Windows 11 KB5072033 KB5071417 December 2025 Patch and 3 Zero Day Vulnerabilies and 57 Flaws. In the December 2025 Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft introduced key updates designed to enhance security, improve system stability, and optimize overall performance.
In the December Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft introduced several enhancements to the Agent in Settings. The search results menu now displays more results, making it easier to quickly locate and modify settings, with a scroll bar to view all available options.
Recommended settings have been improved to allow faster changes by showing an inline agent option for recently modified settings. Additionally, a new dialog appears when a setting cannot be adjusted further, explaining the reason and providing an option to modify the settings as needed.
The December Patch Tuesday release also addresses several File Explorer issues. It fixes a problem where thumbnails for video files containing certain EXIF metadata might not appear. An issue causing unexpected toolbars to show up in File Explorer has been resolved, and the patch ensures that the correct app icon appears next to the Open option when right-clicking a file, rather than a generic placeholder.
Table of Contents
3 Zero Day Security Vulnerabilities for October 2025
This month’s Patch Tuesday update addresses three zero-day vulnerabilities one actively exploited and two publicly disclosed. The actively exploited flaw, CVE-2025-62221, affects the Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver and could allow attackers to gain SYSTEM-level privileges through a local elevation-of-privilege exploit.
Microsoft acknowledged the discovery through MSTIC and MSRC but did not share exploitation details. The publicly disclosed vulnerabilities include CVE-2025-64671, a GitHub Copilot issue that enables remote code execution through malicious command injection in untrusted files or MCP servers, and CVE-2025-54100, a PowerShell flaw that could execute scripts via Invoke-WebRequest.
| Release Date | CVE Number | CVE Title | Publicly disclosed | Exploitability assessment | Exploited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 9, 2025 | CVE-2025-62221 | Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | Exploitation Detected | Yes |
| Dec 9, 2025 | CVE-2025-54100 | PowerShell Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | Yes | Remote Code Execution | No |
| Dec 9, 2025 | CVE-2025-64671 | GitHub Copilot for Jetbrains Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | yes | Exploitation Less Likely | No |
- Windows 11 Version Numbers Build Numbers Major Minor Build Rev
- Updated Windows 11 End-of-Life Dates
- Top 83 Windows 11 Desktop Admin Interview Questions
Windows 11 KB5072033 KB5071417 December 2025 Patch and 3 Zero Day Vulnerabilies and 57 Flaws
In the latest update, Microsoft has introduced Virtual Workspaces under Advanced Settings, making it easier to manage virtual environments on Windows 11. You can now enable or disable features like Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox directly from Settings > System > Advanced. This provides quicker access and control for users who rely on virtualization for testing, development, or secure app isolation.
| Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 | Windows 11 23H2 |
|---|---|
| KB5072033 | KB5071417 |
Updated Version of Windows 11 after Installing KB5072033 KB5071417 October 2025 Patch
In the December Patch Tuesday update, OneDrive received a visual enhancement: the new OneDrive icon now appears in Settings > Accounts > Homepage, making it easier for users to identify and access OneDrive settings.
- Windows 11 version 25H2 and 24H2 – KB5072033 (OS Builds 26200.7462 and 26100.7462)
- Windows 11 Version 23H2 – KB5071417 (OS Build 22631.6345)
- More Details on Windows 11 version Numbers: Windows 11 Version Numbers Build Numbers Major Minor Build Rev.
Windows 11 Features and New Improvements – KB5072033 KB5071417
With the December Patch Tuesday update, keyboard controls for character repeat delay and rate as well as cursor blink rate have been relocated from the Control Panel to Settings. Users can now adjust character repeat settings via Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and manage cursor blink rate under Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor, offering a more streamlined and accessible experience.
