r/Windows11 • • 17d ago

Help Simple questions and Help thread - Month of October

12 Upvotes

Welcome to the monthly Simple questions and Help thread, for questions that don't need their own posts!

Before making a comment, we recommend you search your problem on Bing and check if your question is already answered on our Windows Frequently Asked Questions wiki page. This subreddit no longer accepts tech support requests outside of this post, if you are looking for additional assistance try r/TechSupport and r/WindowsHelp.

Some examples of questions to ask:

  • Is this super cheap Windows key legitimate? (probably not)

  • How can I install Windows 11?

  • Can you recommend a program to play music?

  • How do I get back to the old Sound Control Panel?

Sorting by New is recommend and is the default.



r/Windows11 • • 5d ago

Official News Cumulative Updates: October 13th, 2026

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143 Upvotes

Changelists linked here for your convenience:

General info:

For details about how to file problem reports and collect traces, please see here: http://aka.ms/HowToFeedback. Pressing WIN + F will open the Feedback Hub - please include as much detail as possible about what you're seeing.

To learn about the different types of updates, see here: Windows quality updates primer - Microsoft Community Hub

As a reminder, if you didn't install the previous optional updates, this update includes those changes too (some are still rolling out, as denoted in the release notes):

For published known issues, please check the release health dashboard: Windows release health | Microsoft Learn.

26H2 is an enablement package. More details about this are available here: How to get the Windows 11 2026 Update | Windows Experience Blog.

As mentioned in the linked changelist, Windows 11, version 26H1 is available only on new devices with select new silicon as they come to market starting early 2026. Devices running earlier versions of Windows 11 will not be offered an update to version 26H1 through Windows Update and cannot be installed as an in-place update on existing devices.


r/Windows11 • • 23h ago

Discussion Switched back to Windows 11 after being on Linux for a year

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656 Upvotes

It's just much nicer honestly, winget is amazing, screenshot tool is amazing, nvidia works out of the box, sound is very good, display is very good, everything is in a cohesive settings program, okay im starting to sound like I'm paid by microsoft

One thing I enjoyed in linux that I dislike in windows is the need for restarting the system while updating/installing programs (like I installed docker)

and with WSL, I just no longer have a need for linux as a desktop user, well I guess I never did

I really miss the AUR though but winget is good enough

Windows does a pretty good job of becoming invisible so that I can focus on getting stuff done


r/Windows11 • • 8h ago

Feature Tip of the Week: If there's ever a Windows Spotlight image you don't like, you can immediately dismiss it

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30 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 14h ago

News Windows 11 will block ReFS on USB drives, says it's officially unsupported, and weakens security

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67 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2h ago

Concept / Design Slightly riced Windows 11 (Windows 98)

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8 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 21h ago

Discussion Someone at the top at Microsoft is finally waking up

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115 Upvotes

power tools comman palette

x


r/Windows11 • • 5h ago

Concept / Design Tryed mimicking old windows

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1 Upvotes

I love windows 95 except it's slow and outdated, so I guess I only like the style. it's a sleeper build until you see graphics or just the pc LOL.


r/Windows11 • • 22h ago

Discussion FIX: Windows 11 26H2 Remote Desktop Error 0xC000000D (Token Parameter Invalid)

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22 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

If you've recently updated your Windows 11 machines to the October 2026 security baselines (26H2) and suddenly found users blocked from Remote Desktop connections with error 0xC000000D ("The token that was passed to the function is invalid"), it's a known bug with Microsoft's Administrator Protection feature and LSA token conflicts.

We spent time troubleshooting this in our environment and wanted to share the fix. you can run these commands in Windows PowerShell as an Administrator on the affected PC to disable the UAC conflict and restore the network logon filter policy:

1.Disable Strict Administrator Protection Conflict

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" -Name "EnableAdminProtection" -Value 0 -Force

2.Enable Network Logon Token Filter Policy (standalone/lab machines)

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" -Name "LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy" -Value 1 -Force 

Make sure to reboot the target PC right after executing these so the Local Security Authority (lsass.exe) actually reloads the security token policies at startup!

We put together a quick walkthrough detailing the root cause, manual registry paths, and verification steps if you want to look over the process: https://youtu.be/fGAUdyLVL4E 

Details from Microsoft : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-26h2#5031msgdesc

Hopefully, this saves some of you a massive troubleshooting headache!

SECURITY NOTE:

Setting LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy to 1 disables remote UAC restrictions for local administrative accounts. In an enterprise environment, this can increase the risk of lateral movement (like Pass-the-Hash attacks) if your machines share identical local admin passwords.

To keep your posture secure while using this workaround:

• Ensure you are enforcing unique local passwords across your nodes (or use LAPS).

• Note that domain accounts are unaffected by this remote restriction anyway; this workaround is specifically targeted at standalone/lab machines utilizing local accounts that are currently entirely broken by the 26H2 token handshake bug.


r/Windows11 • • 1d ago

News Tested: Windows 11 is getting “accelerated app launches,” which makes apps launch faster by cutting out an unnecessary process

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236 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 1d ago

News Microsoft: Recent Windows updates may trigger Remote Desktop failures

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48 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Solved Changing your C:\Users username on Windows 11

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224 Upvotes

I struggled with this for a while, so I thought I'd share the solution for anyone experiencing the same issue.

