KB5127653: Cumulative update for Windows 11, version 26H1, October 2026. DPAPI prompt warning and new touchpad gestures

• The preview pane lets you choose to preview downloaded HTML files. Other files, such as PDFs, preview automatically.¹
  For HTML files, the preview pane adds a Preview anyway button to acknowledge the warning.
• File Explorer Home remembers which sections you expanded or collapsed.²
• Cloud file thumbnails are more reliable in the Details pane. File properties are also easier to find.³
  The Details pane is reorganized, and thumbnail preview reliability for cloud files is improved.

• Emoji support adds Emoji 17.0, including a distorted face, fight cloud, and hairy creature.⁴
  Open the emoji panel with the Windows key + Period (.).

• A Tips widget offers short guidance about Windows features. You can add it to the Widgets board or lock screen.⁵
  Add it from Add widgets on the Widgets board, or from Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.

• You can use DIB image files as desktop backgrounds.⁶
  Adds support for DIB image files as desktop backgrounds.
• Slideshow wallpapers can now be used with multiple desktops without switching back to Picture.⁷
  Adds support for using slideshow wallpapers with multiple desktops.

For: Users who prefer maximized app windows

• A new setting can open apps maximized for a full-screen workspace.⁸
  Turn on Open apps maximized in Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects. The setting applies when apps open.

For: Magnifier users

• Magnifier gets a refreshed taskbar toolbar.⁹
  Introduces a modernized visual refresh to the Magnifier taskbar.

For: Precision touchpad users

• Precision touchpads support vertical scrolling with one finger from either side of the pad.¹⁰
  Enable Single-finger scrolling in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.
• You can keep scrolling without lifting your fingers by moving them near the touchpad edge.¹¹
  The Automatic scrolling gesture is available in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.

For: Devices with a Copilot key

• You can remap the Copilot key to act as Right Ctrl or Context Menu.¹²
  Adds a Windows 11 setting to remap the Copilot key, preserving familiar shortcuts and accessibility workflows.

For: Eligible OneDrive users

• Eligible users can back up Camera roll photos to OneDrive through Settings and set it up with a phone.¹³
  Start setup from Settings Home or Accounts, then use a QR code on the mobile phone. Availability may depend on device or market.

For: Users of Garay or Beria Erfe scripts

• The Ebrima font adds support for Garay and Beria Erfe scripts.¹⁴
  Garay was encoded in Unicode 16.0 and Beria Erfe in Unicode 17.0.

For: Windows Security users and IT administrators

• You can turn on Administrator protection from Windows Security. The setting is rolling out gradually and needs a restart when enabled.¹⁵
  The new toggle is in Windows Security > Account protection. IT admins could already enable Administrator protection. Availability will expand over the coming months.

• Windows recovery can reuse saved Wi-Fi profiles to get online without preconfigured Wi-Fi details.¹⁶
  WinRE can reuse eligible profiles, including supported certificate-based networks, during quick machine recovery or cloud rebuild. The capability is on by default; IT admins can disable it.
• A recovery remote management plug-in extends WinRE management for mobile device management providers.¹⁷
  Adds a recovery remote management plug-in for extending WinRE management capabilities for MDM providers.

For: People setting up a new device from a backup

• After restoring a backup to a new device, a summary shows which settings and Microsoft Store apps were restored.¹⁸
  The Restore Summary appears after restoring a backup profile to a new device.

For: Users and app developers using prompt-based DPAPI

• A warning says prompt-based data protection will be retired in April 2027. Apps and users that rely on it should stop creating new protected data and migrate existing data before then.¹⁹
  The warning applies to prompt-based protect and unprotect operations only. Use a supported non-interactive protection flow; operations that do not use the prompt-based flow are not affected.

For: Windows 11 users with Microsoft Edge version 150 or later

• Microsoft Edge opens faster and more consistently, especially when the device is busy. Edge version 150 or later is required.²⁰
  Available on Windows 11 versions 25H2, 26H2, and 26H1. Accelerated App Launch streamlines launches when Edge is already running in the background.

For: IT administrators managing Enterprise or Education multi-session devices

• IT administrators can use app removal policies for supported built-in apps in multi-session environments.²¹
  Policy-based in-box app removal now supports Windows 11 Enterprise and Education multi-session devices.

• British Columbia and Alberta get permanent daylight saving time support starting in November 2026.²²
  Enables permanent DST support for British Columbia and Alberta starting in November 2026. The page links to additional guidance for managing this change in Outlook and other Microsoft products.
• A Manitoba time zone is available: UTC-05:00 Manitoba.²³
  Introduces Manitoba Standard Time, (UTC-05:00) Manitoba.

• Several existing emoji have updated designs, including the saluting face, goose, and lotus.²⁴
  The designs are refined for better consistency across platforms.

• The Background page in Settings works more reliably.²⁵
  Improves the reliability of Personalization > Background in Settings.
• Desktop slideshows work more reliably on newly created accounts.²⁶
  Improves reliability of desktop slideshow transitions on newly created accounts.
• Background previews show more detail when you choose a desktop background.²⁷
  Improves resolution of previews in Personalization > Background.
• Background previews in Settings display better on portrait monitors.²⁸
  Improves desktop background preview display in Settings for users with portrait mode monitors.
• Desktop wallpaper changes work more reliably when made one after another quickly.²⁹
  Improves reliability of processing desktop wallpaper changes that happen in quick succession.

