KB5074105: Cumulative update for Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2, January 2026. Startup hangs and missing sign-in options addressed

• The warning shown when you shut down while other users are signed in is no longer cut off at the edge of the Start menu.¹
• The Start menu is less likely to open on the wrong side of the screen when Arabic or Hebrew is the display language and taskbar icons are not centered.²
• For some users, selecting “hide this pane” in the mobile device side panel now leads to the setting to hide the pane.¹⁹

• The restrictions error message that might appear after signing in to multi-app kiosk mode is removed.³
  The message reads, “This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer”.

For: Windows Insider users

• Joining the Windows Insider Program from Settings no longer gets stuck in the cases addressed by this update.⁴
  The affected path is Settings > Windows Update.

For: Users with certain startup apps

• The update addresses cases where Explorer.exe hangs the first time you sign in, which can prevent the taskbar from appearing.⁵
  The issue occurs when certain apps are configured as startup apps.

For: Users upgrading Windows

• The update addresses cases where a valid Windows license migration might fail during an upgrade and require the troubleshooter.⁶
  The described failure occurs when the device cannot register with the Windows Activation server for its digital license.

• Desktop icons no longer unexpectedly move in the cases addressed when you interact with files, such as opening or renaming them.⁷

For: Keyboard users

• The keyboard character-repeat delay labels in Settings are no longer reversed.⁸
  The setting is under Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Keyboard.

For: Users running Windows Terminal from a non-admin account

• The update addresses a case where your PC might stop responding when you try to run Windows Terminal as an administrator from a non-admin account.⁹

For: Windows Sandbox users

• The update addresses an issue that could make Windows Sandbox stop responding during startup and show error 0x800705b4.¹⁰

• The Password icon appears in Sign-in options on the lock screen in cases where it was missing after an earlier update.¹¹
  The issue could follow KB5064081 or a later update.

For: Users of isolated multiuser environments

• The update addresses black-screen issues in isolated multiuser environments, typically after a Windows upgrade.¹²

For: Users with localized custom folder names

• Custom folder names are no longer ignored when you rename folders that use desktop.ini files.¹³
  The LocalizedResourceName setting was ignored.

• The update addresses a system error on certain GPU configurations that can result in a KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE error.¹⁴
  The reported system error is related to dxgmms2.sys.

For: Users installing Windows from an ISO file

• Narrator is less likely to fail to start during Windows installation from an ISO file.¹⁵

• The update addresses a startup hang that could occur when Windows Boot Manager debugging is enabled.¹⁶
  The issue involves kdstub.dll and kdnet.dll.
• The update addresses cases where iSCSI boot might fail with an “Inaccessible Boot Device” error.¹⁷
• The update addresses a compliance issue affecting C Runtime libraries in the Windows Software Development Kit.¹⁸
  BinSkim identified the libraries as non-compliant with the Microsoft SDL.

For: Users with supported Android phones

• You can continue more activities from an Android phone on your PC, including browsing from Vivo Browser and resuming work on files opened in the Microsoft Copilot app.²⁰
  Supported phones for resuming Copilot files are from HONOR, OPPO, Samsung, vivo, or Xiaomi. Files stored only on the phone and unavailable offline are not supported; the corresponding Microsoft 365 app must be installed to open files in it.

For: Musicians and MIDI users

• Windows MIDI Services adds MIDI capabilities and performance improvements for musicians.²¹
  Adds MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0 support, WinMM and WinRT MIDI 1.0 support with built-in translation, shared MIDI ports, custom port names, loopback and app-to-app MIDI, plus bug fixes. The separate App SDK and Tools package enables inbox MIDI 2.0 features.

For: Narrator users

• You can choose which details Narrator speaks about on-screen controls and change their order.²²
  The announcement settings apply throughout the app.

For: Voice Access users

• A redesigned setup helps you download a speech model for your language, choose a microphone, and learn what Voice Access can do.²³

For: Voice Typing users

• Voice Typing lets you adjust how long it waits before acting on a voice command.²⁴
  The setting is named Wait time before acting and can help accommodate different speech patterns.

• Administrators can set how often domain backup keys rotate automatically, strengthening cryptographic security and reducing reliance on older encryption algorithms.²⁵
  Adds management of the Data Protection Application Programming Interface (DPAPI) domain backup key rotation frequency.

• Opening Storage settings now displays a User Account Control prompt.²⁶
  The prompt appears at Settings > System > Storage to help ensure only authorized Windows users can access system files.

For: Copilot+ PC users

• The Settings Agent supports more languages, including German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, and Simplified Chinese.²⁷
  This change is listed under Copilot+ PC experiences.

• Underlying changes help address cases where the lock screen might become unresponsive.²⁸

For: Users browsing network locations

• File Explorer gets underlying changes to improve responsiveness when you navigate network locations.²⁹

For: Version 24H2 devices with the Windows UEFI CA 2023 certificate in the DB

• On eligible version 24H2 devices, the Boot Manager is updated with a newer signed file.³⁰
  Applies to devices that already have the Windows UEFI CA 2023 certificate in the Secure Boot Signature Database (DB). It replaces the 2011-signed bootmgfw.efi with the 2023-signed version. Resetting the DB or turning Secure Boot on or off can cause a “Secure Boot violation”; in those rare cases, Microsoft says to create Secure Boot recovery media.

For: Copilot+ PC users

• The update includes updated Image Search, Content Extraction, Semantic Analysis, and Settings Model components.³¹
  Each component is version 1.2601.1268.0. These AI component updates apply only to Copilot+ PCs and do not install on other Windows PCs or Windows Server.