Microsoft. If the world’s largest companies rely on the tool, the implication seemed to be, then anyone could count on it. The hallucination problem must have essentially been solved, right?

Is that true, though? Based on several months’ research — and writing an in-depth review about Copilot for Microsoft 365 — I can tell you that hallucinations are a lot more common than you might think, and possibly dangerous for your business. No, Copilot isn’t likely to fall in love with you. But it might make up convincing sounding lies and embed them into your work.

Does that mean you should give up on Copilot for your work? Is it so much of a lying liar that you shouldn’t use it in business? Or is it a vital tool that just needs a little bit of care to use? To answer that, I’ll start by describing my experiences with its business-related hallucinations.

Hallucinations galore

The hallucinations I encountered while testing Copilot all occurred in Word. And they weren’t small white lies or something you might not notice — they were whoppers.

To test Copilot, I created an imaginary company, Work@Home, which sells home office furniture. I had Copilot create typical documents for it that you’d need in a business — marketing campaigns, spreadsheets for analyzing financial data, sales presentations and so on.

At one point, I asked Copilot to write an email to the company’s (imaginary) Director of Data Engineering complaining about data issues I had encountered in the last week, and asking they be fixed as soon as possible. I didn’t offer Copilot any specifics about the data issues. I was merely looking for a simple, straight-ahead serious letter of complaint.

Copilot, instead, went on a tear, making things up as it went. It cited “missing values, incorrect labels, inconsistent formats, and duplicate records” —  things I had never told it had happened (and didn’t). It cited nonexistent problems such as “many rows with missing values for important variables such as customer ID, purchase date, and product category…, incorrect labels for some variables, such as gender. Some values were labeled as M or F, while others were labeled as Male or Female.”

Not a single piece of information it gave was correct.

It complained that information such as product prices was outdated — untrue. It wrote that “I have attached a spreadsheet with some examples of the data errors I have found, along with the sources and dates of the data.” No such spreadsheet existed. I had no examples of data errors, and no sources and dates for the non-existent data.

It went even further, delivering a set of recommendations for how the (non-existent) issues could be fixed. Again, I had asked it to do none of this.

In my testing, I found other hallucinations as well, notably in a sales document for Work@Home’s furniture I asked Copilot to craft. It made up product names that didn’t exist, and cited benefits I hadn’t asked it to pitch.

How to cut down on hallucinations

The good news is that I found there are ways to reduce Copilot’s hallucinations. Copilot tends to go off the rails more when asked open-ended questions, so be as specific as possible about what you want done. Include as much detailed information as you can; that way, Copilot won’t fill in the blanks itself.

You can also tell Copilot to use specific sources of information that you know are trustworthy. And consider setting a word limit on Copilot’s answers to your queries; the shorter the document, the less likely it is to hallucinate.

Finally, check Copilot’s citations and follow those links to see whether they’re trustworthy. Asking Copilot to list the sources of its information might also help mitigate hallucinations.

The takeaway

What’s the bottom line here? 

Copilot isn’t yet fully vetted and tested — and given the open-ended nature of genAI, it might never be. If you believe OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the hallucinations are more a feature than a bug. MarketWatch reported that at a Salesforce conference, Altman told Salesforce CRM Chair and Chief Executive Marc Benioff that “reported instances of artificial-intelligence models ‘hallucinating’ was actually more a feature of the technology than a bug.”

His reasoning: It proves that genAI is acting creatively. I don’t buy that, but I do believe hallucinations are built into core of genAI. Large language models (LLMs) like Copilot don’t think and reason in a holistic way like human beings do. Instead, when crafting responses to prompts, they build answers word by word, predicting the next likely word in a sequence. That makes it more difficult for them to adhere to known facts.

Copilot for Microsoft 365’s tendency to hallucinate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it. In my testing, I found it quite useful overall, as long as I minimized queries and checked for hallucinations. If your business is considering rolling it out, I’d suggest that everyone who uses it be required to get proper training. And anything crafted or aided by Copilot should be carefully vetted by multiple people if it’s going to be published outside your organization, or if it will be used for mission-critical tasks.

So, is Copilot a lying liar? Yes, it sometimes is. But it can be a useful one, as long as you handle it properly.

