Windows 11 October 2026 updates add Emoji 17.0 and fixes

Microsoft shipped the October cumulative updates on October 13. A cumulative update bundles every earlier fix, so you only need the newest one. There are two packages:

• KB5127648 for versions 26H2, 25H2 and 24H2, which share the same core code and get identical fixes. The builds are 26300.9711, 26200.9711 and 26100.9711.
• KB5126653 for version 23H2.

The update is mandatory because it carries the month’s security patches. It should install by itself, but you can grab it now from Start, then Settings, then Windows Update, and clicking Check for updates. IT teams can also download it manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog. (Older guides that point you to an “Update & Security” page are describing Windows 10.)

This was a huge month for patches. CrowdStrike counted 1,413 vulnerabilities across Windows, Office, .NET and other Microsoft products, 75 of them rated Critical. Other researchers landed on 1,411 flaws with 70 Critical, since each team counts bundled updates a little differently.

The most urgent is CVE-2026-96951, a Windows Shell bug that attackers were already exploiting before the fix. It lets them get around Mark of the Web, the label Windows puts on files that came from the internet. Without that label, protections such as SmartScreen warnings and Office’s Protected View may never kick in. An attacker still has to trick you into opening a booby-trapped file or visiting a malicious resource, which is why patching quickly matters.

Two more flaws were public before the fix: one in the .NET Framework that could get around Windows Defender Application Control, and one in the MessagePack-CSharp library that could crash services. Neither was reported as exploited.

Office users have extra reason to update. Five Critical Outlook flaws score 9.8 out of 10, and two of them can be triggered just by Outlook showing a crafted email in the Reading Pane, with no click needed. On October 25, Microsoft followed up with an emergency .NET update that fixed a critical Brotli decompression flaw and re-issued two .NET fixes from Patch Tuesday that hadn’t fully worked.

Not everything is about security. The October release adds several features you’ll actually notice:

• Emoji 17.0: new emoji such as a distorted face, a hairy creature and a fight cloud. Press the Windows key and the period key to open the emoji panel. Microsoft also redrew a handful of existing ones, including the goose, the lotus and the kissing cat.
• Open apps maximized: a new accessibility setting under Settings, Accessibility, Visual effects that opens every app full screen. It helps screen reader and magnifier users and anyone who likes a tidy, full-size window.
• Copilot key remapping: you can now make the Copilot key act as a Right Ctrl or Context Menu key, which keeps old keyboard shortcuts working.
• Tips widget: short pointers about Windows features, which you can add to the Widgets board or, through Settings, Personalization, Lock screen, to your lock screen.
• Touchpad gestures: single-finger scrolling from the edge of the touchpad, and automatic scrolling that keeps going when your fingers reach the edge.

File Explorer gets smaller but welcome changes. Files downloaded from the web now preview differently: PDFs and other non-HTML files show up automatically, while HTML files get a Preview anyway button after a warning. The Home page remembers which sections you expanded or collapsed, cloud file thumbnails load more reliably in the Details pane, and a bug that wiped the address bar when you clicked near its right edge is gone.

The quieter fixes may matter more day to day. The update includes eight Bluetooth improvements. Among them, Windows now shows its volume pop-up when you change volume on a Bluetooth headset during calls, reports disconnected accessories correctly, and no longer crashes with error 0x139 while streaming Bluetooth audio.

It also fixes mouse stutter in some games, restores Windows Hello fingerprint sign-in after a full shutdown on some PCs, and repairs Always On VPN connections broken by an earlier update. Desktop wallpaper got attention too, with DIB image support and slideshows that work across multiple desktops.

One thing goes away: PC-to-PC Migration, which moved files directly from an old PC during setup, is no longer available. Microsoft points people to Windows Backup instead.

For most people, the advice is simple: install the update and restart. The exploited Mark of the Web bug is exactly the sort of flaw that gets used in phishing emails and fake downloads aimed at home users.

The bigger decision is for anyone on 24H2. Microsoft confirmed that Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro reached end of servicing on October 13, 2026, so this release was their last regular monthly security update. Enterprise and Education editions of 24H2 stay supported until October 12, 2027. Because 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2 share the same core, moving up is quick: once your PC is current, Windows Update offers a small enablement package that flips on the newer version.

To check your version, open Settings, then System, then About, and look under Windows specifications.