Microsoft Releases October 2025 Patch Tuesday Updates

Microsoft has just released the October 2025 Patch Tuesday updates for all supported versions of Windows 11, including the freshly released version 25H2. Windows 10 is also getting its “last” security update today for consumers and organizations that won’t sign up for the Extended Security Update (ESU) program.

For Windows 11 users, the KB5066835 update is available for the versions 25H2 and 24H2 of the OS. Here are the main new features included in this update:

Click to Do improvements (Copilot+ PCs only): New action tags, new Summarize action for more concise summaries.

AI Agent in Settings improvements (Copilot+ PCs only): Agent search results now show a link to the correct location in Settings.

File Explorer improvements (Copilot+ PCs only): New AI actions for images and documents appear when you right-click a compatible file (not available in the EEA yet).

Desktop improvements: Hardware indicators, the on-screen overlays that appear when you change the volume, the brightness, Airplane mode, and virtual desktops, can now be configured to appear in other parts of the screen. This can be configured in the Settings app at System > Notifications > Position of the onscreen pop-up.

File Explorer improvements: The context menu has been updated to remove the square, colored backplate behind icons in the Open with submenu. Context menus and cloud files should also launch faster.

Keyboard shortcut improvements: Windows 11 now supports keyboard shortcuts for en dash (Windows Key + minus) and em dash (Windows Key + Shift + minus).

Narrator improvements: There’s a new Braille Viewer and improvements when using Narrator with Word.

Administrator Protection: This feature aims to protect free-floating admin rights for administrator users, allowing them to still perform all admin functions with just-in-time admin privileges. It is disabled by default as it can be quite disruptive.

Passkey improvements: The built-in passkey functionality can now integrate with third-party passkey management solutions.

Game Bar improvements. You can now use an Xbox controller more seamlessly with Game Bar. There’s a new long-press option for the Xbox button that opens Task view, and a press-and-hold option to turn off the controller. Game Bar also offers better performance now and works better with multi-display setups.

The KB5066793 update is also available to download today for the versions 23H2 and 22H2 of Windows 11. It only includes bug fixes and no new features, however.

For Windows 10 users, today’s KB5066791 update mostly includes security fixes. Again, this will be the last update for devices not enrolled in the Windows 10 ESU program. If consumers can get one year of security updates for free, the Windows 10 ESU program for organizations costs $61 per device for one year, and it can be renewed for up to three years, with the cost increasing each year.

As a reminder, Microsoft will continue to support Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 until October 10, 2028, but feature updates will stop after August 2026. Today also marks the end of support for Office 2016 and Office 2019.