KB5070311: Cumulative update for Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2, December 2025. File Explorer dark mode refreshed; handheld gaming expands

For: Copilot+ PC users

• Settings search shows more results and adds a scroll bar.¹
  For Copilot+ PCs.
• Recommended settings can show an inline agent option for recently changed settings.²
  For Copilot+ PCs.
• A dialog explains why a setting cannot be changed further and offers a way to adjust it.³
  For Copilot+ PCs.

For: Copilot+ PC users

• The context menu has a simpler design for common actions such as copying, saving, sharing, and opening.⁴
  Functionality varies by device and market.
• The context menu opens automatically when a large image or table appears on screen.⁵
  Functionality varies by device and market.

For: Devices with a supported additional camera

• Windows Studio Effects can be used with another connected camera, such as a USB webcam or rear laptop camera.⁶
  Turn on Use Windows Studio Effects in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras > Advanced camera options.

• The File Explorer search box now highlights the updated Windows Search experience.⁷
• File Explorer Home hover actions for faster file management are now available to enterprise customers.⁸
  This feature was previously released in KB5067036.
• File Explorer has a more consistent dark mode for dialogs, progress bars, charts, and error messages.¹¹
  The changes cover copy, move, delete, skip, override, and file-selection dialogs, in both default and expanded views.
• A simpler context menu groups common actions such as Share, Copy, and Move.¹²
  This change initially reaches a small group of devices while Microsoft evaluates the approach.
• The Recommended section makes frequently used or recently downloaded files easier to find.¹³
  Turn on Show Recommended in File Explorer > Options. The section is available to users signed in with personal Microsoft accounts as well.

• You can turn virtual workspaces on or off in Advanced Settings.⁹
  Virtual Workspaces control virtual environments such as Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox. Find the setting in Settings > Systems > Advanced.

• The desktop background menu now offers options to learn about the background or move to the next one.¹⁰
  These options appear when Windows Spotlight is set as the desktop background.

For: Supported Windows handheld devices

• More Windows handheld devices can use an Xbox full-screen experience for gaming.¹⁴
  Set Xbox as the home app in Settings > Gaming > Full screen experience. Open it from Task View or Game Bar, or set the handheld to start in this mode.

For: Users with pens that support haptic feedback

• Supported pens now give small vibrations when you interact with parts of Windows, such as window controls.¹⁵
  Pens must support haptic feedback.

For: Users of Arabic 101, Arabic 102, or Arabic 102 AZERTY

• Arabic keyboard layouts add access to extra symbols, including the Saudi Riyal symbol.¹⁶
  AltGr is enabled for Arabic 101; Arabic 102 and Arabic 102 AZERTY are updated similarly. The Saudi Riyal symbol is AltGr+S on Arabic 101 and is also available on the touch keyboard symbols page and expressive input panels currency tab.

• Settings lets you add and manage mobile devices, including connected cameras and access to device files.¹⁷
  Find the controls under Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile Devices.

• Settings shows the new OneDrive icon on the Accounts homepage.¹⁸
  Find it in Settings > Accounts > Homepage.

For: Devices with both recovery settings enabled

• Quick Machine Recovery can scan once for a fix and point you to recovery options if none is available.¹⁹
  The one-time scan runs when both quick machine recovery and automatically check for solutions are turned on.

• Keyboard repeat and cursor blink settings have moved from Control Panel to Settings.²⁰
  Find character repeat delay and rate in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, and cursor blink rate in Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor.
• The About page groups device details and related options, with quicker access to settings such as Storage.²¹

• You can share an open app window with Copilot from the taskbar.²²
  Hover over an open app icon and select Share with Copilot. Copilot Vision analyzes the shared app content.

• The drag tray supports sharing several files, shows more relevant apps, and makes it easier to move files to a folder.²³
  This feature is gradually rolling out. It might not be available on all devices, and availability varies by device and market.
• You can turn the drag tray on or off in Settings.²⁴
  Find the setting in Settings > System > Nearby sharing. The feature is gradually rolling out and might not be available on all devices.
• You can share OneDrive files through other apps.²⁵
  Choose Copy link, then use the options under Share using. You must be signed in to a Microsoft account. Availability depends on device and market; the feature is not available in the European Economic Area.

• Video thumbnails appear more reliably when files contain certain metadata.²⁶
  Fixes cases where File Explorer might not show thumbnails for video files containing certain EXIF metadata.
• A toolbar no longer appears unexpectedly in File Explorer.²⁷
• The file's default app icon appears next to Open when you right-click a file.²⁸
  Fixes the generic icon that might appear instead of the default app icon.

• Settings no longer gets stuck when you open Network & Internet.²⁹
• The Settings search bar no longer overlaps the title bar buttons.³⁰
  The affected buttons are the minimum and maximum buttons.
• Settings no longer closes unexpectedly when opening some privacy and device-permission pages.⁴²
  Addresses unexpected closures on Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, Camera, or Location after recent updates.

• The taskbar's auto-hide setting no longer turns off unexpectedly.³¹
  The issue could follow a message saying that a toolbar is already hidden on that side of the screen.
• Voice access can interact with taskbar items more reliably.³²
  Fixes cases where calling out a number might not select that taskbar item.
• Taskbar icons no longer shrink when there is still enough room for them.³³

• Some all-in-one PCs keep the chosen brightness instead of reverting to the old setting.³⁴
  Fixes brightness slider behavior when interacting with it.
• Supported graphics cards no longer trigger an unsupported graphics card message in some games.³⁵
  Fixes the Unsupported graphics card detected message appearing with a supported graphics card.

• The first sign-in to a new account is no longer very slow.³⁶
• The lock-screen slideshow no longer causes a memory leak.³⁷
  Memory leaks can cause performance or reliability problems over time.

For: Users signing in with ECC smart cards

• Sign-in with an ECC smart card no longer unexpectedly shows an error.³⁸
  Fixes STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED (0xc00000bb) during ECC Smart Card Logon Credential sign-in.

• The taskbar is less likely to stop responding after certain notifications.³⁹
  Fixes cases where explorer.exe might stop responding after certain notifications.

• File Explorer can search some SMB network shares that it might have missed.⁴⁰
  Fixes a search issue affecting certain Server Message Block (SMB) shares after recent updates.

• The Local Security Authority service is less likely to become unstable.⁴¹
  Addresses an access violation that could make the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) unstable.

• Supported keyboards show their keys more clearly in low light and adjust backlighting to save power.⁴³
  Applies to supported HID-compliant keyboards.

For: Users with very high-resolution monitors

• Apps can check a monitor's supported display modes with less risk of a brief stutter on very high-resolution screens.⁴⁴
  Improves performance when apps query monitors for their full list of supported modes.

• References to Game Pass in Settings now reflect its updated name and benefits.⁴⁵

• On devices with the new Start menu, the Windows Search panel now matches its size.⁴⁶
  The change aims to create a smoother transition when searching.

For: Windows on Arm devices

• Windows on Arm can now emulate more apps that use advanced processor instructions.⁴⁷
  Emulation now supports AVX and AVX2, and related extensions BMI, FMA, and F16C.

For: Copilot+ PC users

• The update refreshes four AI components on Copilot+ PCs.⁴⁸
  Image Search, Content Extraction, Semantic Analysis, and Settings Model are updated to version 1.2511.1196.0. These components apply only to Windows Copilot+ PCs.

• The update improves the part of Windows that installs updates.⁴⁹
  Includes servicing stack update KB5071142, build 26100.7295.