A new round of bugs in Windows has created frustrations for users following the January Patch Tuesday update, released on January 13, 2026. This important update aimed to address over 114 security vulnerabilities, including critical issues already exploited. However, alongside these security enhancements, several new bugs have arisen.
Remote Desktop Issues
Many users encountered sign-in problems when attempting to connect remotely to a Cloud PC through Microsoft’s Remote Desktop. This issue specifically impacted various versions of Windows, including Windows 11 25H2 and Windows 10 22H2 ESU. Microsoft addressed this with an out-of-band patch on January 17 that users can access via Windows Update, provided their system qualifies.
Secure Launch Glitch
For systems with Secure Launch activated, users experienced unexpected restarts instead of shutdowns or hibernate mode. This problem, affecting mainly Windows 11 23H2, was also fixed with the January 17 patch but only for eligible systems.
Outlook Freezes
The classic version of Microsoft Outlook also faced significant difficulties post-update. Users reported a "Not Responding" message when trying to open the application, especially if they had PST files stored on OneDrive. Unfortunately, Microsoft has yet to issue a fix for this issue. Users are advised to temporarily use the web version of Outlook or move PST files from OneDrive as potential workarounds.
App Responsiveness Issues
A further bug tied to Outlook caused some applications to freeze or display errors when accessing files in cloud storage, again linked to the January update. Microsoft is currently working on a fix for this glitch.
Unresponsive Apps
Certain apps, including Notepad and the Snipping Tool, also failed to open following the January patch, returning an error code of 0x803f8001. While Microsoft has not officially addressed this issue, there have been anecdotal reports of users regaining access after the update.
The Path Forward
Overall, the January update’s rollout has been rocky for Windows 11, echoing similar challenges faced during the broader 24H2 release. Users have had to navigate multiple bugs created by fixes implemented through regular updates. Despite attempts to enhance system security and stability, the ongoing occurrence of new issues indicates that further attention and fixes will be necessary moving forward.