Core functions are damaged
Microsoft admits serious Windows error
November 22, 2025 – 13.38Reading time: 2 minutes
Microsoft has confirmed issues with core Windows functionality since the July update. Affected users can help themselves with temporary solutions.
Microsoft has acknowledged a serious error in Windows 11 that has affected the operating system’s central functionality for months. As the company said in its support post, the issue has occurred since installing the July update.
Critical components such as the start menu, taskbar, Windows Explorer, search function, and system settings are affected. According to Microsoft, it can crash or refuse to start. In some cases, users receive error messages; in other cases, errors remain in the background and are difficult for users to understand, he said.
According to the report, the difficulty is caused by cumulative update KB5062553, which Microsoft released in July 2025 for Windows 11 version 24H2. According to the company, anyone who has installed this or subsequent updates may be affected by the malfunction.
Microsoft says it has identified the cause. As a result, certain XAML packages that affected applications depend on are not registered in a timely manner after the update is installed. XAML is a description language for the user interface of modern Windows applications.
According to the support article, on a normal Windows 11 installation, the problem usually only occurs when users log in for the first time after the update. The impact is much more serious in non-persistent system environments. Virtual desktop infrastructure like this is often used in companies where employees can log on to different workstations.
According to the announcement, the most common symptoms include Explorer crashing, a Start menu that won’t open and displays critical error messages, and system settings that silently refuse to start. In some cases, Explorer runs but does not display entries in the taskbar.
The company is looking for a solution, he said. However, Microsoft did not provide an exact time for the release of the official update. Until then, administrators can use a temporary workaround, which the company explains in a support article. This includes manually registering missing packages using PowerShell commands, which can be run automatically every time you log in using a login script.
