Microsoft patches the problems in Windows 10 with the KB5031356 update

For anyone running Windows 10 21H2 or Windows 10 22H2, Microsoft has a new cumulative update that fixes various issues with the operating system as well as introducing new features and options.

As is customary, Microsoft provides sparse details about the security issues the update addresses, but it does share information about the various other improvements included in the KB5031356 update.

See also:

• Windows 12 could be on the horizon as Intel lets slip Microsoft's 'Windows refresh' plans
• Microsoft unveils the next generation of OneDrive with a massive update of its cloud storage service
• Windows 10 remains significantly more popular than Windows 11

Among the non-security improvements introduced with the update is an important change to taskbar search. Microsoft says of this change: "This update brings back an improved search box experience on the taskbar. If you have a top, bottom, regular, or small icons taskbar, you will see the search box appear. You can use it to easily access apps, files, settings, and more from Windows and the web. You will also have access to the latest search updates, such as search highlights. If you want to restore your previous search experience, you can do that easily. Use the taskbar shortcut menu or respond to a dialog that appears when you use search".

Other highlights of the update include:

• New! This update adds animations to a few icons on the news and interests taskbar button. These animations occur when:
  • A new announcement appears on the news and interests taskbar button.
  • You hover over or click the icon while the announcement is on the taskbar.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Excel. It stops responding when you try to share a file as a PDF in Outlook.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. Sometimes it does not open.

The expanded list of improvements Microsoft provides looks like this:

• New! This update completes the work to comply with the GB18030-2022 requirements. It removes and remaps characters for Microsoft Wubi input and Microsoft Pinyin U-mode input. You can no longer enter character codepoints that are not supported. All the required codepoints are up to date.
• This update supports daylight saving time (DST) changes in Greenland.
• This update changes the spelling of Ukraine's capital from Kiev to Kyiv.
• This update addresses an issue that is related to changes in the forwarding of events.
• This update addresses an issue that affects an Application Virtualization (App-V) environment. Copy operations within it stop working. This occurs after you install the April 2023 update.
• 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 Microsoft Print to PDF. It uses the metadata for the name you sign in with as the author of a printed PDF. It should use the display name instead.
• This update addresses an issue that affects some USB printers. Microsoft Defender stops them from printing.
• This update addresses an issue that affects device health. Some devices cannot attest to their security health.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). AppID Tagging policies might greatly increase how long it takes your device to start up.
• This update addresses an issue that affects IMEPad. It stops working. This occurs when you enter end-user-defined characters (EUDC).
• This update addresses an issue that affects application compatibility. It is related to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Apps. The display of some elements is not aligned correctly.
• This update addresses an issue that affects toast notifications. They might not appear when you use UI Automation tools to read them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC). It has a handle leak. Because of this, the system runs out of memory.
• This update addresses an issue that might cause a user-mode memory leak. It might occur when you call CopyFile() or MoveFile().
• This update addresses an issue that might make Windows stop responding. This might occur if you use Microsoft OneDrive files that are compressed by NTFS.
• This update addresses an issue that affects external binding. It fails. This occurs after you install Windows updates dated May 2023 or later. Because of this, there are issues that affect LDAP queries and authentication.
• This update addresses a known issue that affects ClickOnce. Apps that you used ClickOnce to deploy might begin to prompt for installation. This occurs even when the ClickOnce apps are already installed and marked as "trusted".
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Hello for Business. Its user interface (UI) stops responding. This occurs after you enroll in biometric authentication.

The update will be automatically downloaded and installed, but it is also possible to manually obtain it from the Microsoft Update Catalog

Image credit: realinemedia / depositphotos