Microsoft Releases September 2026 Patch Tuesday Updates

Microsoft has just released the September 2026 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 versions 26H1 and 25H2/24H2. The biggest new feature is the ability to select the taskbar location and size on the versions 25H2/24H2 of the OS, which is something that had disappeared after Microsoft rebuilt the taskbar from scratch on Windows 11.

This update also brings more personalization options for the Start Menu, including the ability to customize its size and hide some elements like your name and profile picture. Microsoft also improved Windows Search to make it faster and more efficient.

Here are the main new features that will be rolling out gradually in the KB5124008 update for Windows 11 version 25H2 and 24H2

Select Taskbar location and size: you can now choose whether the Taskbar appears at the bottom, top, left, or right side of your screen. You can also select a smaller taskbar option to help maximize screen space on smaller devices.

Faster Windows Search: This update reduces visual clutter and makes it easier to get back to recent searches.  A new option in Settings > Privacy & Security > Search also makes it possible to hide web and Microsoft Store suggestions to only keep local results.

File Explorer touch improvements: The “Recommended” section of the app now supports touch scrolling, making it easier to browse files in the carousel.

Start menu customization: You can now choose between a small or large Start menu in addition to the default option that’s available today. Moreover, it’s now possible to independently show or hide “Pinned,” “Recommended,” and “All,” hiding the name and profile picture is also possible.

Teams and Outlook on Arm64 PCs: This update addresses an issue that could cause Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Outlook to unexpectedly close on Arm64-based PCs.

As usual, Windows 11 version 26H1, available only on new Qualcomm-powered PCs, lags on new features. Today’s KB5124012 update includes all the new features that started rolling out to the versions 25H2/24H2 of the OS with last month’s Patch Tuesday updates. Here are the highlights:

Windows Search improvements: This update improves app search and Settings relevance to better handle typos and partial names for finding installed apps and relevant settings.

Voice Access improvements: The Voice Access accessibility feature now supports Voice Isolation to reduce interference from other speakers and background noise.

Widgets improvements: Taskbar notification badges now use the Windows accent color instead of appearing red. To reduce distractions on the Lock Screen, the Weather widget will now be the only one to be shown by default.

New gesture controls for precision touchpads: On PCs with precision touchpads, there are new controls for adjusting the baseline speed for scroll and zoom gestures and enabling accelerated scrolling for faster navigation through long documents in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.

Windows Hello improvements: Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) now supports peripheral fingerprint sensors.

Windows Update improvements: This update improves calculation of update progression in Windows Update Settings. It also improves clean-up logic to optimize system performance after installing an update.

Power improvements: This update restores the ability to set a threshold for when the energy saver feature should enable within Settings > System > Power & Battery.

On the security front, Microsoft is now using AI to detect more security vulnerabilities. The security experts at the Zero Day Initiative mentioned a staggering number of 997 CVEs, with 114 of them rated Critical. However, there’s only one Windows Update stack elevation of privilege vulnerability (CVE-2026-81963) that’s currently being exploited by attackers.

Lastly, Microsoft made Windows 11 version 26H2, the next feature update for the OS, available for Insiders on the Release Preview Channel on August 27. I expect that it will become available as an optional update in the coming weeks, with the public rollout possibly starting next month.