Microsoft hides secret 'Fix problems using Windows Update' in latest Windows 11 dev build

When Microsoft released Windows 11 build 23516 a few days ago, the biggest change was billed as being improvements to screen casting. There were other changes, fixes and additions that Microsoft shouted about, but there was also a hidden feature that the company kept quiet about.

Cast your mind back a few months and you may recall that we learned of Microsoft plans to introduce the option to fix problems with Windows 11 using Windows Update. This handy feature is now available in the latest Dev build of Windows 11, but it is hidden and disabled by default. With the help of ViVeTool -- or Microsoft's own StagingTool -- however, it can be enabled.

See also:

• Microsoft is disabling TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 in Windows 11... and it will break some apps
• Leaked: Microsoft's secret StagingTool utility for unlocking hidden features of Windows 11
• Microsoft releases PowerToys v0.72.0 with new plugins and a massively reduced footprint

The "Fix problems using Windows Update" feature is a great alternative to manually tinkering with endless settings, and significantly faster than performing a reinstallation of Windows. It is also more reliable -- in theory -- than performing an in-place repair, and it is something that Microsoft is expected to give a full release in Windows 11 23H2 later this year

But there is no need to wait until September, October, or whenever Microsoft decides to push out the next big update for Windows 11. Assuming you have installed Windows 11 build 23516 from the Dev channel, you can use perennial favorite ViVeTool to unlock the feature.

1. Start by downloading the ViVeTool utility from GitHub
2. Extract the contents of the zip file to, for example, C:\ViVeTool
3. Open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges
4. Type cd C:\ViVeTool and press Enter (changing the path if necessary)
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:39847173 and press Enter
6. Restart Windows

As shared by Deskmodder.de, this is not the only option. If you have managed to get hold of Microsoft's recently exposed StagingTool, the command you need to use is near identical:

./stagingtool.exe /enable 39847173

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