Microsoft is rolling out the monthly security update for Windows 11. In addition to improvements to the taskbar and Explorer, the update also closes more than 50 security holes.
Every second Tuesday of the month is Patch Tuesday and so Microsoft rolled out a new update for supported Windows 11 versions this week. KB5051987 is available for Windows 11 24H2 and KB5051989 is the update for Windows 11 23H2. If you are still on an older version of Windows 11, you will need to update your device to one of these versions.
It’s best not to put off this update too long. The update addresses more than 50 vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system, some of which are known to be critical. You get some new features on top of it for free.
Animated taskbar
We begin with some of the new features introduced by the February update. The update improves application animations and previews when you hold the cursor on an icon in the taskbar. The system tray on the right side is complemented by a new icon that indicates when an application supports Windows Studio effects.
The Explorer menu continues to be taken in hand, following some improvements in December. Windows now restores all previously opened tabs in each Explorer window if you check the “Restore previous folder windows at login” box in Folder Options. Some bugs in Explorer’s search function and display have been fixed.
A third new feature is that you can set applications to automatically restart when you log out and log back in. An option appears in the settings to designate apps you want to automatically restart.
Bugs and CVEs
The monthly Windows updates mainly revolve around fixing bugs and patching vulnerabilities. Microsoft fixes some annoyances it inadvertently introduced itself with the January update. These included problems with USB audio devices and cameras. Passkey users could also be “timeouted. These problems have been eliminated.
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The main reason for the February update is the 56 vulnerabilities being patched. Three vulnerabilities were labeled critical and made your device vulnerable to bypassing authentication, executing malicious code or deleting files.
The rollout of Windows updates rarely goes smoothly, but for now no problems have been spotted. Be sure to keep an eye on the coverage of this in the coming days. If you want the update quickly, check the Windows Update menu to see if it is already available.