Windows 11 Patch Tuesday update fixes Start menu bug

Windows 11 Update Settings
(Image credit: Future)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft recently shipped the August Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11.
  • The update brings systems to KB5016629 (OS Build 22000.856).
  • The August Patch Tuesday update fixes a bug that can prevent the Start menu from opening and includes several security improvements.

Late on the second Tuesday of August, Microsoft rolled out its regularly set monthly update for Windows 11. The Patch Tuesday update brings systems to KB5016629 (OS Build 22000.856) and includes several fixes and improvements. Most notably, it addresses a bug that can prevent the Start menu from opening on some PCs.

Here's what's new:

Highlights

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  • Addresses a known issue that might prevent some of you from opening the Start menu.
  • Addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.    

Improvements

  • Addresses a known issue that might prevent some of you from opening the Start menu. On the affected devices, clicking or tapping the Start button or using the Windows keyboard shortcut might have no effect.

Microsoft outlines the steps to get the update:

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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
Row 5 - Cell 0 Row 5 - Cell 1 Row 5 - Cell 2

There are two notable known issues with the update:

  • After installing this update, IE mode tabs in Microsoft Edge might stop responding when a site displays a modal dialog box. A modal dialog box is a form or dialog box that requires the user to respond before continuing or interacting with other portions of the webpage or app.
  • After installing this update, XPS Viewer might be unable to open XML Paper Specification (XPS) documents in some non-English languages, including some Japanese and Chinese character encodings. This issue affects both XML Paper Specification (XPS) and Open XML Paper Specification (OXPS) files. When encountering this issue, you may receive an error, "This page cannot be displayed" within XPS Viewer or it might stop responding and have high CPU usage with continually increasing memory usage. When the error is encountered, if XPS Viewer is not closed it might reach up to 2.5GB of memory usage before closing unexpectedly.

The standalone package for the update can be found on the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Sean Endicott
News Writer

Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.