Release Date:

4/9/2024

Version:

OS Builds 22621.3447 and 22631.3447

2/27/24 IMPORTANT: New dates for the end of non-security updates for Windows 11, version 22H2

The new end date is June 24, 2025 for Windows 11, version 22H2 Enterprise and Education editions. Home and Pro editions of version 22H2 will receive non-security preview updates until June, 26, 2024. 

After these dates, only cumulative monthly security updates will continue for the supported editions of Windows 11, version 22H2. The initial date communicated for this change was February 27, 2024. Based on user feedback, this date has been changed so more customers can take advantage of our continuous innovations

For information about Windows update terminology, see the article about the types of Windows updates and the monthly quality update types. For an overview of Windows 11, version 23H2, see its update history page

Note Follow @WindowsUpdate to find out when new content is published to the Windows release health dashboard.         

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Highlights

Tip: The content is within collapsible sections. Click or tap the category name to expand the section.

  • New! You can now use voice access with the following languages:

    • French (France, Canada)

    • German

    • Spanish (Spain, Mexico)

      When you turn on voice access for the first time, Windows will ask you to download a speech model. You might not find a speech model that matches your display language. You can still use voice access in English (US). You can always choose a different language from Settings > Language on the voice access bar.

  • New! You can now use all voice access features on multiple displays. These include number and grid overlays that, in the past, you could only use on the primary display. While you are using the grid overlay on a screen, you can quickly switch to another display. To do that, use the alphabet or NATO phonetic in your command. For example, “B” or “Bravo” are both valid for the display that is assigned that letter.

    You can also use the “mouse grid” command to quickly move your mouse to a specific point on a display. For example, in the screenshot below, the command will be, “mouse grid A 114.” Finally, you can use the drag and drop feature to move files, apps, and documents from one display to another.mouse grid image voice access

  • New! This update introducesvoice shortcuts or custom commands. You can use them to create your own commands in the supported English dialects. To start, say “what can I say” and click the “Voice shortcuts” tab on the left panel. You can also use the command “show voice shortcuts” to open the Voice shortcuts page. Click Create new shortcut. Use your voice or other input to create a command. Give it a name and select one or more actions. After you fill in the necessary information, click Create. Your command is now ready to use. To view all the voice shortcuts you have created, go to the command help page or use the voice command, “show voice shortcuts.”

  • New! You can now listen to a preview of the ten natural voices before you download them. See the Narrator section of the September 2023 update for the list. These voices use modern, on-device text-to-speech. Once you download them, they work without an internet connection. However, to listen to a preview, you need an internet connection. To add and use one of the natural voices, follow the steps below.

  1. To open Narrator settings, press the WIN+CTRL+N hotkey.

  2. Under Narrator’s voice, select Add, which is next to Add natural voices.

  3. Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them one at a time.

  4. The preview will play automatically as you browse the list.

  5. If you like the preview, click Download and Install. The new voice downloads and is ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your internet download speed.

  6. In Narrator settings, select your preferred voice from the menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.

  • New! This update adds a new keyboard command to move between the images on a screen. Now, you can use the keys G or Shift+G to move forward or backward between images in Scan mode (Narrator key+space bar).

  • New! This update improves Narrator’s detection of text in images, which includes handwriting. It also improves the descriptions of images. To use this feature, you must have an active internet connection. You must also turn on the setting to get image descriptions in Narrator settings. To try this experience, select an image and press the Narrator key+CTRL+D.

  • New! In Microsoft Word, Narrator will announce the presence of bookmarks and draft or resolved comments. It also tells you if accessibility suggestions exist when it reads text in the file.

  • New! You can now use voice access to open applications, dictate text, and interact with elements on the screen. You can also use your voice to command Narrator. For example, you can tell it to, “speak faster,” “read next line,” and so on. To get started, search for “voice access” in Windows search and set it up.

  • New! This update changes the apps that appear in the Windows share window. The account you use to sign in affects the apps that are in “Share using.” For example, if you use a Microsoft account (MSA) to sign in, you will see Microsoft Teams (free). When you use a Microsoft Entra ID account (formerly Azure Active Directory) to sign in, your Microsoft Teams (work or school) contacts show instead.

  • New! The Windows share window now supports sharing with WhatsApp in the “Share using” section. If you do not have WhatsApp installed, you can install it from the Windows share window.

  • New! This update affects how Nearby Share turns on and off. You can use quick settings or the Settings app to turn on Nearby Share. If you do and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are off, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will turn on to make Nearby Share work as you expect. If you turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, Nearby Share turns off as well.

  • New! This update improves Nearby Share transfer speed for users on the same network. Before, users had to be on the same private network. Now, users must be on the same public or private network. You can use quick settings to turn on Nearby Share. Right-click a local file in File Explorer and choose “Share.” Then choose to share to a device listed in Nearby Share in the Windows share window.

  • New! You can now give your device a more friendly name to identify it when sharing. Go to Settings > System > Nearby sharing. There, you can rename your device.