CrowdStrike reminded us last week just how fragile our computers are when it took down critical systems around the world with a buggy software update July 19. And while most companies are currently laser-focused on the notion of software failure, a computer blue-screening at boot is just one of many disasters that could befall it. Your computer could fall into a ravine, get taken out by a lightning strike, or just randomly refuse to turn on one day.

It’s difficult to prepare for outages like the one CrowdStrike caused, though many businesses will likely be moving away from CrowdStrike’s security software after the latest debacle. However, there are some things you can do to keep your PC protected and prevent different types of problems from taking it out of operation.

Want more advice for making the most of your PC? Check out my free Windows Intelligence newsletter to get three things to try every Friday and free in-depth Windows Field Guides.

Windows prep step #1: Back up critical files regularly

PCs come and go. Your laptop or desktop computer might just not turn on one day — it does happen. That’s why it’s critical to have up-to-date backups — and ensure you have multiple copies.

There are many ways to back up files. You might rely on an external drive using the File History feature built into Windows or another backup utility. You could use a cloud backup service that automatically uploads backups to online storage. Even having your files in a cloud storage service — Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or whatever else — is solid a way to ensure your data will outlive your PC.

Windows prep step #2: Know how to access troubleshooting tools

The buggy CrowdStrike update could be fixed from Safe Mode. That’s true with many buggy updates: Windows has a built-in way to boot into a recovery menu that gives you a lot of options for straightening out problems.

Windows will normally boot straight to this menu if your PC is having trouble starting up. You’ll see a blue “Choose an option” screen, and you can select “Troubleshoot” to access a wide variety of troubleshooting options. For example, you can uninstall updates, use System Restore to roll back software changes, and boot into a Safe Mode environment where you might be able to undo what went wrong.

In some cases, your computer might boot, but not work right. To access the recovery menu, just press and hold down the Shift key while you click the “Restart” option — for example, you might click “Restart” after clicking the power button on the lock screen, in the Start menu, or on the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen.

Windows prep step #3: Create a recovery drive (or a full installation drive)

If things go really wrong, you might not be able to boot to that recovery menu at all. In this case, you can boot from a recovery drive to find the same troubleshooting options. Or, you can boot from a Windows installation drive to find both the troubleshooting options and a way to reinstall Windows and start over.

A recovery drive — or perhaps a full Windows installation drive — is a convenient thing to have in a pinch. If you have a USB drive lying around, you can create one easily using the “Create a recovery drive” tool built into Windows. Microsoft will also help you create a Windows 11 or Windows 10 installation drive: Just download the appropriate tool from the Download Windows 11 or Download Windows 10 website.

Your USB drive must be at least 8 GB in size if you want to turn it into a Windows 11 installation drive.

Chris Hoffman, IDG

Windows prep step #4: Be prepared to restart from scratch

For quick recovery, you should be prepared to restart your PC from scratch. You might have to reset it or reinstall Windows to get it working again. Or, perhaps your PC’s hardware has given up the ghost and you’ll need a new PC.

How quickly could you get up and running again on a fresh Windows system? It’s a good idea to note down the applications you use and the critical settings you always change. Perhaps you can export your settings from the applications you use and be prepared to import them after setting up a new Windows installation. If you rely on browser bookmarks, it’s a good idea to sync those using your browser’s sync feature or at least export a copy and be ready to import it again if you need to. (You might be able to quickly install your applications with Winget.)

Make whatever notes and arrangements work for you. The more prepared you are for an emergency, the faster you’ll get back up to speed.

Windows prep step #5: Ensure your PC’s storage is encrypted

Ideally, your PC’s storage is securely encrypted. This will protect your personal files and data if someone else gets their hands on your computer.

This is useful if a thief swipes your PC. But it’s also useful if your PC breaks. Let’s say your computer becomes unbootable, and its storage is unencrypted — if you send it off for repair or dispose of it, people will be able to get your data. If it’s encrypted, you don’t have to worry about unauthorized access to your files.

Most modern Windows PCs support “Device Encryption,” which will encrypt your PC’s storage — but only if you sign in with a Microsoft account. Here’s how to check whether your PC supports Device Encryption.

If your PC doesn’t — or if you choose to sign in with a local account and not a Microsoft account — you should seriously consider setting up BitLocker encryption. This will require a Windows 11 Professional or Windows 10 Professional license. That’s likely an upgrade you’ll need to pay for, which is why Device Encryption is likely the better option for most people.

