KB5036980: Cumulative update for Windows 11, version 23H2, April 2024. Start menu recommendations expand; Widgets get clearer icons

• The Japanese 106 keyboard layout appears as expected when you sign in.¹

• Settings no longer stops responding when you dismiss a flyout menu.²

• The netstat -c command can perform effective troubleshooting for port exhaustion.³
  Addresses an issue that prevented netstat -c from performing effective port exhaustion troubleshooting.
• Data speeds on low-latency networks no longer degrade significantly when TCP connection timestamps are enabled.⁴
  Addresses a low-latency network issue that occurs when timestamps are enabled for a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection.
• Container networking no longer returns an incorrect subnet identifier for external ports.⁹
  Addresses an issue where the container networking Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) returns the wrong Virtual Subnet ID (VSID) for external ports.
• High memory use and problems deploying or scaling services and pods are addressed.¹⁰
  Addresses a memory allocation issue in the Host Networking Service (HNS) that causes high memory consumption and affects service and pod deployment and scaling.

• A machine is less likely to fail to start when its bootloader is set up to start multiple operating systems.⁵
  Addresses a race condition that might stop a machine from starting up in a multi-OS bootloader setup.

• A memory leak affecting some devices is addressed.⁶
  Addresses a memory leak in an accelerator backing store management path.

For: devices using WSL2 with split DNS

• Intermittent name resolution failures are addressed in split DNS setups.⁷
  Addresses intermittent name resolution failures in Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) with split DNS.

• The system no longer creates duplicate print queues for universal printers.⁸

For: devices where users elevate to Administrator

• An app can run after a standard user elevates to Administrator using a PIN to sign in.¹¹
  Addresses an issue that prevented an application from running when a user elevated to Administrator and used a PIN to sign in.

For: devices using HVCI

• Hypervisor-protected code integrity accepts drivers that are now compatible.¹²
  Addresses an issue affecting hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI) driver acceptance.

• A way to bypass Protected Process Light protections is addressed.¹³
  Addresses an issue that could bypass Protected Process Light (PPL) protections.

For: PCs that support A2DP hardware offload

• Some PCs no longer encounter a stop error with Bluetooth audio hardware offload.¹⁴
  Addresses a stop error on PCs that support Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) hardware offload.

For: devices using DTC

• A memory leak is addressed when transaction mappings are retrieved.¹⁵
  Addresses a memory leak in the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) when it retrieves mappings.

For: devices using Windows LAPS

• Post-authentication actions run at the end of the grace period instead of waiting until restart.¹⁶
  Addresses an issue where Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) Post Authentication Actions (PAA) ran at restart rather than at the end of the grace period.

For: devices using ReFS

• Under high load, the system is less likely to become unresponsive, and sign-in is less likely to be slow.¹⁷
  Addresses an issue affecting the Resilient File System (ReFS) under high load.

• Widgets icons on the taskbar are no longer pixelated or fuzzy.¹⁸
• Widgets on the lock screen become more reliable, with improved quality, more visuals, and more ways to customize the experience.¹⁹

• Some hardware setups use memory more efficiently, with less overcommitment.²⁰
  Improves memory granularity for media allocations on some hardware setups, lowering overcommitment and improving performance efficiency.

For: devices using some mobile operators

• Mobile operator settings are brought up to date for some operators.²¹
  Updates Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles for some mobile operators.

• The vulnerable driver blocklist receives its quarterly update, adding drivers at risk of being used in attacks.²²
  Updates DriverSiPolicy.p7b with quarterly changes, adding drivers at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.

• The component that installs Windows updates receives quality improvements to help devices receive and install updates reliably.²³
  The package includes servicing stack update (SSU) versions 22621.3522 and 22631.3522.

• The Recommended section can show some Microsoft Store apps from a small group of curated developers.²⁴
  You can turn this off in Settings > Personalization > Start by disabling Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.
• Over the coming weeks, frequently used apps that are not already pinned to Start or the taskbar might appear in Recommended.²⁵

• A larger set of animated Widgets icons starts rolling out.²⁶

• Administrators can use a new policy to turn off screen recording in Snipping Tool.²⁷
  Adds the mobile device management (MDM) policy AllowScreenRecorder.

• Administrators can add and deploy Arm64 MSI files using Group Policy.²⁸
  Adds support for Arm64 .msi files through the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and Group Policy Objects (GPOs).