Windows 11 KB5079473 & KB5078883 cumulative updates released

Source: Bleeping Computer

Update overview

Microsoft has released the KB5079473 and KB5078883 cumulative updates for Windows 11 25H2/24H2 and 23H2. These updates:

• Fix security vulnerabilities (the March 2026 Patch Tuesday patches)
• Resolve bugs
• Add a few new features

The updates are mandatory because they contain the latest security patches.

How to install

1. Open Start → Settings → Windows Update.
2. Click Check for updates and let Windows download and install the updates automatically.

Manual download (optional)

You can also download the updates directly from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

What’s included?

• This is the third Patch Tuesday release of 2026.
• The update is based on the 24H2 codebase, so the same package applies to both 24H2 and 25H2.
• No exclusive or special changes are present; both versions receive identical fixes.

What’s new in the March 2026 Patch Tuesday update

After installing today’s security updates, Windows 11 25H2 (KB5079473) will have its build number changed to 26200.8037 (25H2) and 26100.8037 (24H2). Windows 11 23H2 (KB5078883) will be changed to 22631.6783.

Microsoft says this update includes additional high‑confidence device‑targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. This means more devices should get a Secure Boot update, but the installation is handled automatically by Microsoft.

A bug that affected File Explorer search reliability when searching across multiple drives or “This PC” has also been fixed.

The update improves how Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) handles COM objects, allowing listing policies.

Below is the full list of fixes and improvements.

New features

• Emoji 16.0 release – A small, thoughtfully curated set of new emojis (one from each major category) is now available in the emoji panel.

• Backup & Restore – The first‑sign‑in restore experience is now part of Windows Backup for Organizations, automatically restoring user settings and Microsoft Store apps on first sign‑in for Microsoft Entra hybrid‑joined devices, Cloud PCs, and multi‑user environments.

• Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) – QMR now turns on automatically for Windows Professional devices that are not domain‑joined and not enrolled in enterprise endpoint management, giving them the same recovery features as Windows Home users. For domain‑joined or enterprise‑managed devices, QMR stays off unless enabled by the organization.

• Taskbar & System Tray –
  New! A built‑in network speed test is accessible from the Wi‑Fi/Cellular Quick Settings or by right‑clicking the network icon in the system tray. The test opens in the default browser and measures Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, and cellular connections.
  Improved: When the taskbar is set to uncombined and an app has multiple windows, only the windows that don’t fit move to the overflow area, preventing an empty overflow menu.

• Accounts – The account menu on the Start menu now includes a shortcut to the Microsoft account benefits page.

• Camera Settings – You can now control pan and tilt for supported cameras in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras (under Basic settings).

• Built‑in Sysmon – Windows now includes native System Monitor (Sysmon) functionality. Sysmon captures system events for threat detection and writes them to the Windows Event Log.
  Off by default. Enable it via:

  1. Settings → System → Optional features → More Windows features → Sysmon

  2. PowerShell / Command Prompt:

     Dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:Sysmon
     sysmon -i   # complete the setup

  Note: If you previously installed Sysmon from Sysinternals, uninstall it before enabling the built‑in version.

• Widgets – Widget Settings now open as a full‑page experience inside the Widgets app instead of a dialog.

• Desktop Background – You can set WebP (.webp) images as your desktop background via Settings > Personalization > Background or by right‑clicking the image in File Explorer.

• Search on Taskbar –
  New! Group headers now display the number of results. Selecting a header shows all results for that group and hides others.
  New! Hover over a result and click Preview to see its content without opening it.
  Improved: The Search process icon in Task Manager now shows a magnifying glass.

• Storage Settings –
  Modernized dialogs in Storage Settings.
  Improved scanning performance for temporary files.

• Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) – This update adds support for RSAT on Windows 11 Arm64 devices. IT administrators can now install and use tools such as:

  • Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Services Tools
  • Active Directory Certificate Services Tools
  • Server Manager
  • Group Policy Management Tools
  • DNS Server Tools
  • DHCP Server Tools

  These tools are available as optional features and can be installed through Settings > System > Optional Features or from Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.

All other existing features and improvements remain unchanged.

Windows Update Settings

Improved: Responsiveness of the Windows Update settings page.

Login and lock screens

Improved: Sign‑in screen reliability.

Nearby Sharing

Improved: Reliability when sending larger files with Nearby Sharing.

Projecting

Improved: Reliability of displaying the project menu after pressing Windows logo key + P.

Printing

Improved: Performance of the Windows printing service (spoolsv.exe) to help printing run more smoothly and reduce slowdowns during high‑volume printing.

File Explorer

• Improved: You can now open a new File Explorer window more reliably. Holding Shift and selecting the File Explorer icon on the taskbar, or using the middle mouse button, now opens a new instance instead of re‑using the current one.
• Improved: File Explorer now includes an Extract all option on the command bar when you browse non‑ZIP archive folders.
• Improved: Reliability of displaying devices on the Network page.

Display

• Improved: This update improves reliability when your PC wakes from sleep.
• Improved: Display‑related performance improvements help reduce the time for a PC to resume from sleep, especially under heavy load and in other scenarios.

Other

Improved: Visual consistency across Windows, including:

• The taskbar when auto‑hide is on
• Credential fields in the Windows Security dialog
• The print dialog

Microsoft is not aware of new issues with this month’s Patch Tuesday.

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