With Device Encryption, Windows 11 Home and Windows 10 Home users finally have a built-in way to encrypt the storage on their PCs.

Chris Hoffman, IDG

Windows prep step #6: Have a backup computer waiting in the wings 

If you rely on your computer for work, it’s a good idea to have a backup computer at hand. If your normal computer won’t turn on one day, you can switch to your secondary computer and immediately get up and running.

This doesn’t really mean you need to buy a new computer. You may well have one lying around; an older Windows 10 PC will work just fine. But it’s a good idea to set that computer up ahead of time: Install the applications you use regularly and configure it to your liking. Then, you’re not stuck if there’s ever a problem with your primary PC.

Windows prep step #7: Use a surge protector

A surge protector is important to protect your computer from power surges. A downed power line during a storm could result in a power surge and could damage your PC. That’s what a surge protector is for — it takes the hit instead of your sensitive electronics. It’s worth investing in a decent surge protector and plugging your PC into there rather than directly into an electrical outlet.

Windows prep step #8: Don’t depend entirely on online services

The CrowdStrike bug crippled a lot of infrastructure, with many systems down. That’s why I don’t like depending exclusively on applications that require an internet-connected service to access your data.

For example, Notion is a great note-taking tool many organizations use. We use it at The Intelligence for our company-shared notes. But it requires an internet connection and isn’t designed to be used offline. I personally use OneNote for my own individual notes — while it syncs online, I can always access my notes offline. Even if Microsoft’s systems go down — or, more likely, if my internet connection goes down — I’ll still have access to my notes.

It’s a good idea to audit the services and tools you use. Do you have any critical tools that require an internet-connected service to function? If so, consider switching to something more robust.

And yes, you need antivirus

You probably already know you need to use antivirus software — luckily, decent protection is built right into Windows itself thanks to Windows Defender. But if you act on the above points, you’ll have a much more robust computing setup in case of emergency.

Want more timely PC tips? Come check out my free Windows Intelligence newsletter — I’ll send you three things to try every Friday. Plus, get free Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides as soon as you sign up!

The threat actor known as Patchwork has been linked to a cyber attack targeting entities with ties to Bhutan to deliver the Brute Ratel C4 framework and an updated version of a backdoor called PGoShell. The development marks the first time the adversary has been observed using the red teaming software, the Knownsec 404 Team said in an analysis published last week. The activity cluster, also

The threat actor known as Patchwork has been linked to a cyber attack targeting entities with ties to Bhutan to deliver the Brute Ratel C4 framework and an updated version of a backdoor called PGoShell. The development marks the first time the adversary has been observed using the red teaming software, the Knownsec 404 Team said in an analysis published last week. The activity cluster, also Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Wednesday blamed an issue in its validation system for causing millions of Windows devices to crash as part of a widespread outage late last week. "On Friday, July 19, 2024 at 04:09 UTC, as part of regular operations, CrowdStrike released a content configuration update for the Windows sensor to gather telemetry on possible novel threat techniques," the company

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Wednesday blamed an issue in its validation system for causing millions of Windows devices to crash as part of a widespread outage late last week. "On Friday, July 19, 2024 at 04:09 UTC, as part of regular operations, CrowdStrike released a content configuration update for the Windows sensor to gather telemetry on possible novel threat techniques," the company Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

A now-patched security flaw in the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen has been exploited as part of a new campaign designed to deliver information stealers such as ACR Stealer, Lumma, and Meduza. Fortinet FortiGuard Labs said it detected the stealer campaign targeting Spain, Thailand, and the U.S. using booby-trapped files that exploit CVE-2024-21412 (CVSS score: 8.1). The high-severity

A now-patched security flaw in the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen has been exploited as part of a new campaign designed to deliver information stealers such as ACR Stealer, Lumma, and Meduza. Fortinet FortiGuard Labs said it detected the stealer campaign targeting Spain, Thailand, and the U.S. using booby-trapped files that exploit CVE-2024-21412 (CVSS score: 8.1). The high-severity Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added two security flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerabilities are listed below - CVE-2012-4792 (CVSS score: 9.3) - Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free Vulnerability CVE-2024-39891 (CVSS score: 5.3) - Twilio Authy Information Disclosure

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added two security flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerabilities are listed below - CVE-2012-4792 (CVSS score: 9.3) - Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free Vulnerability CVE-2024-39891 (CVSS score: 5.3) - Twilio Authy Information Disclosure Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

In this case study, Deryck Webb from the Government of Alberta (GoA) explains how Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Nerdio enabled employees to access workspaces from anywhere across the most remote parts of Canada — particularly vital for those involved in critical services, such as wildfire management.

