Windows 11 bug breaks the entire desktop for some users — but luckily there's a fix

• Windows 11 has been hit by a bug that crashes Explorer.exe
• This means the core interface essentially vanishes
• Fortunately, Microsoft has deployed a fix, but you'll need to install the latest optional update to benefit from it

Windows 11 has a bug that's crashing key parts of the interface for some people, but the good news is that Microsoft has now issued a fix.

Windows Latest reports that the glitch was carried by the January update, but also previous monthly updates, and it causes Explorer.exe to crash, which is the central pillar of the Windows 11 interface.

If Windows Explorer bombs out, this can lead to your entire desktop interface disappearing, meaning the taskbar will vanish, and you won't be able to access the Start menu or system tray (or desktop folders for that matter).

Restarting Explorer (in Task Manager) is a possible workaround, as is just resetting the PC, but clearly this is an inconvenient and rather nasty bug.

This only affects PCs that have certain apps installed, as Microsoft explains in a support document: "This update addresses an issue where Explorer.exe might stop responding (hang) the first time you sign in to your PC if certain apps were configured as startup apps. This could make the taskbar not appear."

However, the company doesn't elaborate on which apps might be problematic here.

Analysis: a fix is present – and it should be the first of many

As noted, if you've been hit by mysterious crashes where the Windows 11 interface has essentially been doing a vanishing act, a cure is now available for this bug.

Microsoft has provided a fix in a new optional update that was released a couple of days ago, namely patch KB5074105. You'll find this under Windows Update (in Settings), just check for updates and it should be revealed.

I wouldn't normally recommend installing a preview update, but if you've been hit by a particularly annoying bug – like this one – and it'll be resolved by an optional update, then it's likely worth any risk involved. By which I mean preview updates can misfire by their very nature – as they're still in testing – but if you're already suffering at the hands of something frustrating, it's very likely you'll get a favorable trade-off. That's certainly the case here.

Note that as the fix is still rolling out, you may not get it immediately, although any wait should not be long at this point.

Microsoft is already working on tuning up Windows 11 in terms of vanquishing bugs and dealing with performance pain points, and has promised that this year will be a period of fixing up the desktop operating system. Hopefully that means there will be fewer problems with Windows 11 updates as 2026 progresses, but we'll just have to see if that becomes the reality for the OS in time.

It can't get any worse than January, mind you, with the first month of 2026 proving to be something of a nightmare for Microsoft, and more to the point, a disaster for some of its customers using Windows 11.

The best laptops for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops
1. Best overall:
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4
2. Best budget:
Asus Chromebook CM14
3. Best Windows 11 laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best gaming:
Razer Blade 16
5. Best for pros
MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.