Key Points
- Microsoft has released an emergency fix for a bug that prevented some Windows 11 devices from shutting down.
- The bug caused affected devices to restart rather than power down.
- The update also fixes an issue that was preventing users from logging in with remote connection apps.
- The problems were introduced with the January 2026 Windows security update.
Microsoft has pushed out an emergency “out-of-band” update to fix a couple of serious bugs introduced by its latest January 2026 security patch. The most annoying of these was an issue that prevented some Windows 11 users from shutting down or hibernating their computers. Instead of powering down, the devices would just restart.
The bug affected Windows 11 devices that use a security feature called “Secure Launch.” The new emergency fix resolves this problem, so you can now turn off your computer properly again.
The same update also fixes another critical issue that prevented both Windows 10 and Windows 11 users from logging in to their devices via remote connection apps. Microsoft said that a “credential prompt failure” was the culprit, and that has now been repaired.
This is the second time in recent months that Microsoft has had to issue an emergency fix for Windows 11. Back in October, a different update caused problems with the Windows Recovery Environment.
While these two major bugs have been squashed, it seems the January security update is still causing some headaches. Some users are reportedly still experiencing issues, such as blank screens and crashes, in the classic version of Outlook.
For anyone still hesitant to make the jump to Windows 11, Microsoft is offering a way to extend Windows 10’s life through a new “Extended Security Updates” program.
