- Windows 11 builds 26100.5061 and 26200.6713 (KB5065789) are now available for versions 24H2 and 25H2 in the Release Preview Channels, introducing a range of new features and changes coming on October 14, 2025.
- Windows 11 build 22631.5982 (KB5065790) for version 23H2 in the Release Preview Channel fixes several bugs, including a sign-in screen freeze when using SIM PINs, Remote Desktop crashes with multiple monitors, print queue crashes, and Chinese IME rendering issues.
Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 11 build 26100.5061 (KB5065789) for versions 24H2, as the Patch Tuesday update for October 2025 in the Release Preview Channel. Also, the company is making the first preview of the update available, currently as build 26200.6713 for version 25H2. This is currently a non-security update that packs tons of new features and visual changes for Click to Do, Settings app, Desktop, File Explorer, Windows Narrator, and more.
At the same time, the software giant is also rolling out Windows 11 build 22631.5982 (KB5065790) for versions 23H2, as the Patch Tuesday update for October 2025 in the Release Preview Channel.
According to the official notes, both builds 26100.5061 and 26200.6713 bring new AI actions for Click to Do. The Settings app gains an improved AI action experience, a new “Advanced settings” page to replace the “For Developers” page, and the company is porting a lot more legacy features from the Control Panel.
File Explorer gains a new “AI Actions” feature, while the Windows Share feature now allows you to pin your favorite apps. Also, new keyboard shortcuts are available for typing “en dash” and “em dash.” As part of the security improvements, Microsoft is adding a new Administrator Protection feature, and you can now use third-party providers to manage passkeys.
Additionally, the update KB5065790 for version 23H2 fixes an issue causing the Sign-in screen to stop responding, updates the Country and Operator Settings Asset for mobile operators, addresses a problem with the Remote Desktop Protocol, a printer issue, and more.
Microsoft does not reveal the final name of updates intended for the Stable Channel during the early development stages. While in preview, these are labeled as non-security updates. The official name, such as the October 2025 Security Update, is only assigned once the update is released on Patch Tuesday.
- What’s new on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 update KB5065789
- What’s new on Windows 11 23H2 update KB5065790
- Windows 11 October 2025 Patch Tuesday – Manual installation process
- Windows 11 October 2025 Patch Tuesday – Update history
What’s new on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 update KB5065789
Microsoft is currently rolling out these new features, improvements, and fixes as part of the October 2025 Security Update for Windows 11 24H2 (build 26100.6713) and 25H2 (build 26200.6713).
Click to Do new actions
In this release, the Click to Do feature can now recognize a table in the snapshot to offer the “Convert to table with Excel” action to extract the content directly into an Excel table.
The option is currently available for Copilot+ PCs featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. In addition, you’ll need the latest version of Excel available with a Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft also notes that this feature is still not available for users in Europe.
Also, when opening the Click to Do context menu, you’ll now see new and popular tags to help you discover new actions.
Finally, Click to Do will now show more concise summaries with the “Summarize” action.
Settings app with AI agent changes
The update KB5065789 also updates the AI agent for the Settings app to include a new entry point to access the corresponding setting page available in the result.
Desktop new indicator capabilities
As part of builds 26100.6713 and 26200.6713, you can now relocate hardware indicators, such as brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops, to different positions on the screen.
You can change their positions using the new “Position of the onscreen pop-up” menu available on Settings > System > Notifications.
Taskbar improvements for administrators
Starting with this update, network administrators no longer have to restart the “explorer.exe” process to apply the pinning policy for apps. The policy will update this change automatically, depending on the interval configuration.
File Explorer with AI actions
Microsoft continues to integrate AI into File Explorer with the introduction of “AI actions.”
AI actions enable you to interact with files without needing to open them. You only need to right-click and choose an action:
- Bing Visual Search: Quickly identify objects and landmarks or shop for items based on an image.
- Blur Background: Automatically detects backgrounds in images and blurs them with customizable intensity.
- Erase Objects: Remove unwanted elements from photos using Generative Erase.
- Remove Background: Instantly cut out a subject from an image with one click.
These actions are currently available for JPG, JPEG, and PNG file formats.
Additionally, a new “Summarize action in Copilot” action is available to generate summaries of files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint. This AI action requires an active Microsoft 365 subscription and a Copilot license.
The company is also updating the context menu, specifically the “Open with” submenu, to remove colored backgrounds from icons.
