KB5018496 Preview Update for Windows 11 22H2

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KB5018496 is the latest preview update for Windows 11 version 22H2. This preview update has been released on 25th October 2022. Prior to this update, the KB5019509 preview update was released on 18th October 2022 for Windows 11 version 22H2. We look at some key elements and features of the KB5018496 update for Windows 11.

Salient points about KB5018496 for Windows 11

• The cumulative update for Windows 11 version 22H2 was released on 11th October 2022. It brought the build on Windows 11 22H2 to 22621.674.

• Subsequent preview update KB5019509 upgraded the build on Windows 11 22H2 to 22621.675.

• The current preview update KB5018496 upgrades the build of Windows 11 22H2 to 22621.755. So, we are moving from build number 674 to 755 or 675 to 755.

• One of the most significant improvements in KB5018496 is the restoration of the taskbar in the context menu on the toolbar of Windows 11.

• Another big improvement is the resolution of the slow indexing service performance on Windows 11. The search services on Windows 11 take an exceptionally long time on account of poor indexing service performance on the system.

• Windows 11 systems were affected by SSL handshake issues after the deployment of the October 11 updates. The SSL handshake issue has been resolved as part of KB5018496 for Windows 11 version 22H2.

• Since this is a preview update, you will need to deploy this manually on the Windows 11 22H2 systems.

• The Servicing Stack Update is already a part of the preview update. On a similar note, the SSU will be a part of next month’s cumulative update. The SSU build for Windows 11 22H2 gets upgraded to 22621.754 with this preview update.

• All changes that are part of KB5019509 and KB5018496 will automatically become a part of next month’s ‘Patch Tuesday’ cumulative update for Windows 11. So, if you prefer to wait for the cumulative updates to be released for Windows 11 22H2, you may do so.

Deployment of KB5018496 on Windows 11 22H2

Since this is a preview update, we cannot use WSUS or Microsoft Update for Business to install the KB5018496 update. We can use the Windows Update or MSU update file from the Microsoft Update Catalog to push this preview update on Windows 11 version 22H2.

To install KB5018496 through Windows Update, you can Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. In the Optional updates available area, you’ll find the link to download and install the update.

Alternatively, you can download the offline installer files in the MSU format to install KB5018496 on Windows 11 22H2.

• Download KB5018496 for Windows 11 22H2 ARM64 systems – The size of the update file is 345 MB.
• Download KB5018496 for Windows 11 22H2 x64 systems – The size of the update file is 249.4 MB.

Issues resolved in KB5018496 for Windows 11 22H2

The following issues have been resolved or fixed in KB5018496 for Windows 11 22H2:

• It addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge when it is in IE Mode. The titles of pop-up windows and tabs are wrong.
• It addresses an issue that might cause vertical and horizontal line artifacts to appear on the screen.
• It addresses an issue in that stops the credential UI from displaying in IE mode when you use Microsoft Edge.
• It addresses an issue that might fail to sync the audio when you record game play using the Xbox Game Bar.
• It addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. It is less dependable when you browse for Microsoft OneDrive folders.
• It addresses an issue that affects the Start menu. It stops working when you use keyboard commands to move pinned items to a folder at the end of a list.
• It stops the start of daylight saving time in Jordan at the end of October 2022. The Jordan time zone will permanently shift to the UTC + 3 time zone.
• It addresses an issue that might affect some types of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) connections. These connections might have handshake failures. For developers, the affected connections are likely to send multiple frames followed by a partial frame with a size of less than 5 bytes within a single input buffer. If the connection fails, your app will receive the error, “SEC_E_ILLEGAL_MESSAGE”.
• It addresses an issue that affects the Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AAD) Application Proxy connector. It cannot retrieve a Kerberos ticket on behalf of the user. The error message is, “The handle specified is invalid (0x80090301).”
• It addresses an issue that affects certificate mapping. When it fails, lsass.exe might stop working in schannel.dll.
• It addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge when it is in IE Mode. The titles of pop-up windows and tabs are wrong.
• It addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Edge IE mode. It stops you from opening webpages. This occurs when you enable Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) and you do not configure Network Isolation policies.

Improvements in KB5018496 for Windows 11 22H2

The following improvements have been made for Windows 11 22H2 as part of the KB5018496 update:

• It adds improvements to the Microsoft Account experience in Settings. For instance, you can manage your Microsoft OneDrive subscription and related storage alerts.
• It enhances search visual treatments on the taskbar to improve discoverability. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow. Some devices might notice different visual treatments as we gather feedback. To learn more about why you might be seeing these changes, see Search for anything, anywhere.
• It enhances the backup experience when using your Microsoft Account (MSA). Some devices might notice visual treatments for this enhancement. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow.
• It adds Task Manager to the context menu when you right-click the taskbar. This feature rolls out in the coming weeks.
• It enables the ms-appinstaller Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) to work for the DesktopAppInstaller.

Known issues in KB5018496 for Windows 11 22H2

There are a couple of issues that have been acknowledged and documented by Microsoft as part of kB5018496 preview update.

• Using provisioning packages on Windows 11, version 22H2 (also called Windows 11 2022 Update) might not work as expected. Windows might only be partially configured, and the Out Of Box Experience might not finish or might restart unexpectedly.  Microsoft is working on the issue to arrive at a fix.

• Copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish on Windows 11, version 22H2. You are more likely to experience this issue copying files to Windows 11, version 22H2 from a network share via Server Message Block (SMB) but local file copy might also be affected. The fix for this involves using xcopy or robocopy commands to perform the file copy operations.