Yesterday, Microsoft released the KB5041585 cumulative update for Windows 11 that brought some important changes.
Unlike the KB5041580 patch for Windows 10, which basically only fixes problems, this update for Windows 11 brings several new features to the taskbar, the Start menu, and File Explorer.
Here’s a quick overview of all the new features in this cumulative update and how you can get the update if you haven’t already.
What’s new in Windows 11?
One of the more nifty changes involves the Start menu, which now allows you to drag app icons from the Pinned section of the Start menu and drop them on the taskbar for quick pinning. This simple-yet-ingenious change is both intuitive and helpful for quick access to apps.
By clicking on All apps, you can also select even more applications and drag them to the taskbar to create shortcuts.
Speaking of the taskbar, you’ll see improvements to taskbar focus (activated using the Windows key + T shortcut) where you can now press a letter to select the next app whose name starts with that letter. Furthermore, you can now jump to the first or last apps in the taskbar using the Home and End keys while the taskbar has focus.
Another change worth noting: the End task option no longer displays a “Not responding” dialog box before doing its thing. (If you don’t have the End task option, it’s because you haven’t enabled it yet. You can turn it on in Settings > System > For Developers.)
Improved File Explorer
This update also brings a notable makeover to File Explorer. Tabs can now be easily duplicated by right-clicking on any open tab and selecting the Duplicate tab option in the context menu.
More importantly, a few File Explorer issues have been patched, including memory leaks when interacting with archives, freezes while browsing folders, errors in search fields, user interface glitches, and more. You can find the complete patch notes here.
Related: Unlock File Explorer’s potential with this free app
BitLocker error apparently fixed
This update also fixes the annoying BitLocker recovery error that was treating users to Blue Screens of Death. This has been a notable issue since mid-July, preventing some users from accessing their own PCs without constantly having to enter their BitLocker recovery keys.
If you use BitLocker, you should still keep your BitLocker key safe in case of similar problems in the future.
How to get this update for Windows 11
Typically, the latest cumulative update for Windows 11 is automatically installed on your PC via Windows Update. You can check under Settings > Windows Update to see whether it’s actually installed.
Alternatively, you can download and install the KB5041585 patch directly from the Windows Update catalog.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
Author: Laura Pippig, Staff Writer, PC-WELT
Laura is an enthusiastic gamer as well as a movie and TV fan. After studying communication science, she went straight into a job at PCMagazin and Connect Living. Since then, she has been writing about everything to do with PCs and technology topics, and has been a permanent editor at our German sister site PC-WELT since May 2024.