Windows 11 KB5067036 is rolling out with a new Start menu, a “Ask Copilot” shortcut in the File Explorer, faster Windows Search, new colourful battery icons on the lock screen, and more. This patch is available for version 25H2 / 24H2 via Windows Update. Microsoft has also posted direct download links for KB5067036 offline installers (.msu).

KB5067036 is an optional update for Windows 11 25H2 or 24H2, and it’ll not download automatically unless you select ‘Download & install‘ under the patch. As you can see in the screenshot below, today’s optional update shows up as “Preview update (KB5067036) (Build 26200.7019) is available.”

Previously, optional updates included the date and year in their titles when they showed up, but now they only list the KB (knowledge base) and build numbers. However, this change might actually confuse some users, as having the date in the name wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

Download Links for Windows 11 KB5067036

Windows 11 KB5067036 Direct Download Links: 64-bit and ARM-64 | In some cases, Update Catalog loads in a language different from the system, but it’s a known issue, and it does not affect the Windows Update download package.

On Update Catalog, click ‘Download‘ next to the update package. You should only use Update Catalog if Windows Update is not working. If you’re wondering, I’ve extracted the size of Windows 11’s optional update:

On Windows 11 25H2, this optional update shows up as Build 26200.7019 and takes approximately 7 minutes to finish installation. You’ll need to reboot Windows to apply changes. In case you’re on Windows 11 24H2, you’ll get Build 26100.7019, and everything else remains the same as 25H2.

What’s new in Windows 11 Build 26200.7019 (25H2) / Build 26100.7019 (24H2)

This month’s optional update is huge, but remember that all these features are rolling out gradually. This means the features won’t show up after applying updates if you’re unlucky.

1. The new Start menu adds a new Category layout, turns off the Recommended feed

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The so-called new Start menu that YouTubers lied to everyone is coming with Windows 11 25H2, is finally rolling out. But as I have been reporting, it’s not exclusive to 25H2.

Windows 11 KB5067036 turns on the new Start menu for version 24H2 as well, but it’s a staged rollout, so it won’t show up immediately.

Unlike the current Start menu, it’s a single scrollable page, which means you don’t have to click, click and click to go back and forth between pinned apps and the all apps list.

In our tests, Windows Latest observed that Windows 11 KB5067036 finally lets you toggle off the ‘Recommended’ feed in the Start menu. To turn off Recommended feed, open Settings > Personalization > Start and uncheck “Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists.”

However, as the toggle makes it quite obvious, you won’t see recent files in File Explorer or Jump lists if you turn off the Recommended section in the Start menu. The two features might appear ‘separate’, but they’re part of the same engine. Microsoft won’t let you have recent files in Explorer without enabling the Recommended feed.

The existing or old Start menu has your pinned apps, a Recommended feed, and a toggle to see All installed apps (opens a new page). It doesn’t let you change the layout, but as you can see in the above screenshot, the new Start menu has three new layouts:

1. Name Grid: All apps will be filtered in alphabetical order, but the layout is of grid. You can tap on any letter to jump to other apps. However, if you prefer the classic layout where you get a list experience, you can choose the second option.
   
2. Name list: This brings back the existing Name list format, where apps are filtered in a list layout in alphabetical order.
   
3. Category: Some people find it similar to iOS, but I think it’s inspired by Windows Live Tiles. Although the icons are static, Microsoft is using a built-in algorithm to filter and arrange apps based on the categories.

Windows 11 KB5067036 doesn’t let you create categories in the Start menu yet, but there are default categories, such as Utilities and tools, and Productivity.

Then, we have the Entertainment category, which has your apps like Netflix and Windows Media Player. Finally, if you’ve apps like Paint 3D, Paint, Designer, Canva, etc, those will be grouped under Creativity.

Our tests also confirmed that the new Start menu is responsive. This means it’ll automatically adapt to the screen size, so if you’ve a large screen, the Start menu will finally make use of the screen space and won’t look small anymore.

At the same time, if you’ve low resolution, the Start menu won’t occupy the screen.

Unfortunately, you can’t manually adjust the size of the Start menu, but you can adjust two settings to make the Start menu larger or smaller. First, try to change the ‘display resolution‘ from Settings > System > Display.

If that doesn’t help, try changing ‘Scale‘ to 150% from 175% or whatever the current setting is in your case.