| New Improvements | Details |
|---|---|
| Search results menu enhancement – New Agent in Settings | Displays more available results for quick discovery and modification. Includes a scroll bar to view all results easily. |
| Recommended settings – inline agent option | Recently changed settings show an inline agent option for faster adjustments. |
| Dialog for unmodifiable settings | Shows a dialog explaining why a setting cannot be changed and provides an option to modify as needed. |
| Streamlined context menu design – Click to Do – New Enhancements | Frequently used actions like Copy, Save, Share, and Open are easier to access and quicker to find. |
| Automatic context menu for large objects – Click to Do – New Enhancements | When a large image or table appears, the context menu opens automatically to help you quickly take action and view results. |
| Camera – New Windows Studio Effects Support – AI-powered Studio Effects on more cameras | Windows Studio Effects can now be used on additional cameras like USB webcams or the built-in rear camera on laptops. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras → select a connected camera → open Advanced camera options → turn on Use Windows Studio Effects. Studio Effects can be adjusted from the camera settings page or the quick settings menu in the taskbar. |
| Updated Search Box placeholder text | The placeholder text in the File Explorer Search Box now highlights the improved Windows Search experience. |
| Home page on-hover actions | On-hover quick actions on File Explorer Home improve file management speed and are now available for enterprise customers (previously released in KB5067036). |
| Windows Search – New Enhancement – Semantic search for AI-categorized photos | You can now search and find AI-categorized photos from the Microsoft Photos app directly using Windows Search with semantic search technology. |
| Advanced Settings – Virtual Workspaces toggle | You can now enable or disable Virtual Workspaces such as Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox via Settings > System > Advanced. |
| Desktop Spotlight – New context menu options | With Windows Spotlight set as your desktop background, the right-click menu now provides quick options to learn more about the current image or switch to a new background. |
| Unified dark mode visuals – File Explorer | Dialogs for copying, moving, and deleting files now blend seamlessly with dark mode across standard and expanded layouts. Progress indicators, charts, confirmation prompts (such as Skip or Replace), and various error messages have been redesigned for a cleaner and more readable dark theme experience. |
| Cleaner and more accessible context menu – File Explorer | The File Explorer right-click menu has been simplified to group popular actions — Share, Copy, Move, and more — into a single, easy-to-locate menu. This improves accessibility for all users, whether using a mouse, keyboard, or assistive tools. This update will first roll out to a limited number of devices for evaluation. |
| Gaming – Full Screen Experience (FSE) expanded | Now supported on more Windows 11 handheld devices beyond ASUS ROG Ally models. Offers a console-style Xbox interface, smoother performance, and fewer distractions. Can be enabled in: Settings > Gaming > Full screen experience. |
| Input (Pen) – Haptic pen feedback | Pens with haptic support now provide vibration feedback when interacting with the interface (e.g., hover over close button, snap windows). |
| Keyboard – Improved backlit keyboard behavior | Better backlight visibility on supported HID-compliant keyboards, with power-saving adjustments. |
| Mobile Device Settings – Manage mobile in Settings | New section under Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile Devices to manage connected camera and file access features. |
| OneDrive – New icon location | Updated OneDrive icon now appears in Settings > Accounts > Homepage. |
| Recovery – Quick Machine Recovery improvements | QMR performs a one-time scan to detect fixes and provides the best recovery guidance if immediate solutions are not available. |
| Keyboard settings relocation | Controls for character repeat delay & rate and cursor blink rate have been moved from Control Panel to Settings for easier access: Character repeat → Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard Cursor blink → Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor |
| Updated About page layout | The About page now organises device info and related options more clearly, providing quicker access to features such as Storage settings. |
| New Feature – Updated app group animations | Hovering over taskbar app groups now shows improved preview transitions as you slide between open apps. |
| New Feature – Share window with Copilot | You can now hover over an open app on the taskbar and select Share with Copilot. Copilot Vision will analyze the shared app window and provide insights similar to Microsoft Teams window sharing. |
| Widgets – New Enhancements – Default dashboard selection | You can now set a default dashboard in Widget Board settings. When live weather is displayed, Widgets will open the first dashboard in the navigation bar instead of the most recently accessed one. Adjust this by rearranging dashboards in Widget Settings. |
| Widgets – New Enhancements – Dashboard alert indicators | Dashboard icons in the navigation bar now show numeric alert badges representing the number of active alerts. These badges clear automatically when you leave that dashboard, helping you easily track new updates. |
| Windows Share – New Enhancements – Improved drag tray for sharing | The drag tray now supports multi-file sharing, displays more relevant apps, and allows quick movement of files to a chosen folder. |
| Windows Share – New Enhancements – Drag tray toggle in Settings | You can now enable or disable the drag tray via Settings > System > Nearby sharing for easier control. |
| Windows Share – New Enhancements – Share OneDrive files via other apps | OneDrive files can be shared through more apps using options under Share using after selecting Copy link (Microsoft account sign-in required). |
| Display & Graphics – Improvements – Improved | Monitor mode query performance Reduced stuttering on very high-resolution monitors when apps request supported display modes, improving smoothness and responsiveness. |
| Updated – Game Pass branding in Settings | References to Game Pass in Settings have been updated to reflect the latest branding and benefits. |
| Improved – Start menu search panel | The Windows Search panel now aligns in size with the new Start menu, providing a smoother transition when searching. |
| Improved – Prism on Windows on ARM | Windows on ARM devices now support emulation for applications using AVX, AVX2, and related extensions like BMI, FMA, and F16C, improving compatibility. |
Issues Fixed with Windows 11 October Patch 2025 – KB5072033 KB5071417
The December Patch Tuesday update also addresses a set of Settings-related issues. It resolves a problem where Settings could become unresponsive when navigating to the Network & Internet section. Additionally, the update fixes an issue where the search bar in Settings could overlap with the minimise and maximise buttons in the title bar, ensuring a smoother and more reliable user experience.