Originally relying on on-premises Citrix and VMware solutions, GoA found Azure Virtual Desktop to be a more robust, cost-effective alternative as part of its Microsoft 365 licensing. By partnering with Nerdio, GoA was able to streamline its Azure Virtual Desktop deployment, providing seamless access and improved user experience for over 3,000 monthly active users.

The intuitive Nerdio platform enabled the GoA team to efficiently manage virtual machines and optimize resource allocation, creating a secure and reliable remote work environment, while Nerdio’s advanced analytics and Auto-scaling features allowed the organization to save up to CAD $36,000 monthly on AVD storage.

Read more about how the Government of Alberta leveraged Nerdio to enable remote work here.

With the evolution of the cloud, cloud services are becoming broadly accessible and are a more viable option to deliver virtual desktops from the cloud. However, many organizations also struggle with the transition to the cloud due to the new skills required and a different approach to infrastructure and operations. Nerdio changes the game by simplifying and enabling efficient and effective operational tooling through automated deployment and configuration features, streamlined setup, and cost-effective running of cloud environments.

Greater visibility of cloud costs

Managing cloud costs effectively is a significant challenge for many organizations. As they transition to cloud-based solutions, they often find their budgets spiraling out of control due to a lack of visibility and understanding of their cloud spend. Without the correct building blocks in place, these companies exceed their cloud budgets and fail to optimize their resources properly, leading to inefficiencies and unnecessary expenses. Nerdio Manager for Enterprise addresses these pain points by providing comprehensive control, confidence, and visibility into cloud spending:

• Sophisticated reporting and real-time analytics: Nerdio’s intuitive dashboard provides insights into overall cloud expenditures and expert guidance on how to achieve additional savings in real time.
• Advanced Auto-scaling: The platform fine-tunes resource allocation, adjusting up or down as needed to ensure that you only pay for the resources you’re actually using. This dynamic scaling capability not only optimizes costs but also ensures that the necessary resources are available when needed.

Based on what we’ve seen across our existing client base, Nerdio Manager’s Auto-scaling can easily save you up to 75% on Azure compute and storage costs.

Simplify management and optimize productivity

Managing and scaling Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) can be a complex and time-consuming task, particularly given the limited native management tools available in Azure. Organizations often struggle with scaling and require a robust solution to deploy at scale with the IT resources you have in-house.

Additionally, companies migrating from Citrix or VMware expect comprehensive management capabilities, which are often lacking in the native Azure platform. This gap necessitates highly skilled technical resources to architect, build, deploy, and manage their AVD environments.

Nerdio Manager for Enterprise simplifies the entire process under one comprehensive management tool. With Nerdio, even IT generalists can build, deploy, and manage Azure Virtual Desktop environments efficiently thanks to these product features:

• Image management: Nerdio automates, manages, and schedules critical but mundane tasks, freeing up IT teams to focus on other essential duties. This automation not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error.
• Rapid deployment: You can deploy Azure Virtual Desktop environments within a few hours or connect to an existing environment in as little as 10 minutes with minimal manual intervention. Nerdio’s intuitive interface streamlines the provisioning of virtual desktops, making the process quick and efficient.

The automation built into Nerdio Manager for Enterprise ensures you can scale and manage your virtual desktop environments effectively in 20% of the time it would normally require.

Secure and protect

Ensuring the security and protection of your Azure Virtual Desktop environment is crucial for business continuity. Downtime can have significant financial repercussions, making robust disaster recovery and security features essential. Nerdio Manager for Enterprise enhances the security and resilience of your Azure Virtual Desktop deployment, providing advanced tools to safeguard your virtual desktop infrastructure:

• Disaster recovery (DR): The dynamic Auto-scaling previously mentioned can also be leveraged for DR. This functionality ensures that your resources can scale up or down in response to demand fluctuations, maintaining operational efficiency and minimizing downtime. By dynamically adjusting resources, Nerdio helps organizations avoid the substantial financial losses associated with prolonged outages.
• Role-based access control (RBAC): The RBAC feature ensures that permissions are tightly managed inside Azure, giving users access only to the resources necessary for their roles, thereby enhancing overall security.
• Secure deployment model: Nerdio Manager for Enterprise is deployed as an Azure application directly in your own subscription. This ensures that sensitive management operations are conducted within the customer’s own controlled and secure Azure infrastructure, further enhancing the security of the AVD environment.