2. File Explorer gets a new Recommended section UI

Windows 11 KB5067036 adds a new Recommended cards UI to File Explorer.

Previously, recommended cards were exclusive to Entra (enterprise accounts), but now they work with regular Microsoft accounts. This means you’ll automatically cards related to files you frequently. However, if you don’t like the feature, which is turned on by default, open Folder options (three dots menu).

Then, under ‘Privacy,’ turn off “Show recommended section.”

Or you can right-click any recommendation and select “Remove from recommended

Right now, File Explorer can only show files from OneDrive, but that will change soon, as Microsoft has quietly added a new StorageProvider API. This means cloud providers like Google and Mega.nz can now automatically integrate their apps to show up with sync support in File Explorer.

Windows 11 KB5067036 also patches the following issues in File Explorer:

• A bug has been fixed where the context menu in File Explorer automatically switches between normal view and ‘Show more options.’ This has been fixed.
• A bug has been fixed where all filters, such as name, icon size or groups, would reset in File Explorer if another app sends you to File Explorer.
• A bug has been fixed where you could not click anywhere in the File Explorer if you opened the context menu. Mouse clicks would work only inside the context menu, which was odd, but turns out it was a known issue and is now patched.

Last but not least, Microsoft argues that File Explorer is now faster and the Home tab no longer makes the window unresponsive.

3. New battery icons on the taskbar and lock screen

In Windows 11 KB5067036, the Taskbar now has colourful icons for battery, which makes it easier to understand the battery level.

For example, if you see a green indicator with a charging bolt, it means the PC is charging and the battery is 100% percent. But if the number drops below 70%, you’ll see an orange colour, which eventually shrinks in size to reflect the percentage.

You can also turn off the battery percentage if you want more space on the taskbar. To do this, open Settings > System > Power & battery and turn off Battery percentage. By default, it should be turned off. You can always tap on the battery icon or hover over it to see the percentage.

However, remember that these icons go beyond just colours. Microsoft has created unique icons to reflect different power states, such as energy saver, charging, smart charging, slow charging and low battery have their icons.

It is worth noting that these new battery icons are also rolling out to the lock screen. You’ll spot the colourful battery icons on the lock screen (bottom right side).

4. Administrator protection

Windows 11 KB5067036 rolls out the Administrator protection feature to everyone.

By default, Windows also allows an administrator to execute critical tasks, which are blocked on regular accounts. This is by design, but do we really know if the administrator is really the owner of the computer? Microsoft says Administrator Protection controls how administrator privileges are used.

Windows 11 typically requires admin permissions when it needs to run an installer, modify an app or access sensitive OS information. When Administrator Protection is turned on, Windows will use Windows Hello to verify whether the request is really coming from the original owner of the computer.

It asks you to verify your identity when Windows requires you to grant admin privileges to the process.

You’ll be able to manage Administrator protection from Windows Security (app) > Account protection. This feature was originally supposed to debut in September, but it missed the deadlines and is now bundled with Windows 11 KB5067036.

In our tests, Windows Latest observed that the toggle doesn’t show up immediately after installing the patch, so it appears to be another staged rollout.

5. Taskbar now feels faster

In our tests, Windows Latest observed that Windows 11 KB5067036 actually makes the taskbar faster in a few specific use cases. For example, when you unlock the PC from sleep, you might have noticed that the taskbar takes a few seconds to load. It could be longer on old or low-end hardware.

It’s not just the taskbar. Windows isn’t exactly smooth when it transitions from sleep state to regular, but today’s update finally takes care of performance.

6. “Update and shutdown” now finally works

Windows 11 KB5067036 has finally fixed one of the long-standing issues of the operating system present since the early days of Windows 8. Right now, when you use “update and shutdown,” Windows reboots, and you’re back on the lock screen. It doesn’t shut down, but this optional update finally turns things around.

A bug has been fixed, and “Update and shutdown” now allows Windows to shut down after applying Windows updates.

What about known issues in Windows 11 KB5067036?

At this point, Windows 11 KB5067036 feels like one of the best updates, but are there any rough edges? I’m still testing the update across our 100+ virtual machines and dozens of physical hardware with different configurations, but we haven’t come across any particular issue.

But if you run into install errors, I recommend using the Media Creation Tool and performing an in-place upgrade, which should solve Windows Update issues without erasing files.

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