Applies ToWindows 11 version 22H2, all editions Windows 11 version 23H2, all editions

Release Date:

12/4/2023

Version:

OS Builds 22621.2792 and 22631.2792

UPDATED 2/27/24 IMPORTANT: New dates for the end of non-security updates for Windows 11, version 22H2

The new end date is June 24, 2025 for Windows 11, version 22H2 Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise multi-session editions. Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions of version 22H2 will receive non-security preview updates until June, 26, 2024. 

After these dates, only cumulative monthly security updates will continue for the supported editions of Windows 11, version 22H2. The initial date communicated for this change was February 27, 2024. Based on user feedback, this date has been changed so more customers can take advantage of our continuous innovations.

11/16/23 IMPORTANT Because of minimal operations during the Western holidays and the upcoming new year, there won’t be a non-security preview release for the month of December 2023. There will be a monthly security release for December 2023. Normal monthly servicing for both security and non-security preview releases will resume in January 2024.

For information about Windows update terminology, see the article about the types of Windows updates and the monthly quality update types. For an overview of Windows 11, version 23H2, see its update history page.  

Note Follow @WindowsUpdate to find out when new content is published to the Windows release health dashboard.      

Highlights

  • New! You can use Copilot in Windows (in preview) across multiple displays. Press the Copilot in Windows taskbar button on the taskbar of the display where you want Copilot in Windows to appear. To show Copilot in Windows on the last display that it was on, press Win+C. If you use a keyboard, press Win+T to put the keyboard focus on the taskbar. Then go to the Copilot in Windows button to open it on any display. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow.

  • New! You can use Copilot in Windows (in preview) with Alt+Tab. When you press Alt+Tab, the thumbnail preview for Copilot in Windows appears among other thumbnail previews of open windows. You can switch between them using the Tab keystroke. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow.

  • New! In the coming weeks, you might see Windows Spotlight set as the default background. This might occur when your background is set to an inbox Windows image.

  • New! This update starts the roll out of account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts in Settings >Home. A Microsoft account connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you to manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature displays notifications across the Start menu and Settings. You can manage Settings notifications in Settings > Privacy & security > General.

  • This update improves how fast Copilot in Windows (in preview) opens from the taskbar.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Copilot in Windows (in preview) icon on the taskbar. It does not show as active when Copilot in Windows is open.

  • This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs if you press the left arrow key when an empty text box has the focus and caret (cursor) browsing is on.

  • This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs when you have multiple IE mode tabs open.

  • This update affects Dynamic Lighting. It reduces the amount of power it uses on your device.

  • This update addresses an issue that might affect the cursor when you type in Japanese. The cursor might move to an unexpected place.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects the cursor. Its movement lags in some screen capture scenarios. This is especially true when you are using the remote desktop protocol (RDP).

  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Widgets notification badge. It is in the wrong position on the taskbar.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. When you press Shift + F10, the shortcut (context) menu does not open.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. When you do not expect them, they appear in the foreground.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. The options in the left pane show the wrong state.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects apps that you download from Microsoft Store. They stop responding and will not update.

  • This update affects the shortcut (context) menu. Its performance is now better when you open it on the desktop and in File Explorer.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. It fails to open on the Setup screen when you install Windows.

Improvements

Note: To view the list of addressed issues, click or tap the OS name to expand the collapsible section.

Important: Use EKB KB5027397 to update to Windows 11, version 23H2.

  • This non-security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:

  • This build includes all the improvements in Windows 11, version 22H2.

  • No additional issues are documented for this release.

This non-security update includes quality improvements. When you install this KB:

  • This update addresses an issue that affects .RAR files. They display as if they are empty in File Explorer.

  • This update affects the Netherlands time zone. It adds the recent man-made landmass outside of Rotterdam to the shape files.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Trusted Sites Zone logon policy. You cannot manage it using mobile device management (MDM).

  • This update addresses an issue that affects IE mode. A webpage stops working as expected when there is an open modal dialog.

  • This update addresses app cursor issues. The cursor changes from a hand to a cursor when it should not, or the cursor disappears. These issues occur when apps use the WebView2Standalone XAML control.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects remote direct memory access (RDMA) performance counters. They did not return networking data on VMs in the right way.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects 32-bit GDI based applications. They stop responding. This occurs when they run on 64-bit Windows OSs that use more than 2 GB of memory.

  • This update addresses an issue that might affect Microsoft OneNote. When you use a pen right-click to open it, that might fail.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) decoder. It does not work well on some websites that set the wrong input sampling rate.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects hardware that uses the PresentAt feature. Power use grows when you play a video in full screen.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects the Systems Settings application. It stops responding after you turn off Device Encryption.

  • This update affects Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). It enables Conditional Access (CA) scenarios.

