It’s safe to say Microsoft didn’t get off to a smooth start in 2026. What began as a routine January Patch Tuesday quickly spiraled into a multi-stage cleanup operation, forcing the company to issue not one, but two out-of-band emergency updates in less than two weeks.
After the initial Patch Tuesday introduced major issues, a first emergency fix followed—only to create new problems of its own. Outlook freezing, cloud storage apps breaking, and file access failures left many users stuck between buggy updates and unresolved security risks.
Microsoft has now released a second emergency patch to finally stabilize affected systems. The updates are available for Windows 11 (all supported versions) and Windows 10, and this time, they’re delivered directly through Windows Update.
How the January 2026 Patch Tuesday Went Wrong
To understand why Microsoft had to issue multiple emergency fixes, it helps to look at how events unfolded.
On January 13, 2026, Microsoft released its monthly Patch Tuesday updates:
These updates addressed more than 110 security vulnerabilities, including several rated critical. But shortly after rollout, serious issues began surfacing.
Two major problems stood out:
- Remote Desktop failures, impacting Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 users
- Shutdown issues on Windows 11 23H2, where PCs rebooted instead of powering off when Secure Launch was enabled
Given the severity and scope of these bugs, Microsoft moved quickly—but not carefully enough.
The First Emergency Patch Made Things Worse
On January 17, Microsoft released out-of-band emergency updates:
- KB5077744 for Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2
- KB5077797 for Windows 11 23H2
These updates had to be manually downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog, bypassing Windows Update entirely.
While they successfully fixed the Remote Desktop and shutdown issues, they also introduced new and highly disruptive bugs, particularly affecting applications that rely on cloud storage.
Outlook, OneDrive, and Dropbox Break After the Fix
The most serious regression introduced by the January 17 emergency patch involved cloud-based file access.
Users reported that applications interacting with OneDrive and Dropbox began freezing, crashing, or throwing unexpected errors when opening or saving files.
The worst-case scenario affected classic Outlook:
- Outlook would completely freeze if PST files were stored on OneDrive
- The app often refused to relaunch
- Users were forced to kill the process via Task Manager or reboot their PC
Additional issues included:
- Emails re-downloading repeatedly
- Sent messages disappearing from the Outbox
- General instability during synchronization
Microsoft initially suggested temporary workarounds, such as:
- Switching to Outlook Web
- Moving PST files off OneDrive
- Uninstalling January updates entirely
None of these were ideal, especially since the January updates contained critical security fixes.
Second Emergency Update Released on January 24, 2026
On January 24, Microsoft finally published a new set of cumulative out-of-band updates designed to clean up the mess.
These updates include:
- The original January 13 security patches
- The fixes from the January 17 emergency update
- A full resolution for the Outlook and cloud storage bugs
Available Updates by Windows Version
Windows 11
Windows 10
These updates are intended to be the final word on the January 2026 patch issues.
How to Install the Latest Emergency Updates
Unlike the first emergency patch, these new updates are distributed via Windows Update, making installation much easier.
Automatic Installation
If the option “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” is enabled in Windows Update settings, the patch will download and install automatically.
Manual Installation via Windows Update
If automatic updates are disabled:
- Open Settings
- Go to Windows Update
- Click Check for updates
- Install the available January emergency update
- Restart your PC when prompted
The update will only appear if your system already installed one of the January updates.
Manual Download from Microsoft Update Catalog
For administrators or offline installs, updates are also available in the Microsoft Update Catalog:
| System | Update | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 25H2 / 24H2 | KB5078127 | Download |
| Windows 11 23H2 | KB5078132 | Download |
| Windows 10 22H2 / Enterprise LTSC 2021 | KB5078129 | Download |
| Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 | KB5078131 | Download |
Final Thoughts: A Rough Start to 2026 for Windows Updates
January 2026 will likely go down as one of Microsoft’s messier patch cycles in recent years. A security update caused system-level issues, an emergency fix introduced new regressions, and only a second out-of-band patch managed to restore stability.
While it’s encouraging that Microsoft acted quickly, this episode highlights ongoing concerns about update quality control, especially when fixes roll out under pressure.
If you were affected by Outlook freezes, cloud storage failures, or Remote Desktop issues, installing the latest emergency update is strongly recommended. It should finally put an end to the January patch chaos—at least until the next Patch Tuesday.
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