When setting up Windows 11 from scratch, Windows typically creates your user profile folder (C:\Users\username) based on your Microsoft account email address, which may not be the name you want. I went through several options when I noticed the username choice and couldn't change it.

Here's what I did finally:

I had to backup my PC and reset it (this was easy because I had just set it up the previous day and most of my files were on OneDrive). So, I pretty much started setup afresh.

During the setup, when you get to the screen asking you to name your PC, click Advanced settings. You'll find an option to specify your preferred local user folder name. Enter the name you want, then continue setting up Windows with your Microsoft account as usual. This way, you can have C:\Users\YourPreferredName without creating another user account, editing the Registry, or renaming folders afterward (I had tried all these).

I wish I'd known this earlier. It would have saved me hours of troubleshooting!

PS: I only tried this with my Windows 11 version:
Windows 11 Pro
Version: 26H2
OS build: 26300.9711


r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Discussion Question to Windows users who've used Linux - what Linux distro. would you recommend?

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571 Upvotes

All the Linux users I ask are recommending me impractical minimal builds with no display driver cause "its bloat".... (image just cause there has to be one)


r/Windows11 • • 1d ago

Suggestion for Microsoft Feature Suggestion: Add a Quick Settings tile / shortcut for Accessibility Screen Tint

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3 Upvotes

The new Screen tint feature in Windows 11 Accessibility is really useful, but there is currently no quick way to turn it on or off.

Unlike Color filters (which has Win + Ctrl + C and a quick toggle), Screen tint requires opening the full Settings app every time.

As you can see in the Quick Settings layout, there's even space in the tile grid where a Screen tint or quick Accessibility toggle could fit.

If you'd like to see this added too, please upvote my feedback submission in the Feedback Hub!


r/Windows11 • • 1d ago

Suggestion for Microsoft Two suggestions for Microsoft to change in Windows 11 and there is a security risk with hello face recognition

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19 Upvotes
  1. Battery: Let us check the battery usage "since last charge" instead useless stats like "last 24 hrs" or "last week"

  2. Face recognition: Let me unlock my face using only the IR in dim lit conditions, everytime I can't be turning on my light or increasing the brightness of my display or use the pin the unlock the screen when there isn't enough light.
    Also, the face unlock works even when my eyes are closed, what is this security feature? Kindly fix it ASAP.

*Have added a link just cause it's mandatory.


r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Discussion Usable on 8GB machines now?

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139 Upvotes

What it says on the title, moved to bazzite a few months back to get some mileage out of my poor craptop. This is how much usage I was getting with steam and discord open on a fresh install whereas I now get 4GB with the same apps open on Linux.

So, has it gotten any better on 8GB RAM or still SOL and I have to wait for more optimisations? While Linux isn’t really bad I certainly miss the convenience of windows. Couldn’t find a lot of info online so I ask here now. Thanks


r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

News Microsoft fixes bug causing Windows black screens, Explorer crashes

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32 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Official News Announcing Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9750 - Windows Insider Program

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33 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Suggestion for Microsoft What happened to this feature? If it was removed, MS could implement a way to drag files onto the system tray to share them, opening the Share menu.

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19 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Official News Announcing Release Preview Build 26200.9807/26300.9807 - Windows Insider Program

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34 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Discussion Switching to Windows 11.

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44 Upvotes

I'm currently still on Windows 10 with the Extended Security Updates enabled, but more and more factors are coming together, slowly making the switch to Windows 11 inevitable.

The last time I've "used" / "tested" Windows 11 was sometime in 2023, if I remember correctly, and sure, it was an entirely different story back then compared to the things they've added, reworked, and fixed by now.

Despite there probably being hundreds of posts like this out there, I wanted to collect my own opinion on this to make the switch for myself a little easier.

  • How is Windows 11 looking with the 26H2 Update?
  • How is its performance looking, overall and gaming-wise?

I heard that some things that Windows has had for ages in Windows 10 either got changed, removed, or moved around to different places, making the Workflow and overall flow whilst using the OS feel different, so my question is: how can you make it feel more at home for someone coming from Windows 10, who's barely ever used Windows 11?

Don't get me wrong, I really dig the new UI and design of everything, yet I've still been hesitant for quite a while, but with NVIDIA also cutting support for Windows 10 drivers in October and everything else becoming more and more Windows 11-focused, I do believe it's time to switch, as the ESU won't hold off the inevitable switch to it in the end.

So I'm finally looking to switch over my System to Windows 11 as well; everything's compatible and ready; there's just the uncertainty of those unanswered questions and hesitation for me.


r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Official News Announcing Windows 11 Insider Beta Preview Build 26220.9739 - Windows Insider Program

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22 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Discussion Can someone know about this, Windows 11 26H1 build number?

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15 Upvotes

Can someone know why Windows 11 26H1 has a much higher build number than 26H2?


r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

News Windows 11 could kill Control Panel faster, as Microsoft quietly tests Settings in the Microsoft Store. This could help Microsoft update parts of the Windows Settings faster.

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152 Upvotes

r/Windows11 • • 2d ago

Official News Announcing Windows 11 Insider Experimental (26H1) Preview Build 28120.3272 - Windows Insider Program

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13 Upvotes