KB5052093: Cumulative update for Windows 11, version 24H2, February 2025. Taskbar sharing arrives as File Explorer and audio fixes roll out

• Task Manager no longer mistakes some hard drives for solid-state drives.¹
  Fixes incorrect drive type identification for HDDs as SSDs.

• Entering a web address in File Explorer's address bar opens the location.²
  Fixes cases where entering a URL in the address bar did not navigate to the location.
• The address bar no longer covers files in full-screen mode.³
  Fixes address bar overlap when using F11 full-screen mode.
• The menu opens faster when you right-click cloud files.⁴
  Fixes slow context menu opening for cloud files.

For: Users with mixed dark and light custom mode

• The account menu shows the right colors with a mix of dark and light custom colors.⁵
  Fixes incorrect colors in the account manager flyout when Settings > Personalization > Colors uses a mixed dark and light custom mode.

For: Users with scanners

• Apps can recognize a connected scanner.⁶
  Fixes cases where apps did not recognize that a connected scanner was available.

• The volume no longer jumps to 100% when the PC wakes from sleep.⁷
• The mute and unmute sound no longer repeats several times.⁸
• A USB audio device is less likely to stop working after the PC sits idle.⁹
  Fixes cases where a USB audio device stopped working after the PC was idle for a short time.

For: Apps that use GDI+

• Shrinking an image no longer causes its colors to change incorrectly.¹⁰
  Fixes incorrect image colors after using GDI+ to shrink an image.

For: Shared PC users with Guest accounts

• Guest sign-in works on Shared PCs with DeviceLock password policies.¹¹
  Fixes guest sign-in failures on a PC in Shared PC mode when DeviceLock password policies are set.

• A custom mouse color stays selected after a security prompt appears.¹²
  Fixes the mouse pointer color reverting to white after a User Account Control dialog appears.

• The live captions window appears after you disconnect an external monitor.¹³

For: Hyper-V users

• Hyper-V Quick Create no longer shows an error about loading a file or assembly.¹⁴
  Fixes the error "Could not load file or assembly Newtonsoft.Json" in Hyper-V Quick Create.

• The OpenSSH service starts again, allowing SSH connections without manually starting the process.¹⁵
  Fixes the service failing to start, which stopped SSH connections and had no detailed logging; users had to run sshd.exe manually.

For: Windows Server 2025 users

• The Get Help app opens on Windows Server 2025.¹⁶

• Settings no longer stops responding with a memory error when opened.¹⁷
  Fixes the reported memory read error when opening Settings; impacted devices might also show a similar error with RuntimeBroker.exe.

For: Remote Desktop users

• Remote Desktop displays correctly when connecting to some PCs.¹⁸
  Fixes display rendering issues when connecting to certain PCs.
• Remote Desktop no longer stops responding.¹⁹

• Dragging files, emails, or attachments moves them correctly in some apps and monitor setups.²⁰
  Fixes drag-and-drop failures on high-DPI displays with apps using legacy DPI scaling modes.

• You can share files from an app's jump list on the taskbar.²¹
  Right-click an app with a jump list to access the file-sharing option.

• Hover over the desktop background or select its picture icon to learn more about the image.²²

For: Narrator users

• Narrator scan mode can jump to the start or end of an item, such as a long list.²³
  In scan mode, press the comma key to jump to an item's start and the period key to jump to its end. Turn on Narrator with Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter, then turn on scan mode with Caps Lock + Spacebar.

• Some eligible Game Pass subscribers see a referral card on the Settings home page.²⁴
  The card lets eligible users invite friends and family to try PC Game Pass. It appears only when signed in with a Microsoft account.

For: Users not backing up their files and folders

• You can snooze or turn off the Start backup reminder if you are not already backing up your files and folders.²⁵
  Right-click Start backup in the address bar to see the option.

For: HTML Help Viewer users

• The HTML Help Viewer supports text scaling.²⁶

• Multiple apps can access the camera stream at the same time.²⁷
  Multi-app camera supports video streaming for a sign language interpreter and the audience at the same time.
• A basic camera mode provides another way to test a camera that is not working correctly.²⁸
  Basic camera functionality is intended for improved debugging and is recommended as a last resort.

• The Windows Spotlight icon is easier to find on the desktop.²⁹
  The icon's color and background change, and it appears in the lower-right area of the desktop.

• The Like button makes it easier to learn more about the lock screen image.³⁰

• Folders with many media files load faster.³¹
  Improves performance when loading folders that contain many media files.
• Thumbnails for cloud files appear more consistently in search results.³²

For: Devices using Paraguay time settings

• The update supports daylight saving time changes in Paraguay.³³

For: Windows devices receiving this update

• The component that installs Windows updates receives quality improvements.³⁴
  The package includes servicing stack update KB5052915, version 26100.3321.