  • This update addresses an issue that stops you from reconnecting to an existing Remote Desktop session. Instead, you get a new one.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects Windows LAPS. Its PasswordExpirationProtectionEnabled policy fails to turn on the setting.

  • This update addresses a leak in volatile notifications. This might stop you from signing in to your machine.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Sandbox. If the locale of your machine is not US English, File Explorer stops responding..

  • This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Desktop web authentication. This issue might stop you from connecting to sovereign cloud endpoints.

  • This update addresses an issue that affects certain PCs. It stops them from downloading speech recognition packages.

If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.

Windows 11 servicing stack update - 22621.2567 and 22631.2567

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates. 

Applies to

Symptom

Workaround

IT admins

Using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the "Require Device Encryption" setting for some devices in your environment. Affected environments are those with the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or "Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives" policies set to enabled and selecting either "full encryption" or "used space only". Microsoft Intune is affected by this issue but third-party MDMs might also pe affected.

Important This issue is a reporting issue only and does not affect drive encryption or the reporting of other issues on the device, including other BitLocker issues.

This issue is addressed in KB5034204.

All users

Windows devices using more than one (1) monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows (in preview).

This issue is addressed on the service-side for Windows 11, versions 22H2 and 23H2 on devices with updates released January 9, 2024, or later.

Note Managed devices in your environment that have been used or are currently being used in a multimonitor configuration will not yet have Copilot for Windows available.

All users

The color font format for COLRv1 does not render properly. This format enables Windows to display emoji with a 3D-like appearance. 

This issue is addressed in KB5034204.

All users

When using physical media or disc images (ISO) to install Windows 11, version 23H2 (also referred to as the Windows 11 2023 Update) on a device, Microsoft Narrator might not start.

Narrator is commonly initialized using keyboard commands, such as Ctrl + Windows key + Enter. Although Narrator is present in Windows when the installation process begins, it might open in an unresponsive state when initialized using any method.

Please note this issue does not occur when Windows 11, version 23H2 is installed using Windows Update on a device which is already running Windows 10 or Windows 11. This issue only occurs when physical media or ISOs are used for this installation and Narrator is only affected while the installation process is taking place. It should continue to work as expected once the installation is completed.

This issue is addressed in KB5033375.

Starting December 19, 2023, a new file is available to create an installation media to update to Windows 11, version 23H2. The new media does not encounter this issue and contains the December 2023 security update. It is available for download at the Software Download page for Windows 11 in the section “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices.” Guidance on installation can also be found at this site.

IT administrators and users also have the option to sign in to their subscription on the Visual Studio Subscriptions portal to download the new media. You can also access the new media on the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) starting December 21, 2023.

All users

Microsoft has received reports of an issue in which some Wi-Fi adapters might not connect to some networks after installing this update. We have confirmed this issue was caused by this update and KB5033375. As reported, you are more likely to be affected by this issue if you are attempting to connect to an enterprise, education, or public Wi-Fi network using 802.1x authentication. This issue is not likely to occur on home networks.

This issue is addressed in KB5034123. If you cannot install this update, see the instructions below.

This issue is addressed using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). Please note that it might take up to 24 hours for the KIR to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices. Restarting your Windows device might help the KIR apply to your device faster.

For enterprise-managed devices that have installed an affected update and encountered this issue, it can be addressed by installing and configuring a special Group Policy. The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > <Group Policy name listed below>

For information on deploying and configuring these special Group Policy, please see How to use Group Policy to deploy a Known Issue Rollback.

Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name:

Important You will need to install and configure the Group Policy for your version of Windows to resolve this issue. You will also need to restart your device(s) to apply the group policy setting.

How to get this update

Before installing this update

Microsoft combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for your operating system with the latest cumulative update (LCU). For general information about SSUs, see Servicing stack updates and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.

Install this update

Release Channel

Available

Next Step

Windows Update or Microsoft Update

Yes

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. In the Optional updates available area, you’ll find the link to download and install the update.

Windows Update for Business

No

None. These changes will be included in the next security update to this channel.

Microsoft Update Catalog

Yes

To get the standalone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)

No

You can import this update into WSUS manually. See the Microsoft Update Catalog for instructions.

If you want to remove the LCU

To remove the LCU after installing the combined SSU and LCU package, use the DISM/Remove-Package command line option with the LCU package name as the argument. You can find the package name by using this command: DISM /online /get-packages.

Running Windows Update Standalone Installer (wusa.exe) with the /uninstall switch on the combined package will not work because the combined package contains the SSU. You cannot remove the SSU from the system after installation.

File information

For a list of the files that are provided in this update, download the file information for cumulative update 5032288.  

For a list of the files that are provided in the servicing stack update, download the file information for the SSU - versions 22621.2567 and 22631.2567. 

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