| Issues Fixed with Windows 11 October Patches | Description |
|---|---|
| Missing video thumbnails – File Explorer – Fixes | File Explorer now correctly displays thumbnails for video files that include certain EXIF metadata. |
| Unexpected toolbar display – File Explorer – Fixes | A random or unintended toolbar will no longer appear unexpectedly in File Explorer. |
| Generic app icon in context menu – – File Explorer – Fixes | When right-clicking a file, the icon beside the Open option will now correctly show the default app icon instead of a generic placeholder. |
| Settings freeze issue – Fixed Issue | Settings will no longer become unresponsive when navigating to Network & Internet. |
| Overlapping search bar – Fixed Issue | The search bar will no longer overlap the maximize/minimize buttons in the title bar. |
| Fixed Issue – Taskbar auto-hide issue | The Automatically hide the taskbar setting will no longer turn off unexpectedly after a toolbar warning. |
| Fixed Issue – Voice access interaction | Voice Access now works properly with taskbar items, ensuring correct number-based selection. |
| Fixed Issue – Incorrect icon scaling | Taskbar icons will no longer shrink unexpectedly even when space is sufficient. |
| Fixed – Brightness slider issue on AIO PCs | Brightness slider now maintains the selected brightness and no longer reverts to the previous level unexpectedly. |
| Fixed – Incorrect graphics card warnings in games | Certain games will no longer show Unsupported graphics card detected when a supported GPU is being used. |
| Fixed – Slow first-time sign-in | Signing into a new account will no longer be very slow the first time. |
| Fixed – Memory leak with slideshow lock screen | When the lock screen is set to slideshow, memory leaks have been resolved, preventing potential performance or reliability issues over time. |
| Fixed – ECC Smart Card sign-on error | Resolved an issue where STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED (0xc00000bb) might appear during sign-in when using ECC Smart Card Logon Credential. |
Known Issues from October Windows 11 Patch 2025
Some Windows updates installed using the Windows Update Standalone Installer (WUSA) may fail with the error ERROR_BAD_PATHNAME when multiple .msu files are stored in the same network share and the update is launched from there.
This issue mainly affects enterprise environments, as WUSA is rarely used on personal devices. The problem does not occur if the .msu file is stored locally or if the share contains only one .msu file.
| Summary | Originating Update | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Updates installed via WUSA might fail if installed from a shared folder | N/A | A resolution for this issue is planned for a future Windows update |
Intune Windows 11 KB5072033 KB5071417 Deployment
You can use Microsoft Intune to deploy the Windows 11 December 2025 Cumulative Update (LCU). Unlike SCCM, Intune handles updates differently. You don’t have to create a new patch policy, but you can speed up installation for devices that haven’t installed the December 2025 update by creating a quality update profile.
To do this, sign in to the Intune admin center, go to Devices > Windows 11 Quality Updates (preview), and create a profile with settings like profile name, description, faster installation for older devices, and restart enforcement after 1 day.
Read More – Software Update Patching Options with Intune Setup Guide
More Details on Zero Day Out Of Band Patch Deployment Using Intune MEM Expedite Best Option and Intune Reporting Issue: Expedite Windows Security Patch Deployment.
SCCM Windows 11 KB5072033 KB5071417 Deployment
You can deploy the Windows 11 December 2025 Cumulative Updates (KB5072033 KB5071417) using SCCM, WSUS, or Intune. To manage monthly updates, you can create a patch package for December 2025. You can also search for the Windows 11 LCU for December 2025 directly from the SCCM admin console, which is the easiest way to find and deploy these updates.
- In SCCM Console, Navigate to \Software Library\Overview\Software Updates\All Software Updates.
- You will need to initiate a WSUS Sync from the All Software Updates node (Right-click on the node and initiate the sync).
- Search with the following KB5072033 and KB5071417 Numbers.
- Or you can search with 22-12 Cumulative Update for Windows 11, as shown in the below screenshot.
Direct Download Links of Windows 11 KB5072033 KB5071417
You can manually download the December 2025 Cumulative Updates for Windows 11 (KB5072033 KB5071417) from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The tables below provide direct download links for these updates. You can check the Microsoft Update Catalog portal to get the Windows 11 LCUs direct download links to the hotfixes for December 2025 LCU. Check this out Microsoft Update Catalog –https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/
| Cumulative Update for Windows 11 | Products | Size | Direct Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 25H2 for x64-based Systems(KB5072033) | Windows 11 25H2 | 3912.1 MB | Download |
| 2025-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5072033) | Windows 11 24H2 | 4279.1 MB | Download |
| 2025-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 version 23H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5071417) | Windows 11 23H2 | 4279.1 MB | Download |
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Resources
December 9, 2025—KB5072033 (OS Builds 26200.7462 and 26100.7462) – Microsoft Support
Author
Anoop C Nair has been Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for 10 consecutive years! He is a Workplace Solution Architect with more than 22+ years of experience in Workplace technologies. He is also a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group Community leader. His primary focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM and Intune. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security, Career, etc.