Finally, this update ships changes to improve the performance of launching cloud files and loading context menus.
As part of the fixes, the development team addressed a bug that caused desktop icons and text to overlap when text scaling was increased. In addition, the team corrected the mirroring of icons in File Explorer’s details, preview, and navigation panes when using right-to-left display languages, such as Arabic or Hebrew, ensuring proper alignment and localization.
Windows Share with pin option
When using the Windows Share interface, you now have the ability to pin your frequently used or favorite apps to share content in the “Share using” section.
Simply hover over the button and click the “pin” button.
Input new shortcuts
Instead of having to open the Emoji Panel to access the symbols section to enter an En dash (–) or an Em dash (—), Windows 11 is updating its shortcut system so that you can use the “Windows key + Minus” to insert En dash, and “Windows key + Shift + Minus” to insert Em dash.
Auto Super Resolution improvements
The company also notes that it’s now making it easier to configure Auto SR from toast notifications, so you don’t have to perform extra steps in the Settings app.
Emoji version 16.0
This release ships with Emoji version 16.0, which includes a set of new emojis, such as Face with Bags Under Eyes, Fingerprint, Root Vegetable, Leafless Tree, Harp, Shovel, and Splatter.
Settings app with new Advanced page
In the Settings app, the update KB5065789 introduces a new Advanced settings page that replaces the For Developers page. The page features a new design that organizes settings into distinct categories and introduces new features, including Git integration in File Explorer.
However, I’ve noticed that this version doesn’t include the option to enable Long Paths or Virtual Workspaces that were previously available in preview builds.
On-screen Braille for Windows 11
This flight also introduces a new “Braille viewer” feature as part of the Windows Narrator, which allows you to view an on-screen textual and Braille representation of the output for teaching purposes.
If you want to launch the feature, use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Enter” keyboard shortcut to open the Windows Narrator features, and use the “Narrator key + Alt + B” shortcut to open Braille.
Microsoft notes that you also need to configure Windows Narrator for Braille output, which requires downloading a package from Settings > Accessibility > Narrator > Use a Braille display with Narrator.
Additionally, Windows Narrator now provides a more fluid and natural reading experience in Word, featuring enhanced voice feedback, continuous reading, and smarter navigation across footnotes, comments, lists, and tables.
Other improvements include clearer table structure cues, consistent list item announcements, and more intuitive feedback when selecting content.
Administrator Protection new feature
The “Administrator Protection” is a new security feature available through the Windows Security app. Once enabled, it provides a new security layer that prompts for authorization when an untrusted or unsigned app requires elevation to make system changes.
The interface provides a yellow color scheme for applications that may be harmful to run on your device. However, it’s also available with a light color scheme to allow elevation for trusted and signed applications.
To enable the security feature, open Windows Security > Account protection, click on the “Administrator protection settings” page, turn on the “Administrator protection” toggle switch, and restart the computer.
Although this feature may look similar to the “User Account Control” (UAC) feature, it’s different. The UAC feature is a broader security feature within the operating system. In contrast, the Administrator protection feature ensures that any access attempt or tampering with the code or data of an elevated session cannot be made without authorization.
Passkeys with third-party providers
Starting with this release, the software giant is taking another step toward eliminating passwords on Windows 11 with the seamless support for plugin-based passkey managers, with 1Password (beta) as the first integrated provider.
This means you can now store and use passkeys directly through 1Password and log in using Windows Hello (face, fingerprint, or PIN).
If you want to try this feature, you’ll need to install the 1Password (beta) on your computer. Then, in Settings > Accounts > Passkeys > Advanced options, you’ll need to enable the plugin.
Once you have done this configuration, you can use your existing passkeys saved to the plugin credential manager or save new passkeys.
Search settings page tweaks
On the “Search” settings page, under the “Privacy & security” section, Windows 11 is removing the “Manage or clear your Bing search history” setting, as you can access the same option via the “Privacy dashboard” link at the bottom of the page.
Settings app gains more Control Panel features
In this update, Microsoft is porting various features from the Control Panel to the Settings app. For example, on Settings > Time & language > Date & time, this flight brings the following changes from Control Panel:
- Option to add additional clocks from the “Show time and date in the system tray” setting.
- Setting to change the time server under the “Additional settings” section.
- An option to access the date and time formatting is now available through the “Date & time” page, rather than from “Language & region.” The page also includes the option to change the AM and PM symbols.
