The first security update for Windows 11 in 2026 turned out to be problematic. After the patch release on January 13, some users experienced issues that prevented their computers from shutting down or entering sleep mode correctly. Microsoft has already issued an emergency fix.

According to Microsoft, the problems arose after the installation of the January security update. By January 17, the company was forced to release an out-of-band emergency patch to resolve critical failures caused by the previous update.

Among the identified issues:

• connection and authentication failures in remote access applications, including Remote Desktop;
• inability to properly shut down the computer or enter hibernation mode on systems with Secure Launch enabled.

The remote access issues affected several platforms, including Windows 11 version 25H2, Windows 10 version 22H2 with extended support, and Windows Server 2025. However, the shutdown and hibernation failures only concern Windows 11 version 23H2 and devices with Secure Launch.

This is not the first instance recently where Microsoft has had to issue out-of-band updates to fix serious bugs in Windows. Previously, such patches were quite rare, but they have been appearing more frequently in recent years.

Microsoft advises users encountering these issues to install the emergency update as soon as possible.