Microsoft Releases December Patch Tuesday Updates for Windows 11 and 10

The December Patch Tuesday updates are now available to download on Windows 11 and Windows 10. For Windows 11 versions 23H2 and 22H2, the KB5033375 patch brings several improvements for Copilot in Windows, including the ability to access the AI assistant across multiple displays.

After installing the patch, the Copilot window will now open on the display where the taskbar shortcut has been clicked. Moreover, Microsoft is also making the Copilot window appear alongside other app thumbnails when users press Alt + Tab. However, these two new behaviors will only roll out to a small subset of users initially, Microsoft said.

Another change that’s now rolling to Windows 11 users is Microsoft account-related notifications in the Start Menu and the Settings app. These notifications, which you may find distractive, can be managed by going to Settings > Privacy & security > General.

For Windows 10 users, today’s KB5033372 patch marks the public rollout of Copilot on non-managed devices. Unlike on Windows 11, Copilot on Windows 10 will appear as a shortcut on the right side of the taskbar, next to the system tray.

Again, Copilot on Windows 10 will only roll out to a subset of users initially. On non-managed devices, Microsoft has added the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle in Windows Update, and Windows 10 users will need to turn it on to get early access to the AI assistant. At the moment, Copilot on Windows 10 is a bit more limited as it doesn’t have plugins to interact with Windows apps or the Settings app, but Microsoft said that this was coming later.

There are a couple of other notable changes coming to Windows 10 today: Microsoft has increased the size of the news & interests feature, which is accessible from the taskbar. The company has also simplified how to configure default apps in Settings, and users can also enable Windows Update notifications when they sign in.

Even though there was no “Windows 10 version 23H2” this year, the OS continues is still getting new features in 2023, and this will likely continue next year. There’s still approximately 1 billion devices running Windows 10, and Microsoft recently announced that there will be an Extended Security Updates program for organizations and consumers who want to keep using the OS beyond its end-of-support date in October 2025.