• During a voice call, changing a Bluetooth accessory's volume shows the new level on screen.³⁰
  The Windows shell volume flyout appears when volume changes through controls on a Bluetooth Classic Audio accessory.
• Windows shows a more accurate connection status for accessories that have disconnected.³¹
  Improves the accuracy of the connection state displayed by Windows for disconnected accessories.
• The Bluetooth and devices page in Settings is more stable when managing Bluetooth and audio devices.³²
  Improves stability of the Bluetooth and devices page in Settings.
• Bluetooth audio is more stable and works with more devices.³³
  Improves Bluetooth audio stability and compatibility.
• Microphones work with more Bluetooth Classic audio accessories.³⁴
  Improves microphone compatibility with certain Bluetooth Classic audio accessories.
• LE Audio accessories work more reliably and perform better.³⁵
  Improves reliability and performance with LE Audio accessories.
• Shared audio works more reliably.³⁶
  Improves the reliability of shared audio.

For: Users of keyboard, gamepad, or Narrator

• The Bluetooth quick settings page is easier to navigate with a keyboard, gamepad, or Narrator.³⁷
  Improves navigation of the Bluetooth quick settings page using keyboard input, gamepad input, or Narrator.

For: Magnifier users

• Magnifier's toolbar icons now match the Windows 11 design.³⁸
  Updates toolbar icons to align with Windows 11 visual design.
• The Magnifier toolbar has adjusted spacing and padding.³⁹
  Refines spacing and padding across the toolbar.

• Settings works more reliably when you use the Printers & Scanners page.⁴⁰
  Improves reliability when interacting with Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners.
• Installed apps shows version numbers for packaged apps at the top level.⁴¹
  Updates Settings > Apps > Installed apps to show packaged app version numbers at the top level.
• Time pickers follow your chosen 12-hour or 24-hour format.⁴²
  Applies in places such as active hours and night light scheduling.

For: Adlam script users

• Adlam characters in Ebrima have updated designs for better consistency.⁴³
  Refines Adlam glyph designs to align with the current Unicode standard.

For: Some plugged-in laptop users

• Some plugged-in laptops show better power information and performance when they incorrectly appear to switch to battery power.⁴⁴
  Improves display and performance in certain scenarios where a plugged-in laptop incorrectly detects a transition from AC power to battery power.

For: Windows PowerShell users

• Windows PowerShell and its ISE now include version 5.1 in their names. Some existing Start menu shortcuts might keep their old names.⁴⁵
  Adds version 5.1 to the names of Windows PowerShell and Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE).

For: Devices using BitLocker pre-boot PIN

• BitLocker handles repeated pre-boot PIN attempts more safely to prevent lockouts and recovery.⁴⁶
  Improves pre-boot PIN retry handling to prevent unintended repeated submissions from causing TPM dictionary-attack lockout and recovery.

For: Copilot+ PC users

• Four AI components are updated. These updates apply only to Copilot+ PCs.⁴⁷
  Image Search, Content Extraction, Semantic Analysis, and Settings Model are updated to version 1.2610.1071.0. They will not install on other Windows client PCs or Windows Server.

• The address bar no longer loses its text when you click near its right side to edit it.⁴⁸
  Addresses an issue that could clear address bar contents when entering edit mode by clicking near the right side.

• The Bluetooth settings toggle no longer appears on when the Bluetooth radio is off.⁴⁹
  Resolves a mismatch between the radio state and its control toggle in the Bluetooth and devices page.
• Streaming Bluetooth audio no longer causes a crash with error code 0x139.⁵⁰
  Resolves an issue that could result in a crash (error code 0x139) while streaming Bluetooth audio.

For: Users of camera settings

• The setting that lets multiple apps use a camera at once is more likely to stay as you set it.⁵¹
  Improves persistence of Allow multiple apps to use camera at the same time in Camera settings.

• Non-admin users can connect to remote devices with Administrator protection enabled instead of seeing error 0xC000000D.⁵²
  Resolves the Remote Desktop failure described in the Windows release health status. The issue primarily affected enterprise-managed remote devices used as hosts with Administrator protection enabled.
• The trusted .rdp publisher certificate policy can now be configured through Microsoft Intune.⁵³
  Addresses an issue preventing the Specify thumbprints of certificates representing trusted .rdp publishers policy from being configured through Microsoft Intune.

For: Devices using Always On VPN with automatic protocol selection or fallback

• Always On VPN connections work again after the September security update when protocol selection or fallback is configured.⁵⁴
  Fixes connections that could remain stuck in Connecting or fail after an initial attempt. Later attempts could show “The specified port is already in use.”

For: Devices using the CIM method

• A device is less likely to fail to start after using the PS_UpdateAndCompareCIPolicy method.⁵⁵
  Addresses an issue that could prevent a device from starting after use of the PS_UpdateAndCompareCIPolicy CIM method.

• HDMI and DisplayPort audio playback works again on certain AMD graphics cards.⁵⁶
  Fixes an issue where HDMI and DisplayPort audio playback might fail on certain AMD graphics cards.

For: Devices using a non-Microsoft CNG key storage provider

• TPM attestation certificate enrollment no longer stops responding in the described non-Microsoft provider cases.⁵⁷
  Addresses enrollment stopping when a non-Microsoft CNG key storage provider reports a malformed algorithm name or faults during provider enumeration.

For: WSL2 users with AMD processors

• Nested virtualization is available in WSL2 on devices with AMD processors.⁵⁸
  Fixes an issue where nested virtualization might not be available in Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2 (WSL2) on devices with AMD processors.