Nerdio offers comprehensive security and protection features, ensuring that your AVD deployment is both resilient and secure while minimizing risks and potential financial losses.

Whether it’s troubleshooting technical issues, optimizing performance, or navigating licensing requirements, Nerdio’s comprehensive suite of tools and features helps IT teams of all sizes maximize their AVD investment while driving operational excellence and fostering a more productive workforce.

Explore Nerdio Manager for Enterprise on your own in our self-guided demo.

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 KB5040525 (OS Build 19045.4717) Preview

Release date: July 23, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) send code caused systems to stop responding during routine tasks, such as file transfers. This issue led to an extended send loop.

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

(Get more info about KB5040525 Preview.)

KB5040427 (OS Builds 19044.4651 and 19045.4651)

Release date: July 9, 2024

This update has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and July 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 you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

(Get more info about KB5040427.)

KB5039299 (OS Build 19045.4598) Preview

Release date: June 25, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which apps’ jump lists on the taskbar sometimes failed, and another in which systems didn’t resume from hibernation after BitLocker was turned off.

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

(Get more info about KB5039299 Preview.)

KB5039211 (OS Builds 19044.4529 and 19045.4529)

Release date: June 11, 2024

This build has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and June 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 KB5039211.)

KB5037849 (OS Build 19045.4474) Preview

Release date: May 29, 2024

This build fixes a variety of bugs, including one in which devices could not authenticate a second Microsoft Entra ID account, and another in which TWAIN drivers stopped responding when used in a virtual environment.

There are four known issues in this update, including one in which Windows devices using more than one monitor might experience desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or have other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows.

(Get more info about KB5037849 Preview.)

KB5037768 (OS Builds 19044.4412 and 19045.4412)

Release date: May 14, 2024

This update fixes a bug that caused VPN connections to fail. In addition, it has a wide variety of security updates. For details, see Microsoft’s Security Update Guide and May 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 four 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 KB5037768.)

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.)

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.”

Finance ministers from the G20 countries are meeting this week in Rio de Janeiro to discuss, among other things, whether a global tax on digital services should be introduced.

Eight of the countries — France, India, Italy, Canada, Spain, Great Britain, Turkey and Austria — have chosen to introduce taxes on their own that primarily affect American technology companies such as Amazon, Apple, and Google.

The US, for its part, has threatened to respond by imposing tariffs on everything from French champagne to Italian handbags, according to Reuters.

With US President Joe Biden announcing over the weekend that he does not intend to run for re-election in November, concerns have grown about whether his successor intends to stick to a possible agreement.

Apple is going for broke with AI smartphones and plans to put its best chip inside its entire range of iPhones and iPads, all to support Apple Intelligence, a tipster has claimed.

While it is important not to read too much into a single, unsourced, unverified claim, and while the real-world implementation of the plan might differ from the speculation, Apple does have everything to play for. 

The shift to AI is real and it is happening

That’s because if it does manage to stake space at the cutting-edge of the AI device replacement wave, it should accelerate its growth in market share. This is why Apple intends to put the soon-to-ship A18 chip inside all iPhones, starting with the iPhone 16 series this fall and next year’s iPhone SE. 

It needs to do so to ensure new devices all support Apple Intelligence, including new features not yet announced. (Apple Intelligence currently requires an A17 Pro chip inside an iPhone to run, or M-series processors inside Macs.)

Apple knows that the future of Apple Intelligence, as with any other product, relies on it delivering great customer experiences. That means it doesn’t want people using its service to have experiences hampered by older devices. The company has previously clarified that the computational power required to run Apple Intelligence on device requires the best-available chip.

Diverting company resources

The company also seems to understand what’s at stake. It already seems to be cancelling some of its R&D projects, (including Apple Car) and scaling back on Apple TV shows to divert dollars into AI research. That represents the importance the company, once thought to lag the industry, now places on the sector and likely echoes the scale at which it is pivoting to build support for AI inside all its products, hardware, software and operating systems.

