In late June 2024, Microsoft confirmed a strange bug in some versions and configurations of Windows 11. The company revealed that Windows N and regular versions with certain disabled functions suffered from a broken taskbar, causing them to stop responding or even disappear from the screen. Now the issue has finally been fixed.

Windows 11 already has a solution to the taskbar problem!

The taskbar issue is mainly affecting Windows N users. It is a special version with some multimedia features disabled by default and other versions with “Multimedia Features” disabled in the Control Panel. In the official release notes for KB5040442, the July 2024 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11, Microsoft confirmed that the taskbar should now work normally.

Here's what Microsoft said:

Taskbar (Known Issue) You may not be able to view or interact with the taskbar after installing KB5039302. This issue occurs on devices running Windows N edition. This edition is similar to the other editions, but lacks most multimedia-related tools. The issue also occurs if you disable Multimedia Features in Control Panel.

KB5040442 is a mandatory update because it contains important security updates. This means that your system will download and install it without asking for permission. However, you can speed up the process by going to Settings > Windows Update and clicking on “Check for updates.” Alternatively, access Microsoft Update Catalog Download the offline installer package. Available here.

There is still a known issue that Microsoft needs to address. In Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, business users cannot upgrade from Pro to Enterprise, even with a valid license. Microsoft is working to resolve this issue.

However, if you haven’t noticed, Microsoft recently issued a warning that Windows 11 versions 21H2 and 22H2 will reach end of support in less than 90 days. Customers holding these versions will be forced to upgrade to version 23H2, which is currently the latest version of Windows 11.