Microsoft has resolved a known issue in Windows 11 that caused black screens after sign-in, desktop loading failures, and Windows Explorer crashes on systems that installed updates released since August.
According to an update on the Windows release health dashboard, the fix is included in the cumulative updates released on October 13, 2026, as part of this month's Patch Tuesday, and in every update released after that date.
Microsoft acknowledged the problem last month. The company says the bug mainly affects Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) hosts that use FSLogix, a solution that speeds up user profile loading in virtual desktop environments.
Windows 11 Black Screen Bug and Affected Systems
Affected users reported different symptoms. The most common was a black screen right after signing in. Some could not reach their desktop until they started the desktop session manually, and Windows Explorer crashes showed up in the application event logs.
The Known Issue Rollback packages Microsoft published for the bug cover Windows 11 version 26H1, version 25H2, and version 24H2. The rollback for the 24H2 and 25H2 releases is tied to KB5124010, the same update that Microsoft previously confirmed for KB5124010 crashes in games using Dolby Digital audio.
"If you install an update released October 13, 2026 [..] or later, you do not need to use a workaround for this issue," Microsoft says in the release health entry. The company recommends installing the latest update for each device, since it contains this resolution together with other improvements.
How to Apply the Fix or the Temporary Workaround
Installing the October 13 cumulative update through Windows Update is the recommended path. Devices that cannot install this month's updates yet can use the manual workaround Microsoft shared, which starts Windows Explorer by hand when the desktop does not load:
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
- Select Run new task.
- Type explorer.exe in the field.
- Click OK to launch Windows Explorer and load the desktop.
The workaround only starts Explorer for the current session and does not remove the cause, so the October 13 update remains the actual fix.
Enterprise customers have a third option. Microsoft mitigated the issue on managed devices through Known Issue Rollback (KIR), which administrators deploy as a group policy: KB5124006 Known Issue Rollback for Windows 11 version 26H1, and KB5124010 Known Issue Rollback for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2.
"You will need to install and configure the Group Policy for your version of Windows to resolve this issue," Microsoft notes, adding that a restart is required to apply the setting. The policy disables the change that causes the bug rather than repairing it.
Microsoft also fixed Always On VPN connection problems caused by the September 2026 security updates this week. Separately, the company confirmed that recent Windows updates may trigger Remote Desktop failures for non-admin users when the Administrator protection security feature is enabled, an issue the black screen fix does not address.
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