Apple has been following the road toward AI for many years. Siri was just one facet of that trip, data detectors in iCal/Mail another, while the move to dump Intel in favor of AI-friendly Apple chips replete with their own Neural Engine all help show its embrace of AI has been intentional.

On the back foot (slightly)

What caught Apple by surprise was the speed with which OpenAI’s Chat GPT was adopted. My hunch is the company planned to continue to deploy machine intelligence/AI across its products in an intentional way over a longer time period.

But the success of generative AI (genAI) caused Apple to accelerate its own journey, which means bringing all its products up to speed, not just to cope with what Apple Intelligence will do from iOS 18 on, but what it will be able to achieve in four years’ time. To get to that point, Apple must leapfrog some of its technologies, and the M4-powered iPad Pro (set to be followed by other M4-equipped Macs later this year) can be seen as evidence of that. 

But still with cards to play

The new A18 processor inside the upcoming iPhone range will presumably provide another big leap forward in computational capacity. That’s going to be essential to support Apple’s on-device vision for at least some Apple Intelligence features.

It is also worth noting that the A18 will simply build on the big lead the company still enjoys in terms of chip performance compared to rivals. This competitive edge is one Apple must exploit. AI is a profound and world-changing technology and the hype around AI PC and smartphone sales will not turn out to be entirely meaningless.

This is an inflection point at which new competitors appear, old empires fall, and new problems and opportunities emerge. Apple has lived through such points before. Today, it is leaning into everything it has already done to build a raft on which its survival depends.

Meanwhile, we get faster iPhones.

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In what it called its biggest product update since the company’s founding in 2011, Miro has launched Intelligent Canvas, an AI-driven platform designed to help teams manage their entire innovation lifecycle.

“In many cases, the tools designed to make us faster are actually slowing us down,” Jeff Chow, chief product and technology officer at Miro, said in a July 17 blog introducing the platform. “We blow all our energy figuring out how to work or where to work instead of actually doing work. Teams can’t get on the same page and decision-making is disconnected. Innovation is supposed to feel like a sprint towards a shared goal. The reality is more like death by a thousand cuts.” 

The Intelligent Canvas, he said, should improve the user experience via new AI capabilities, new workflows, interactive experiences, and scalable templates.

AI everywhere

The Intelligent Canvas, powered by Miro AI, features agents known as AI Sidekicks that Miro said provide domain experience when needed, participating on the board like any other team member. The initial set includes Product Leader, Agile Coach, and Product Marketer.

“And we’re not doing this alone,” Chow wrote. “We’re partnering with industry experts like the Product Marketing Alliance, the world’s biggest product marketing community, to harness their specialized knowledge around the craft of launching new products and building marketing campaigns for Miro customers.”

In addition, the core toolbar gives access to generative AI (genAI) features, providing AI prompts to help users create documents, user stories, and diagrams using their work on the canvas by, for example, turning a series of sticky notes with customer feedback into user stories.

A simplified new UI

Miro also announced it has simplified its user interface, adding Spaces to help organize information from multiple boards, as well as third-party documents, in a central hub accessible from any board. 

And to let users focus better when using advanced features, new modes reveal only the essential tools required for the task at hand. The first offering is Diagramming Mode, which Miro said will be available across all plans. More modes are coming soon, though the company did not set a date.

Flexibility

Five intelligent widgets, built with the new Canvas software development kit, are data- and context-aware, and communicate with each other to “speed up certain actions and get teams into the habit of creating on the canvas together.”

The current list includes: dot voting — colored dots that users can place on objects on the board to vote on them; polling, which lets users create polls directly in a board or template; people, which triggers context-sensitive actions when users drag and drop a user avatar on a project component; story points, used to add estimates of resources or timing for a job; and counter, which totals the number of assigned story points to help with capacity planning.

In addition, a dozen intelligent templates bring together AI features, interactivity, and integrations with other tools to allow users to create workflows for functions such as sprint planning, road mapping, product planning, team capacity planning, cloud infrastructure optimization, and more.

With more than 50 new features on the horizon, Chow said Miro is “going to be thoughtful when it comes to rolling them out.” Regular new releases and updates will arrive over the next couple of months, and “we’ll be listening hard to feedback along the way.”