Windows 11 KB5036893 April 2024 Patch Tuesday is now available for versions 23H2 and 22H2 from Settings > Windows Updates > Check for updates. This update turns on Windows 11 Moment 5 features along with other fixes. You can also download KB5036893 offline installers (.msu) files from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
Today’s April 2024 Patch Tuesday update will advance your Windows 11 version 23H2 installation to Build 22631.3447. If you’re on version 22H2, you’ll get Build 22621.3447, but remember that Microsoft has told us support for Windows 11 version 22H2 ends later this year.
What makes KB5036893 particularly interesting is it force-enables features from Windows 11 Moment 5, which was an optional update until now. This means the toggle “get latest updates” before everyone else is no longer required to try the new features, such as smart snapping that shows suggestions on app windows when you’ve too many apps.
As shown in the above screenshot, after updating to April 2024’s Patch Tuesday, you can now easily create snap layouts (app window arrangement). This isn’t part of the Windows AI update, but it uses a simple algorithm to suggest similar apps in a snap layout, allowing you to snap multiple apps instantly.
There are other cool features in the update, too. To get started, first check for updates, then you’ll see the following patch on Windows Update:
2024-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x86-based Systems (KB5036893)
Download Links for Windows 10 KB5036893
Windows 10 KB5036893 Direct Download Links: 64-bit and 32-bit (x86).
What’s new in Windows 11 Build 22631.3447
Windows 11 Build 22631.3447 includes improvements outside Moment 5 (refer to our review for all new features in Moment 5).
For example, if you’re an IT company admin, you can finally use Windows Hello for Business without issues. Previously, folks relying on mobile device management (MDM) could not use Windows Hello.
In Build 22631.3447, you can use Copilot without signing into your Microsoft account. This means Copilot is now enabled on PCs with local accounts, and you’ll find the icon next to the date and time, which means “show desktop” will be missing.
If you notice the Copilot has turned off “show desktop”, you can turn it back on from taskbar settings, as shown below.
Another notable change in the April 2024 Update is that it turns on controversial MSN cards for everyone.
For those unaware, MSN cards are a new way to stay up-to-date with Weather, Money/Finance, Sports and Traffic directly on the lock screen.
As shown in the above GIF, these MSN cards appear on the lock screen and open Microsoft Edge when clicked.
You cannot choose between these cards as they all appear when the lock screen status in Settings > Personalization > Lock screen is set to “Weather and more,” but Microsoft has told us that it will let you change what appears exactly on the lock screen.
In our tests, Windows Latest also noticed that Windows 11 KB5036893 also adds a new Group Policy that lets you decide what appears on the lock screen:
- Open Group Policy Editor, and go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Widgets.
- This new MSN integration is officially called “Widgets”, and “Not configured” automatically turns on the feature.
- To turn it off, change to “Disabled” from “Not Configured” or “Enabled”.
Another interesting change is better support for NPU in Task Manager. While Task Manager can show NPU processing power, this feature was missing from some features.
According to the release notes, Microsoft has fixed an issue where Task Manager could not detect certain NPUs.
The rest of the changes aren’t too exciting, and I won’t be able to show them off via screenshots, so here’s a list of new features or fixes in the Windows 11 KB5036893 update:
- Microsoft is adding search highlights to search on the taskbar in Europe. This feature was previously limited to the US, UK, Asia and other parts of the world, but those in the EU could not see highlights. Highlights are trending Bing topics, and some of you probably won’t like it.
- Microsoft has fixed an issue where some apps would not run due to an issue with the COM+ component. For those unaware, COM is essentially used for developing apps and is an Object Model.
- Microsoft has fixed an issue where some apps would not launch after an update to Windows 11.
- Today’s update also patches a reliability bug affecting the Virtual remote app, wireless earbuds and more.
- The update has patched Group Policy, which was failing when opened using LGPO.exe.
Known issues? Microsoft says it’s not aware of any problems
The company proudly claims that it’s not investigating any new issues with today’s update, and you should be able to install it smoothly in most cases.
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