Windows 11’s latest update brings in some minor but nifty tweaks – and an important fix for a nasty bug
Windows 11’s August update fixes bugs and adds flair
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Microsoft’s latest update forWindows 11has arrived, and the August patch fixes apretty glaring BitLocker bugwhile adding some neat new twists for the interface on the desktop, including a nifty ability relating to the Start menu.
Cumulative update KB5041585resolves the mentioned BitLocker bug which was actuallyintroduced as part of July’s updatelast month. This glitch caused the BitLocker recovery page to appear for no reason after the user rebooted their PC, giving them something of a fright, no doubt, and requiring them to enter their recovery details.
While this problem mainly affected business users, BitLocker is a drive encryption tool that’s also provided withWindows 11Pro, so some consumers may have been holding off installing the July update if they’re running that OS. Now, however, they can go ahead with the August update, given that the fix is in place. (Windows 11Home users weren’t affected here, as it doesn’t have BitLocker).
Useful tweaks and fixes in the August update
The resolution of the BitLocker issue aside, what about those interface changes applied in the KB5041585 update?
We mentioned a new Start menu feature at the outset, and this enables you to pin apps straight to the taskbar - you can simply drag an app from the former to the latter, where it’ll remain pinned. Yes, this is an obvious piece of functionality, and we’re not sure why it wasn’t in Windows 11 in the first place - but at least it’s present now.
Windows Latestfurther observes that File Explorer tabs can be easily duplicated now - you can simply right-click on a tab, and select the ‘Duplicate tab’ option to do exactly that.
On top of that, the performance of File Explorer has been improved in a number of ways. Problems where search would fail have been rectified, as well as a memory leak bug that could see everything grinding to a halt when opening archive files (like ZIPs) and browsing them. There’s a bunch of bugs affecting File Explorer that have been smoothed over here, in fact - another one is Gallery search falling over, and images flashing when they’re viewed.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
As ever, there are security fixes bundled in this month’s patch, too. You should get the August update piped through on your Windows 11 PC automatically, but if you haven’t yet, you can manually check for it: in the Start menu, selectSettings, thenWindows Update.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
Kristina is a UK-based Computing Writer, and is interested in all things computing, software, tech, mathematics and science. Previously, she has written articles about popular culture, economics, and miscellaneous other topics.
She has a personal interest in the history of mathematics, science, and technology; in particular, she closely follows AI and philosophically-motivated discussions.
Alt + Tab trouble: Windows 11’s 24H2 update turns time-saving shortcut into ten-second headache
Windows 11’s Paint and Notepad apps are getting smart new AI features – though one of the best will be for Copilot+ PCs only
Arcane season 2 confirms the hit series isn’t just one of the best Netflix shows ever made – it’s an animated legend that’ll stand the test of time
