What’s happened? Microsoft has started rolling out the November Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11, KB5068861. It moves the redesigned Start menu out of preview and ships practical fixes through Windows Update.
- According to Microsoft’s release notes, KB5068861 is available now via Windows Update, and some visual changes appear gradually after installation as the rollout completes.
- Start gains more control with extra pins, the option to hide Recommended, All apps on the main page, a quick Phone Link toggle, and a layout that scales on larger screens.
- The Taskbar’s battery icon is larger and color-coded by power state, and you can enable a persistent percentage readout.
- A Task Manager bug is fixed so closing it ends the process, and Windows handhelds get improvements for low-power behavior and controller responsiveness after sign-in.
This is important because: These are changes you feel every day. Start becomes quicker to navigate, battery status is clear at a glance, and the background Task Manager issue is resolved. Portable players also get more reliable battery behavior.
- Closing Task Manager now fully exits the process, avoiding slowdowns over time.
- Start delivers more control without extra tools, which cuts the hunting and clicks.
- Battery info is simpler to read with the larger icon and optional percentage.
Why should I care? This update trims friction. You move through apps faster, you know exactly how much battery is left, and you avoid a quiet performance drain. If you use a handheld, low-power states hold more reliably.
- More pins and the ability to hide Recommended speed up navigation.
- The percentage option gives an instant battery read, no hover required.
- The background-process bug in Task Manager is gone.
- Handhelds behave better after sign-in with quicker controller response.
Okay, so what’s next? Rollout is gradual, so the Start menu upgrade and battery tweaks may appear over the next few days after installing the patch. Most changes live in Settings and on the Taskbar, so you can fine-tune quickly.
- Check Windows Update, install KB5068861, then reboot to activate features.
- In Start settings, add pins, hide Recommended, and set All apps on the main page.
- In Taskbar settings, turn on the battery percentage and confirm the larger icon.
