Windows 11 KB5023778 adds improved taskbar search bar, Microsoft Account notifications, more

Windows 11 Cumulative Updates

If you use a stable Windows 11 release and do not mind installing a cumulative update a little earlier than others, here is a new release from Microsoft for you. KB5023778 (build 22621.1485) is now available with several notable changes and non-security fixes.

As a reminder, Microsoft is changing how it delivers preview versions of its cumulative updates. Beginning April 2023, the company will ship optional non-security updates every fourth Tuesday of the month. In other words, users now have two Patch Tuesdays—one mandatory and one optional.

KB5023778 adds a few visible changes you will spot right after installing it. The Start menu will start ~~nagging~~ reminding you to back up files using your Microsoft Account and perform other MSA-related things. Also, the taskbar search is now lighter when you use a custom color mode (dark Windows mode and light app mode). Finally, the update fixes many bugs, such as PowerPoint freezing and issues with Notepad, Narrator, and USB printers.

What is new in Windows 11 KB5023778 (22621.1485)?

Here are the update's highlights:

New! This update introduces notifications for Microsoft accounts in the Start menu. This is only available to a small audience right now. It will deploy more broadly in the coming months. Some devices might notice different visual treatments as we gather feedback. See the example below.

New! The search box on the taskbar will be lighter when you set Windows to a custom color mode. This will occur when you set the Windows mode to dark and the app mode to light in Settings > Personalization > Colors.

This update addresses an issue that affects the Notepad combo box in Settings. It fails to show all the available options.

This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft PowerPoint. It stops responding. This occurs when you use accessibility tools.

This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Narrator. It fails to read items in dropdown lists in Microsoft Excel.

This update addresses an issue that affects USB printers. The system classifies them as multimedia devices even though they are not.

And here is the rest of the changelog:

New! This update adds many new features and improvements to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. For more information, see Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

This update addresses an issue that affects complexity policy settings for PINs. They are ignored.

This update addresses an issue that affects the Fast Identity Online 2.0 (FIDO2) PIN credential icon. It does not appear on the credentials screen of an external monitor. This occurs when that monitor is attached to a closed laptop.

This update addresses an issue that affects a Clustered Shared Volume (CSV). The CSV fails to come online. This occurs if you enable BitLocker and local CSV managed protectors, and the system recently rotated the BitLocker keys.

This update addresses an issue that affects Active Directory Users & Computers. It stops responding. This occurs when you use TaskPad view to enable or disable many objects at the same time.

The update addresses an issue that affects the Remote Procedure Call Service (rpcss.exe). The issue might cause a race condition between the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) and the Microsoft Remote Procedure Call (RPC) endpoint mapper.

This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft PowerPoint. It stops responding on the Azure Virtual Desktop. This occurs while you are using Think-Cell Features.

This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Search. Windows Search fails inside of Windows container images.

This update affects the Group Policy Editor. It adds Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 to the list of protocols that you can set.

This update affects the Arab Republic of Egypt. The update supports the government’s daylight saving time change order for 2023.

This update affects jscript9Legacy.dll. It adds ITracker and ITrackingService to stop MHTML from not responding.

This update addresses an issue that affects the Microsoft HTML Application Host (HTA). This issue blocks code execution that uses Microsoft HTA. This occurs when you turn on Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) User Mode Code Integrity (UMCI) enforced mode.

This update affects the Group Policy Management Console. It addresses a scripting error in the Group Policy Preferences window.

This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Remote Management (WinRM) client. The client returns an HTTP server error status (500). This error occurs when it runs a transfer job in the Storage Migration Service.

This update addresses an issue that affects Desired State Configuration. It loses its previously configured options. This occurs if metaconfig.mof is missing.

This update addresses an issue that affects the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) option 119 - Domain Search Option. The issue stops you from using a connection-specific DNS Suffix Search List.

This update addresses a rare issue that might cause an input destination to be null. This issue might occur when you attempt to convert a physical point to a logical point during hit testing. Because of this, the computer raises a stop error.

This update addresses an issue that affects the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) certificate. The system reports some SCEP certificate installations as failed. Instead, the system should report them as pending.

This update addresses an issue that affects the new Windows Runtime (WinRT) API. This issue stops an application from querying for location information using MBIM2.0+.

This update addresses a known issue that affects kiosk device profiles. If you have enabled automatic logon, it might not work. After Autopilot completes provisioning, these devices stay on the credential screen. This issue occurs after you install updates dated January 10, 2023, and later.

Known issues in KB5023778

Applies to	Symptom	Workaround
All users	After installing this or later updates, Windows devices with some third-party UI customization apps might not start up. These third-party apps might cause errors with explorer.exe that might repeat multiple times in a loop. The known affected third-party UI customization apps are ExplorerPatcher and StartAllBack. These types of apps often use unsupported methods to achieve their customization and as a result can have unintended results on your Windows device.	We recommend uninstalling any third-party UI customization app before installing this or later updates to prevent this issue. If your Windows device is already experiencing this issue, you might need to contact customer support for the developer of the app you are using. If you are using StartAllBack, you might be able to prevent this issue by updating to the latest version (v3.5.6 or later). We are presently investigating and will provide more information when it is available.
IT Admins	Using provisioning packages on Windows 11, version 22H2 (also called Windows 11 2022 Update) might not work as expected. Windows might only be partially configured, and the Out Of Box Experience might not finish or might restart unexpectedly. Provisioning packages are .PPKG files which are used to help configure new devices for use on business or school networks. Provisioning packages which are applied during initial setup are most likely to be impacted by this issue. For more information on provisioning packages, please see Provisioning packages for Windows. Note Provisioning Windows devices using Windows Autopilot is not affected by this issue. Windows devices used by consumers in their home or small offices are not likely to be affected by this issue.	If you can provision the Windows device before upgrading to Windows 11, version 22H2, this will prevent the issue. We are presently investigating and will provide an up
IT Admins	Copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish on Windows 11, version 22H2. You are more likely to experience this issue copying files to Windows 11, version 22H2 from a network share via Server Message Block (SMB) but local file copy might also be affected.Windows devices used by consumers in their home or small offices are not likely to be affected by this issue.	To mitigate this issue, you can use file copy tools that do not use cache manager (buffered I/O). This can be done by using the built-in command-line tools listed below: robocopy \\someserver\someshare c:\somefolder somefile.img /J or xcopy \\someserver\someshare c:\somefolder /J We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.
IT Admins	Updates released February 14, 2023 or later might not be offered from some Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) servers to Windows 11, version 22H2. The updates will download to the WSUS server but might not propagate further to client devices. Affected WSUS servers are only those running Windows Server 2022 which have been upgraded from Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019. This issue is caused by the accidental removal of required Unified Update Platform (UUP) MIME types during the upgrade to Windows Server 2022 from a previous version of Windows Server. This issue might affect security updates or feature updates for Windows 11, version 22H2. Microsoft Configuration Manager is not affected by this issue.	To mitigate this issue, please see Adding file types for Unified Update Platform on premises. We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

How to download KB5023778?

You can download KB5023778 by heading to Settings > Windows Update and clicking Check for updates. Hit Download and install once Windows detects the update. As a reminder, today's release is optional, which means it will not install itself automatically. The changes KB5023778 brings will be mandatory in next month's Patch Tuesday update.

Alternatively, you can get KB5023778 in the Microsoft Update Catalog.