  • New! This update helps you to learn about the Cast feature and discover when it is available; see the examples in the list below. To cast means to send content that is on your device’s screen to a nearby PC, TV, or other external displays. This happens wirelessly.

    • You might often switch between windows to complete a task or use Snap Assist to organize your screen space. When you multitask like this, a notification will suggest that you use Cast.

    • The Cast flyout menu in quick settings gives you more help to find nearby displays, fix connections, and more.

  • New! This update adds suggestions to  Snap Layouts.  They help you to instantly snap multiple app windows together.

  • New! You can hover over the minimize or maximize button of an app (WIN+Z) to open the layout box. When you do, app icons will display various layout options. Use them to help you to choose the best layout option.

  • New! This update adds dedicated mode for Windows 365 Boot. When you sign in on your company-owned device, doing that also signs you in to your Windows 365 Cloud PC. This occurs using passwordless authentication, like Windows Hello for Business.

  • New! This new dedicated mode also provides the fast account switcher experience. With it, you can quickly switch profiles and sign in. You can also personalize the experience for your username and password. This includes choosing a custom display picture for the lock screen, storing your username, and more.

  • New! A company can customize what users see on the screen when they sign in to Windows 365 Boot. In shared mode, you can add company branding from Microsoft Intune.

  • New! This update adds a fail fast mechanism for Windows 365 Boot. It helps while you are signing in to your Cloud PC. Thesmart logic tells you to address network issues or complete app setup so that Windows 365 Boot does not fail.

  • New! You can now manage the settings of your physical (local) PC from your Cloud PC. Windows 365 Boot makes it easy to directly access and manage sound, display, and other device settings.

  • New! It is now easier for Windows 365 Switch to disconnect. You can use your local PC to disconnect from your Cloud PC. Go to Local PC > Task view. Right-click the Cloud PC button and select Disconnect. This update also adds tooltips to the Cloud PC Start menu. They appear on the options for disconnecting and signing out and help you to learn how each one works.

  • New! This update adds desktop indicators for Windows 365 Switch.You will see the term “Cloud PC” and “Local PC” on the desktop indicator when you switch between them.

  • New! The time to connect to Windows 365 Frontline Cloud PC from Windows 365 Switch might be long. While you wait, the screen will show you the connection status and the timeout indicator for the Cloud PC. If there is an error, use the new copy button on the error screen to copy the correlation ID. This helps to address the issue faster.

 Improvements

Note: To view the list of addressed issues, click or tap the OS name to expand the collapsible section.

Important: Use EKB KB5027397 to update to Windows 11, version 23H2.

This security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include: 

  • This build includes all the improvements in Windows 11, version 22H2.

  • No additional issues are documented for this release.

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5035942 (released March 26, 2024). When you install this KB:  

  • This update makes miscellaneous security improvements to internal OS functionality. No additional issues were documented for this release.

If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.

For more information about security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide website and the April 2024 Security Updates.

Windows 11 servicing stack update - 22621.3447 and 22631.3447

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.

Known issues in this update

Applies to

Symptom

Workaround

All users

After installing this update, you might be unable to change your user account profile picture.

When attempting to change a profile picture by selecting the button Start> Settings> Accounts > Your info, and then selecting Choose a file, you might receive an error message with error code 0x80070520.

This issue is addressed in KB5037853.

All users

Windows devices might face VPN connection failures after installing the update dated April 9, 2024, or later.

This issue is addressed in KB5037771.

Enterprise users

After installing this update or later updates, you might face issues while upgrading from Windows Pro to a valid Windows Enterprise subscription.

Resulting from this operation, you might observe the following symptoms: - OS upgrade operations may fail, and this might be shown in the LicenseAcquisition scheduled task in Task Scheduler -> Task Scheduler Library -> Microsoft -> Windows -> Subscription as ‘Access denied error (error code 0x80070005)’ under ‘Last Run Result’.

This issue is addressed in KB5040527.

How to get this update

Before installing this update

Microsoft combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for your operating system with the latest cumulative update (LCU). For general information about SSUs, see Servicing stack updates and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions

Install this update

Release Channel

Available

Next Step

Windows Update and Microsoft Update

Yes

None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update.

Windows Update for Business

Yes

None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update in accordance with configured policies.

Microsoft Update Catalog

Yes

To get the standalone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)

Yes

This update will automatically sync with WSUS if you configure Products and Classifications as follows:

Product: Windows 11

Classification: Security Updates

If you want to remove the LCU

To remove the LCU after installing the combined SSU and LCU package, use the DISM/Remove-Package command line option with the LCU package name as the argument. You can find the package name by using this command: DISM /online /get-packages.

Running Windows Update Standalone Installer (wusa.exe) with the /uninstall switch on the combined package will not work because the combined package contains the SSU. You cannot remove the SSU from the system after installation.

File information

For a list of the files that are provided in this update, download the file information for cumulative update 5036893

For a list of the files that are provided in the servicing stack update, download the file information for the SSU - versions 22621.3447 and 22631.3447.  

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