Microsoft Admits: Core Windows 11 Features Broken for Months

Since the July Patch Tuesday, some users have been experiencing problems with key Windows 11 features such as the Start menu, taskbar, and File Explorer.

November 21, 2025 at 12:06 PM / Marc Stöckel

Some users have apparently been experiencing significant problems using Windows 11 since the July Patch Tuesday. As Microsoft confirms in a new support article (opens in a new window), important core functions of the operating system are affected – including File Explorer, search, the taskbar, and the Start menu. A fix is not yet available. However, users can use a workaround.

According to Microsoft, the cause of the problems lies in the July update for Windows 11 24H2 (KB5062553 (opens in a new window)). Anyone who installs this or any subsequent updates may experience issues with applications such as the Start menu, search, system settings, taskbar, or File Explorer, according to Microsoft.

Affected system components may crash in some cases or refuse to start at all. Users sometimes receive error messages. However, Microsoft also states that the problems sometimes occur in the background, making them difficult for users to understand.

Fix in development, workaround available

Microsoft has identified the cause of the aforementioned problems. The affected applications depend on XAML packages that are not registered in time after the July update is installed. On regular Windows 11 installations, the problems apparently only occur after the first user login following the update installation.

The aforementioned problems are more serious for non-persistent Windows 11 systems, such as those commonly found in virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI) within organizations.

Microsoft assures users that it is working on a solution and will communicate it at a later date. Until then, administrators can use a workaround described in Microsoft's support article. This involves manually registering the missing packages using PowerShell commands, which can be automatically executed at each login, for example, via a login script.

Source German: www.golem.de/news/microsoft-gesteht-kernfunktionen-von-windows-11-seit-monaten-kaputt-2511-202456.html

 

luckily I haven't used Windows Start since 2023, OpenShell or StartAllBack is much better in every way