Microsoft has rolled out two significant cumulative updates for Windows 11, identified as KB5051987 and KB5051989, targeting versions 24H2 and 23H2. These updates are essential for addressing security vulnerabilities and other issues that have emerged in recent months.
Both updates are mandatory, as they incorporate the February 2025 Patch Tuesday security enhancements. Users can easily install these updates by navigating to Start > Settings > Windows Update and selecting ‘Check for Updates’. Alternatively, the updates are available for manual download via the Microsoft Update Catalog.
What’s new in the February 2025 Patch Tuesday update
Upon installation, the build number for Windows 11 24H2 (KB5051987) will be updated to Build 26100.3194, while 23H2 (KB5051989) will shift to 226×1.4890. This month’s Patch Tuesday introduces several noteworthy features, including the ability to resume editing OneDrive files directly from the desktop after working on them via mobile.
The comprehensive changelog includes:
- [Taskbar] New! Enhancements to app previews when hovering over taskbar icons, along with improved animations.
- [Windows Studio Effects] New! A new icon will appear in the system tray when using compatible applications on devices equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU). Users can click the icon to access the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings and hover over it for tooltips regarding active camera usage.
- [Fonts] New! Introduction of Simsun-ExtG, a new simplified Chinese font featuring the Biangbiang noodles character. This font includes 9,753 ideographs supporting Unicode Extensions G, H, and I, detailed as follows:
- Unicode range G 30000-3134A (4,939 characters)
- Unicode range H 31350-323AF (4,192 characters)
- Unicode range I 2EBF0-2EE5D (622 characters)
- [File Explorer]
- New! The “New Folder” command is now accessible via right-clicking items in the left pane.
- New! Windows will restore all previously open tabs in each File Explorer window when “Restore previous folder windows at logon” is enabled.
- New! Specific File Explorer settings will be activated automatically when “Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in” is enabled. This can be adjusted in Settings > Accounts > Sign in options.
- Fixed: Resolved an issue where searches might repeat unexpectedly.
- Fixed: Addressed a problem where the date and time properties of copied files would not update correctly.
- Fixed: Icons in the details pane may now update appropriately when switching themes.
- Fixed: The search box will maintain input focus as users type.
- [High dynamic range (HDR)] Fixed an oversaturation issue affecting some games when using Auto HDR.
- [Digital/Analog converter (DAC) (known issue)] Resolved issues with USB audio devices, particularly those using USB 1.0 DAC audio drivers.
- [USB audio device drivers] Fixed the code 10 error message that prevented certain external audio devices from starting.
- [Chinese Pinyin input method editor (IME)] Bing will cease providing automatic suggestions in the search box for specific search engine sites; manual suggestions can still be accessed using Ctrl+Tab or the chevron button (>).
- [USB cameras] Fixed recognition issues with cameras post-January 2025 security update installation.
- [Passkey] Removed the one-minute timeout for passkey usage on mobile devices.
- [Power] Addressed slow shutdown issues on devices with connected controllers.
- [Wi-Fi] Fixed a problem where the Windows Security dialog would become unresponsive when signing into certain Wi-Fi networks.
Currently, Microsoft reports no awareness of any new issues following these updates. Users are encouraged to check for updates manually to ensure they receive the latest enhancements promptly.
