Windows 11 KB5074109 is now available for 25H2 and 24H2. It’s the first update of the year, so most changes are simply fixes, but new features are always gradually rolling out. January 2026 Patch Tuesday can be downloaded from Windows Update, or Microsoft has also posted direct download links for KB5074109 offline installers (.msu). KB5074109 is a mandatory update for Windows 11 25H2, and it’ll download or install automatically unless you manually pause the updates. In our tests, the January 2026 Patch Tuesday appears as “2026-01 Security Update (KB5074109) (26200.7623)” and downloads automatically in the background. KB5074109 advances PCs to Windows 11 Build 26200.7623 if you’re on version 25H2 and Build 26100.7623 if you’re on version 24H2. As you might have realised already, Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 are the same releases, so it doesn’t matter what version you have. The changelog is the same. Windows 11 KB5074109 Direct Download Links: 64-bit and ARM-64 | This opens the Update Catalog, which gives you access to the offline installers. Update Catalog is typically for those who deploy updates across several machines, or when they’re having trouble installing the patch from Windows Update. You don’t have to use it otherwise, as Windows Update is enough. Like all previous updates, this Patch Tuesday is also above 4GB in size. It’s because Microsoft bundles AI models like Phi with these monthly updates. While AI models are only compatible with supported hardware, they are now included with the update for everyone. As a result, update size increases for all hardware, including non-AI PCs. Windows 11 Build 26200.7623 downloads in about 5 minutes at 200 Mbps speed and takes about 7-10 minutes to finish installing across our ten machines. So far, I have not encountered any problems, but we’ll be testing it across our 100+ machines and share our results if we run into issues. As I mentioned at the outset, January 2026 Patch Tuesday is not a big release, so the changelog is really just about bug fixes. However, it might roll out some of the delayed features to more consumers. For example, if you still don’t have the colourful battery icons on the taskbar, you might see them after today’s update. The same applies to the new ‘Share with Copilot’ on the taskbar, which started rolling out with the December 2025 Patch Tuesday. But there are also some fixes specific to Windows 11 KB5074109. For example, Microsoft removed these modern drivers, likely due to security reasons and the fact that modern alternatives are included for networking: Microsoft also patched the following issues: Last but not least, Microsoft says updates starting with Windows 11 KB5074109 will come bundled with new Secure Boot certificates, but only devices identified as eligible will get the new Secure Boot certificates. This change is specifically for enterprises. As I noted above, many features are still rolling out, so some of them may appear after installing Windows 11 KB5074109. If you hover over apps on the taskbar, you might see a new “Share with Copilot” toggle, which immediately begins sharing your app’s screen with Copilot. This feature taps into a new Windows API, which is used for communication apps like Teams. In a recent Windows release, Microsoft made a change that allows the API to work with chatbots as well. This means OpenAI can also use the API to add “Share with ChatGPT” to the taskbar, but the catch is that the API requires special approval from Microsoft. Since Microsoft owns Copilot, it doesn’t have to wait for approval, which is why Copilot’s share window feature is now rolling out on the taskbar. After installing Windows 11 KB5074109, you can begin sharing the screen of open apps with Copilot and ask questions. For example, if you open Outlook and begin sharing the screen, you can ask Copilot how to respond to this email or how to move the email to another folder. Copilot shows an AI cursor icon to highlight where you’re supposed to click on the screen, but it cannot perform actions on your behalf. It still requires your attention. If “Share with Copilot” shows up after today’s update, you can turn it off from Settings > System > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviour, and change “Share any window from my taskbar” to “None” or “Communication apps.” I am not aware of any Group Policy to control “Share with Copilot” behaviour. In Windows 11 KB5074109, there’s a new Recommended feed in File Explorer that allows you to see files that you recently accessed. It can also show files you downloaded recently. In a way, the feature is similar to the ‘Recent’ section, but it prioritizes files you frequently use or downloaded recently, not just anything you opened recently. Recommended feed works only when you use a Microsoft account. To turn it on, open File Explorer, click ‘Options,’ and turn on ‘Recommended.’ It also works with work accounts. In fact, File Explorer’s Recommended feed rolled out to enterprises first. After feedback, Microsoft is adding it to consumer PCs. Microsoft now lets you manage advanced features, such as Sandbox, virtual workspaces, and environments like Hyper-V from Settings > System > Advanced Settings. Previously, these features were offered via the Control Panel’s optional features dialog. However, you can now manage Sandbox and other virtual tools directly from the Settings app. This feature is also rolling out. Windows 11 KB5074109 also includes dark mode improvements in File Explorer for more consumers. Dark mode support for File Explorer dialogs originally appeared in production builds in December 2025, and it’s been gradually rolling out. It’s possible that the feature could show up after today’s update for more users. If you get access, you’ll see dark-themed dialogs when you try to delete large folders or move files from one place to another. You’ll see dark-themed dialog for override actions, file selection, file transfer, other error dialogs, including when you delete a file in use. With Windows 11 KB5074109 and recent updates, Microsoft has added Full Screen Experience for gaming handhelds. When you turn on the feature, Windows switches to a new gaming experience where the taskbar and other Windows features hide, and the Xbox app takes the full screen. Windows also reduces background processes to free RAM and CPU for games. Full screen experience is available under Settings > Gaming > Full screen experience > Xbox. This feature will eventually arrive on regular PCs, but for now, you can only use it on handhelds. The December 2025 update made a change that improves the performance of some games or apps that query the monitor for supported modes at launch time. But this change was not available for everyone. Today’s Windows 11 KB5074109 might roll it out to more consumers. Once it’s rolled out, you’ll no longer notice a stutter if you launch games on very high-resolution monitors. “This work should help prevent and reduce stuttering in these scenarios,” Microsoft noted in an older support document. Moreover, if you’ve HID-compliant keyboards, you will notice improved performance of the backlight. Microsoft is not aware of any new issues in Windows 11 KB5074109 because it’s a minor release if you’ve already installed the December 2025 updates. In most cases, you should not run into new issues, but we’re still testing the update, and I’ll update this article if we run into new problems. So far, I’ve not run into issues, and our enterprise readers have also not reached out with a complaint. But it’s still too early. As per the official release notes, the January 2026 update still contains a bug that hides the password icon on the lock screen. This issue was first found in August 2025, and it’s still not patched. What about you? Have you experienced issues with the January 2026 update? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll ping Microsoft. Stay ahead with the latest Windows, IT, and AI updates. Trusted by 50,000+ subscribers. About The Author Mayank Parmar Mayank Parmar is an entrepreneur who founded Windows Latest. He is the Editor-in-Chief and has written on various topics in his seven years of career, but he is mostly known for his well-researched work on Microsoft's Windows. His articles and research works have been referred to by CNN, Business Insiders, Forbes, Fortune, CBS Interactive, Microsoft and many others over the years.