Windows 10's final update is a big one - with a record 173 bug fixes

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways October marks the final official Patch Tuesday for Windows 10. This month's update included a record 173 security fixes. All the new and improved features were reserved for Windows 11. Microsoft has released its October Patch Tuesday update for Windows. Though that's business as usual, this marked the final monthly update for Windows 10 after 10 years of support. All the cool new features and enhancements were reserved for Windows 11, but both versions of Windows received a whopping number of security patches. Security patches With the latest updates for all versions of Windows, Microsoft has delivered a hefty 173 security patches, a record amount for 2025. Among these, nine are rated critical, according to patch management provider Action1, while six are zero-day exploits. Three of them have already been exploited in the wild, and three others have publicly available proofs of concept, which means sample code is publicly available to show how the flaw can be exploited. Also: Can't upgrade your Windows 10 PC? Support has ended, so you need to act now As documented on a Microsoft security page, the bug fixes cover such core features and services as the Windows kernel, Windows Search, Windows Remote Desktop Protocol, Windows Hello, File Explorer, PowerShell, Copilot, BitLocker, and Bluetooth. Also in the mix are Microsoft Exchange Server, Visual Studio, Azure, and Microsoft Office. In one case, Microsoft had to actually remove a built-in driver called the ltmdm64.sys driver for fax modem hardware, as attackers had already been exploiting it as a zero-day flaw. Also: The Windows 11 upgrade tool stopped working at the worst possible time - but you have options "Active exploitation confirms that threat actors are already using this zero-day," Action1 said in its advisory. "Microsoft's decision to remove the driver rather than patch it suggests that the flaw is deeply rooted in its design and cannot be fixed without breaking functionality. This elevates both the security and operational risks for affected environments." Other fixes Beyond the numerous security patches are fixes for certain Windows features. Today's KB5066791 update for Windows 10 patched a glitch with the Chinese Input Method Editor (IME), which lets you enter text in Chinese. Another resolved an issue with USER32 Edit controls, which let you create and edit text in a dialog box. A third patch fixed a problem in which PowerShell Remoting and WinRM commands timed out after 10 minutes. The KB5066835 and KB5066793 updates for Windows 11 also fixed issues with certain Windows features. Also: Leaving Windows 10 today? How to clear your new Windows 11 PC cache (and start fresh) One patch resolved a problem that caused the print preview screen to stop responding in Chromium-based browsers such as Chrome and Edge. Another fixed a glitch in which using a Gamepad at the lock screen affected Windows sign-in methods such as fingerprint recognition. In this case, apps and games then failed to respond to any input. Also resolved was an issue that impacted the setup process when using Windows Hello face recognition with USB infrared cameras. This October was the final supported adventure for Windows 10. Well, it's not quite true to call it the final adventure. With its Extended Security Update plan, Microsoft will continue to supply qualifying Windows 10 computers with security fixes for another year. Without that plan, though, anyone who remains on the 10-year-old version of Windows shouldn't expect any security patches, bug fixes, or other updates. Windows 11 improvements With the official end of support for Windows 10, Microsoft has been pushing individuals and organizations alike to jump to Windows 11. That's where the company has naturally been focusing its efforts. And that leads us to the update for Windows 11, where you'll find the latest new and improved features this month. The October update for Windows 11 kicks off with improvements to File Explorer, the Notification Center, the Windows Share tool, and the Click to Do feature. Also: Windows 11 upgrade not working? Try my 4 favorite troubleshooting tricks For File Explorer, the new AI Actions tool lets you ask Copilot to analyze or summarize a file or edit an image. To do this, just select the file and press Shift+F10, or right-click the file and choose Ask Copilot from the menu. That brings you to the Copilot app, where you can request help with the selected file. With JPG and PNG files, you're able to ask Copilot to search the web for information about the image. You can also blur the background or erase objects via the Photos app and remove the background through the Paint app. The AI Actions also extend to Microsoft 365. Here, you can ask for AI-based summaries of documents, spreadsheets, and other files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint. Next up is the enhancement to the Notification Center. You can now move the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, airplane mode, and virtual desktops to different positions on your screen. To do this, head to Settings, select System, and then click Notifications. Go to the section for "Indicators from keyboard actions" and click the position button. You can then switch the position among bottom center, top left, and top center. Also: This free tool installs Windows 11 on unsupported PCs - without any bloatware With the Windows Share tool, you're now able to add your favorite apps to the menu. That means you can quickly share a file or other item with a specific app. The Click to Do feature now has more tags to help you run specific tasks and actions. Further, the Summarize Action command now delivers more concise and focused summaries of the item you select. Other Windows 11 features that have been enhanced include the Taskbar, Narrator, passkeys, and AI agents for Copilot+ PCs. How to update To update your Windows 10 PC, head to Settings, select Update & Security, and then click the button to check for updates. The Tuesday updates will then be downloaded and installed. Also: Don't want to upgrade to Windows 11? You don't have to, but here's what you should know To update your Windows 11 PC, go to Settings and select Windows Update. Since the October update is mandatory, it should automatically download and install. If not, just click the button to check for updates to kick off the process. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.