Issues with the Windows 11 update? Frustrated users blame AI.
Microsoft's mission to infuse all of its products with AI might be getting accomplished at the expense of basic functionality.
In late February, Microsoft announced a Windows 11 update that would include the AI-powered Bing search right in the taskbar. Now, a mandatory security update installed on April 11 is reportedly causing lagginess and bugs in some of the software's fundamental features. Mayank Parmar of the news site Windows Latest first reported receiving emails from users, and multiple Redditors complained about the issues.
Users on Reddit's Windows 11 community have reported slow SSD (solid-state drive) speeds, broken or disappearing desktop icons, issues with the taskbar and Task Manager, and error messages related to Windows Update. It's unclear whether the new Bing taskbar is related to the issues, but users are frustrated that Windows released such a buggy update. "So many bugs and inconsistencies left to fix, and they feel the best thing to do is add an advertisement telling you to switch to a Microsoft account," said one Redditor referring to a new ad feature in the Start menu promoting Microsoft account and One Drive upgrades. "Never ever, Microsoft. NEVER. EVER."
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The implication is that Microsoft may be a little distracted by launching new features when it should be focusing on making sure its operating system is running properly. Despite a growing number of users pointing out bugs, the release health dashboard — part of the Microsoft website that monitors releases for things like bugs and whether they’ve been resolved — hasn't updated any known issues related to the April 11 update. The last known issue on the dashboard is from March 28. (Updated on 4/4/2023: A Microsoft representative told Mashable the company is "aware and looking into these issues").
How to fix these issues with the latest Windows 11 update
For now, the unofficial solution is to uninstall Windows 11 and wait for an update resolving these issues. You can do that by navigating to Windows Update from the Start Menu. From there, click "view update history," find the update, which is called "KB5025239" and click "Uninstall."
Cecily is a tech reporter at Mashable who covers AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends. Before getting her master's degree at Columbia Journalism School, she spent several years working with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Before that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. You can find her on X at @cecily_mauran.