On Settings > Time & language > Language & region, you can now find these improvements:
- Option to change number and currency format under the “Regional format” section.
- Option to enable Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support under the “Language” section.
- Option to copy current user language and region settings to the welcome screen and system account, and new user accounts under the “Additional settings” section.
On Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, Microsoft is adding a setting for character repeat delay and rate.
On Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor, you’ll find a setting to control the cursor blink rate.
As part of the fixes and other changes for the Settings app, this update improves loading apps on the “Installed apps” page, and fixes a link for BitLocker on devices that don’t support the feature on the “Disks and Volumes” page.
Other fixes and changes
The development team is also pushing several fixes and changes for the next monthly update.
- Gaming: Xbox controller support has been enhanced. A short press now opens the Game Bar, a long press opens Task View, and holding the controller still powers it off. Also, game performance has been optimized when using overlays like Game Bar, particularly on setups with multiple monitors running at different refresh rates.
- Dynamic Lighting: Fixed: Resolved an issue where the Dynamic Lighting Background Controller could consume excessive processor resources after unlocking the computer.
- Voice Access: Addressed a bug where Voice Access could become unresponsive while claiming to be listening.
- Windows Hello: You may no longer encounter the “Something happened and your PIN isn’t available” error when entering Safe Mode. This update resolves PIN setup failures with error 0x80090010 on Microsoft Entra ID–joined devices after installing updates released on or after KB5060842.
- Windows Sandbox: Fixed high CPU usage from the
VmmemCmFirstBootprocess after login when Windows Sandbox is enabled. - HDR: The HDR settings should no longer turn off immediately after being enabled.
- Quick Settings: Entering a PIN to cast from Quick Settings now works correctly, pressing “Enter” confirms the PIN as expected.
- Input: Chinese characters now display correctly when using the Input Method Editor (IME), and certain Chinese characters no longer appear as empty boxes in text fields with character limits, such as those in Connection Manager Administration Kit.
- Servicing: Windows Update disruptions caused by Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) have been resolved.
- Other: Several system dialogs (such as the one shown when an app fails to open) have been refreshed with WinUI 3 for a more modern Windows 11 look.
What’s new on Windows 11 23H2 update KB5065790
The company is previewing the non-security fixes and improvements coming in October for Windows 11 23H2 (version 22H2 usually receives the same changes) with the release of the update KB5065790.
- Authentication: Fixed an issue where the Windows sign-in screen could freeze after entering a SIM PIN during sign-in over mobile broadband.
- Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA): Updated mobile operator profiles to reflect the latest configurations.
- Display kernel: Resolved a bug that caused system shutdowns during Remote Desktop sessions with multiple monitors when disconnecting from a docking station mid-stream.
- Input: Fixed character rendering issues with the Chinese Input Method Editor (IME), and addressed cases where certain Chinese characters appeared as empty boxes in text fields with character limits, such as in the Connection Manager Administration Kit.
- Printer: Fixed a crash in the Print Queue interface when viewing shared printer queues through the Settings app.
- System Services and Reliability: Corrected an issue where the McpManagement service appeared without a description in Windows.
Microsoft is not noting any known issues with this update. Also, this version of the operating system won’t receive any new features as the end of support is nearing.
Windows 11 October 2025 Patch Tuesday – Manual installation process
To download and install this Windows 11 build, enroll your device in the Release Preview Channel through the “Windows Insider Program” settings, located in the “Update & Security” section. Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download the build from the “Windows Update” settings by turning on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option and clicking the “Check for Updates” button.
If your computer is having issues after installing this package, you can use these instructions to uninstall the October 2025 update.
Windows 11 October 2025 Patch Tuesday – Update history
- Initial Release – Release Preview Channel:
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.6713 release date: September 12, 2025. Official notes.
- Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.6713 release date: September 12, 2025. (Same as 24H2 notes)
- Windows 11 23H2 build 22631.5982 release date: September 11, 2025. Official notes.
- Second Release – Optional Install (Stable Channel):
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.xxxx release date: TBD. Official notes.
- Windows 11 23H2 build 22631.xxxx release date: TBD. Official notes.
- Final Release – Patch Tuesday (Stable Channel):
- Windows 11 24H2 build 26100.xxxx release date: TBD. Official notes.
- Windows 11 23H2 build 22631.xxxx release date: TBD. Official notes.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech in 2010. With over 22 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
You can follow him on YouTube, Threads, BlueSky, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].