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September's Patch Tuesday offers bug fixes for Windows 10 and 11.
Windows 11 also received a host of new and improved features.
This marks the penultimate Patch Tuesday update for Windows 10.
Hey Windows users, it's time once again to install the latest monthly updates on your PC, courtesy of September's Patch Tuesday. Whether you run Windows 11 or are still on Windows 10, you'll find important feature and security fixes that should be applied. Otherwise, Microsoft is clearly focusing more on Windows 11 as its only officially supported OS come Oct. 14.
How to install September update
To install the September update, just head to Settings. In Windows 10, select Update & security, and then click Windows Update. In Windows 11, simply select Windows Update. Since the Patch Tuesday updates are required, the installation should kick off automatically. If not, click the button to Check for updates to get started.
Also: How to upgrade an 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - 2 free options
Windows 10 users will receive a cumulative update dubbed KB5065429, while those on Windows 11 will see KB5065426 installed on their systems. After the updates have finished, just reboot your PC and you'll be back in business.
What do Microsoft's updates offer?
Let's start with the usual bug fixes. Across Windows 10 and 11, the patches squash a total of 81 security flaws. Among these are two zero-day vulnerabilities, as reported by patch management provider Action1.
Labeled CVE-2025-55234, the first zero-day affects the Windows Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, which allows PCs to communicate with other PCs, files, printers, and certain network resources. Here, improper authentication could allow an attacker to intercept credentials between different services. Though this flaw is of concern mostly to enterprise environments, home users will want to patch this as well.
Also: Microsoft said these 400 readers couldn't upgrade to Windows 11. They did it anyway
Named CVE-2024-21907, this second zero-day is an older one that also mostly affects organizations. This flaw impacts a specific open-source .NET library through which attackers could cause service disruptions and failures.
The rest of the security vulnerabilities affect a range of products and services, including Windows graphics and imaging, Windows Hyper-V, and Microsoft Office. Whether you run Windows 10 or 11 in a home or enterprise setting, there are enough fixes in this batch to better secure your system, at least until the next round of security issues are discovered.
Beyond the security flaws, the Patch Tuesday updates resolve problems with a number of Windows features.
In one case, non-admin users would receive unexpected User Account Control (UAC) prompts with certain types of installers. In another, the Windows Search pane would fail to correctly display the preview pane. In a third, audio casted to a TV would initially play but then stop after a few seconds. These and several other glitches have all been fixed.
With official support ending next month, Windows 10 received only bug and feature fixes on Tuesday. This marks the penultimate Patch Tuesday update for the 10-year-old operating system. One more major update awaits on Oct. 14, which is the same day that support ends.
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After that date, Windows 10 users who want to continue to receive security patches will either have to upgrade to Windows 11 or sign up for Microsoft's Extended Security Updates (ESU), which guarantee security updates for another year. To snag ESU, you can pay for a subscription, redeem Microsoft points, or use the built-in Windows Backup tool to back up and sync your Windows 10 settings to the cloud.
To no surprise, Microsoft paid greater attention to Windows 11 this month, rolling out not just fixes and patches but new and improved features. Here are a few of them.
On Copilot+ PCs, the Recall feature now opens to a personalized home page that shows you recent activity and frequently used apps and websites. You can also set filters to control which apps and sites are saved via a snapshot. Plus, a new navigation bar offers easier access to the Home, Timeline, Feedback, and Settings screens. Further, opening Click to Do for the first time kicks off an interactive tutorial that explains how to use the feature to run commands on both text and images.
The Windows taskbar now displays a larger clock with seconds in the notification center. Also in the taskbar, the search tool alerts you to the status of your search while it's running. In File Explorer, dividers now separate top-level icons in the context menu so you can see them more easily.
Also: How to install Windows 11 your way (and avoid Microsoft's restrictions)
The Windows Hello authentication screen has a more modern and cleaner design with an emphasis on passkeys. The process for setting up and using a passkey is also now easier and more intuitive, according to Microsoft.
And there are improvements to the Windows 11 Settings screen.
Windows activation and expiration prompts now match the Windows 11 design so they appear more integrated. You can now head to the Text and Image Generation screen under Privacy & security to see which third-party apps have recently used generative AI models provided by Windows. And on Copilot+ PCs, the agent in Settings can help you quickly find and change specific settings. Initially available only for Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, the agent now supports AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs.
"Windows 10 updates this cycle focus solely on security fixes and bug resolutions, with no new features, reflecting Microsoft's typical approach for operating systems nearing end-of-life," Mike Walters, President and Co-founder, Action1, told ZDNET. "In contrast, Windows 11 updates include the same security patches along with major feature enhancements. Users are seeing improvements in AI integration, Windows Hello authentication, a redesigned File Explorer, and expanded Settings options. This contrast underscores Microsoft's focus on Windows 11 as its platform for innovation, while Windows 10 shifts into maintenance mode."
What should you do with Windows 10 PCs?
With Windows 10 nearing end of support, what should organizations do with their existing PCs?
Walters offers some advice worth considering.
"Organizations with hardware compatible with Windows 11 should strongly consider upgrading before the October deadline to take advantage of ongoing feature improvements," Walters said. "The enhanced security architecture of Windows 11, including improved virtualization-based security and more robust default protections, provides meaningful security advantages over Windows 10, even with ESU patches applied. ESU should be viewed as a temporary bridge rather than a long-term strategy, as costs rise in subsequent years."
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And home users?
"Home users face a more straightforward decision, as the ESU program is primarily targeted at enterprise customers," Walters added. "Individual Windows 10 users should prioritize upgrading to Windows 11 where hardware allows, or consider replacing incompatible systems, as running an unsupported operating system without security updates poses a significant risk."