Windows 11 is down to one restart a month, and it has already started

A small change with a disproportionate effect on your afternoon. Windows has started holding back the updates that need a restart and installing them together, once, with the monthly security patch. The support document is KB5121772, it applies to Windows 11 24H2, 25H2 and 26H1, and it covers updates released on or after 28 July 2026. Three things get folded in: driver updates delivered through Windows Update, .NET updates, and firmware updates. Microsoft's description of the old behaviour was that it caused "more interruptions than necessary", which is generous.

The obvious worry, am I now waiting weeks for a security fix, is answered in the document itself. Security updates keep their usual slot on the second Tuesday of the month. The extras are pulled forward to join them rather than the patch being held back. Four categories still install whenever they need to: Defender's virus definitions, AI component updates, urgent driver fixes, and out-of-band emergency patches.

Two caveats. It's a staged rollout, so not every eligible PC has it yet. And it doesn't cancel the extra Secure Boot certificate restart some machines are still working through, which Microsoft flagged separately in the notes for August's preview update and which we explained when the black screens started.

If you'd rather pick your own moment, Settings then Windows Update then Available updates shows what's queued, with Restart now to get it over with or a pause of up to 35 days. Tendvane's check-for-updates gives you the same picture in one screen, and on the rare occasion an update jams halfway, the Windows Update repair wizard is what to reach for.