January 15, 2026
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If you’ve been banging your head against the wall because your Windows 11 taskbar kept vanishing, freezing or misbehaving, good news at last. The optional Windows 11 December patch (KB5070311, Build 26200.7309 / 26100.7309) finally addresses long-standing glitches, yet it isn’t all sunshine: a handful of fresh quirks have crept in. Here’s what you ought to know before hitting “Update now.”
What’s getting fixed, freezing and crashing problem
Taskbar & Explorer stability
For many laptop and desktop users, the core issue has been the taskbar vanishing or crashing, often triggered by incoming alerts or notifications. The root cause was traced to a bug in explorer.exe, and Microsoft now says that should be mended with KB5070311.
Less stutter when launching apps and Games
On high-resolution or high-refresh monitors, some people experienced a brief “hang” when launching programmes. The update reduces those pauses, meaning a smoother launch without delay.
Other small but niggling bugs corrected
A couple of oddities are also gone: random brightness-adjustment failures on certain devices, and cases where Windows erroneously flagged perfectly good graphics cards as “unsupported.”
What’s still wrong or newly broken
File Explorer dark mode glitch
If you use dark mode, you may see a bright, blinding white flash when opening folders or switching tabs in Explorer. A jarring surprise, especially if you frequent dark environments.
Windows Login screen hiccup
For those who sign in with a password (rather than PIN or biometrics), the “password” option may be present but invisible, you’d have to know where to hover and click to get it working. Bit of a faff.
Potential GPU driver or install issues (niche cases)
On certain devices, especially those with specific Intel Arc GPUs, users have reported driver-related oddities after installing the update. And yes, the update is optional for now, so installation isn’t guaranteed to be smooth.
Should you install it now or wait for next week’s Patch Tuesday
If you’re currently struggling with taskbar crashes, disappearing Start menus, Explorer freezes, or stutters launching games, then this patch could be a much-needed respite. On the other hand, if your machine was running smooth and you’re mainly using dark mode or rely on seamless login: you might want to hold off until the fully-blessed update arrives (rumoured around 9 December).
In short: a helpful patch, but not a clean fix, more of a “best effort” for now.
Aamir Mehmood is a Senior IT Consultant & Technology Writer with over 15+ years of experience and one of the founders of Geeks Callout, an award-winning London-based IT support company specialising in PC, MacBook, and gaming repairs. He is recognised for delivering reliable, customer-focused IT solutions. Under his leadership, Geeks Callout has won multiple honours, including the 2023 Business Excellence Award and the 2025 SME UK Enterprise Award. Aamir also writes insightful articles to simplify complex technology, making him a trusted voice in London’s IT community.
