Windows 11 25H2/24H2 get 1000 Hz+ refresh rate support, File Explorer improvements, and more

Microsoft has released this month’s non-security update for supported Windows 11 versions, including 26H1, 25H2, and 24H2. As usual, the updates deliver new features and improvements across the operating system, such as support for 1000Hz+ displays, more File Explorer improvements, changes to Smart App Control (you can now re-enable it without clean-installing the operating system), new accessibility features, and more.

Here are the features that Microsoft is rolling out gradually:

• [Narrator] New! 1 Narrator provides rich image descriptions on Copilot+ PCs and now works with Copilot on all Windows 11 devices. Press Narrator key + Ctrl + D to describe the focused image or Narrator key + Ctrl + S to describe the full screen. Copilot opens with the image ready, allowing you to enter a prompt for a customized description. The image is shared only after you choose to describe it. On Copilot+ PCs, Narrator gives instant, on‑device descriptions, and you can select Ask Copilot for more detail.
• [Smart App Control] New! You can turn Smart App Control (SAC) on or off without needing a clean install. To make changes, go to Settings > Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control settings. When turned on, SAC helps block untrusted or potentially harmful apps. To learn more, see App & Browser Control in the Windows Security App. This feature was previously disclosed in January 2026 (KB5074105) and is now beginning to roll out.
• [Account Settings]
  • New! Microsoft 365 Family subscribers can upgrade to a different Microsoft 365 plan from Settings > Accounts. To remove the upgrade option, turn off Suggested content in Settings.
  • New! This update improves the design of the dialog boxes in Settings > Accounts > Other users to match the modern Windows look and support dark mode. The visibility of the dialog box option depends on whether the device has a domain joined work or school account.
• [Input] New! The Pen settings page includes refinements to the pen tail button options. The new “Same as Copilot key” option enables the pen tail button to open the same app as the Copilot key.
• [Settings]
  • New! The Settings About page (Settings > About) has been improved to provide a more structured and intuitive experience, offering clearer device specifications and easier navigation to related device components, including quick access to Storage settings.
  • New! 2 The device information card on the Settings Home page simplifies key device specifications and improves consistency across the end-to-end flow from the Home Card to the Settings > System > About page, making information easier to scan and understand.
  • This update improves the reliability and performance of opening the Home in Settings.
  • This update improves the reliability of downloading required updates when you’re prompted in Settings > System > Advanced.
• [File Explorer] This update improves the File Explorer experience.
  • You can more reliability unblock files downloaded from the internet in order to preview them in File Explorer.
  • You can use Voice Typing (Windows logo key + H) when renaming a file in File Explorer.
  • You can now sort the permissions entries in the Advanced Security Settings window for a folder in File Explorer by Principal.
• [Display] This update includes Display reliability improvements.
  • Monitors can now report refresh rates higher than 1000 Hz.
  • When you use a native USB4 monitor connection, the USB controller can now enter its lowest power level while the PC is sleeping, which helps save battery life.
  • Auto rotation reliability has improved after resuming from sleep.
  • HDR reliability has improved for displays with non-compliant DisplayID 2.0 blocks.
  • Monitors with DisplayID now report a more accurate size when the WMI monitor APIs are used.
• [Printing] Updated downlevel baseline support for printer connections to be Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016 (Build 14393).
• [Safe mode] This update improves the reliability of loading taskbar components in safe mode.
• [Voice Access] This update improves how numbers are detected and written when using Voice Access in English.
• [Start menu] This update improves the reliability of applying the Start menu layout through Group Policy when desktopAppLink is present in the JSON.
• [Remote Desktop] The Set-RDSessionCollectionConfiguration PowerShell command now recognizes DisableSeamlessLanguageBar.
• [Audio] This update improves how short MIDI messages are handled in cases where an application is initialized without providing long message buffers.
• [System File Checker] This update removes an extraneous error message you might unexpectedly see when running sfc /scannow.
• [Windows Hello] This update improves Windows Hello Fingerprint reliability for certain devices.

And here are the features available to all users after installing the update:

• [Application Control for Business] Improved: This update improves Application ID tagging in Application Control for Business policies. With this update, the system identifies which apps should receive tags more accurately and behaves more reliably.
• [Narrator] This update improves the Natural Voices experience in Narrator. It also makes Natural Voices setup more reliable.
• [Performance & Reliability] This update improves stability in Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) when you run x64 apps on ARM64 devices. These apps run more smoothly and respond as expected.
• [Windows Update Deployment (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue in Windows 11, version 25H2, where updates installed using the Windows Update Standalone Installer (WUSA) might fail with error code ERROR_BAD_PATHNAME. This issue can occur when you double-click a .msu file or run WUSA from a network share that contains multiple .msu files.

You can download KB5079391 in Settings > Windows Update or from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The update is optional, so feel free to skip it if you do not need any of the changes mentioned in the release notes.