Microsoft Releases October 2023 Patch Tuesday Updates

Microsoft has released today the October 2023 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10. For Windows 11 users running the version 22H2 of the OS, today’s update (KB5031354) does not include all the new features from the Windows 11 Fall Update released on September 26. The latter is still an optional update that you can get by toggling the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option in Windows Update.

The changes in this month’s Patch Tuesday updates are pretty minor. There’s a single new feature Windows 11 version 22H2 with recommended websites now showing up in the Recommended section of the Start Menu. If you don’t want to see this, you can disable these recommended websites in Settings > Personalization > Start, while IT pros can disable it on managed devices with a dedicated policy.

The KB5031354 update also addresses an issue causing PCs to show a blank window with the title title “Windows Input Experience” when resuming from sleep. Additionally, Microsoft fixed a bug causing the search button in the taskbar to disappear when interacting with the search box flyout.

This month, Microsoft also fixed two notable bugs on Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 21H2: If Microsoft Defender has prevented you from using your USB printer, that should no longer be the case. Moreover, Microsoft fixed an issue causing Windows to stop responding when you’re trying to access OneDrive files that have been compressed by NTFS.

Today also marks the end of support for the Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstation editions of Windows 11 version 21H2. Microsoft will continue to support the remaining editions of the original version of Windows 11, but for everyone else, it’s time to move on to Windows 11 version 22H2. The version 23H2 of the OS, which is now available in the Release Preview ring ahead of its public release later this year, will also reboot the support cycle for the OS.