Microsoft has released an unscheduled update to Windows 11 to fix a serious bug that appeared after the October update. The bug prevented users from using a USB mouse and keyboard in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), making it impossible to factory reset or recover from crashes.
The update, KB5070773, restores peripherals in WinRE and is now available to users of Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. The company notes that it released the patch outside of its usual schedule due to the criticality of the bug, as WinRE is used to recover the system after serious failures or cyberattacks.
Microsoft doesn’t usually release updates out of the queue unless it’s related to security vulnerabilities. The last time this happened was in June 2025, when the May security update caused a PC to fail to start after entering recovery mode.
The update is installed automatically via Windows Update, but users can also download it manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The company recommends not delaying the installation to avoid potential system restore issues.
