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Microsoft has released KB5120998, an optional preview update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 containing 35 changes and fixes. The release focuses heavily on usability, including long-requested taskbar customization, Start menu controls and improved Windows Search, while also beginning the rollout of a new security feature designed to reduce the risks associated with permanent administrator privileges.

Because KB5120998 is an optional preview release, it does not contain new security fixes. Microsoft uses these updates to let users and IT administrators test improvements that will later become part of the regular cumulative update distributed through Patch Tuesday. Installing it moves Windows 11 25H2 to build 26200.9278 and Windows 11 24H2 to 26100.9278.

One of the most visible changes is the return of greater control over taskbar positioning. After installing KB5120998, users can place the Windows 11 taskbar at the bottom, top, left or right of the display through the personalization settings. Most existing customization options, including the ability to prevent taskbar icons from being combined, continue working regardless of its position.

Microsoft is also introducing a smaller taskbar option that reduces both its height and icon size. The change is particularly useful for laptops and other devices with limited screen space, where Windows 11’s relatively large interface elements can consume a noticeable portion of the display.

The Start menu receives similar customization improvements. Users can select different sizes and independently control whether the Pinned, Recommended and All sections appear. The account name and profile picture can also be hidden, giving users considerably more control over an interface that Microsoft initially made much less customizable than Windows 10.

KB5120998 also begins rolling out Administrator Protection, a security feature intended to reduce the amount of time users operate with elevated privileges. Instead of maintaining unrestricted administrator access throughout a session, Windows can provide just-in-time privileges when an administrative operation actually requires them.

Microsoft says the mechanism uses profile separation to strengthen protection against privilege-escalation attacks, although the company explicitly notes that Administrator Protection is not considered a formal security boundary.

The feature is disabled by default and is currently aimed primarily at managed environments. Administrators can enable it through Group Policy or OMA-URI policies delivered using Microsoft Intune. The broader idea follows the principle of least privilege: even legitimate administrators should not continuously possess permissions they only occasionally need.

Microsoft is also changing how Windows indexes local files. Windows 11 can now automatically identify and index frequently used folders so their contents appear more reliably in future searches. Users can control the behavior under Settings → Privacy & Security → Search → Automatically find additional relevant locations.

Another change addresses update behavior on sleeping computers. If a user manually puts a PC to sleep before an update, Windows will now attempt to return the device to sleep after completing the update, even when automatic sleep is otherwise configured as “Never.”

Microsoft is also introducing support for its Windows Update Orchestration Platform (UOP), allowing participating third-party applications to coordinate their own updates with Windows Update. In principle, this could reduce the fragmented experience where Windows, applications and other components all maintain independent update mechanisms.

The update contains improvements intended to make Windows more resilient when background VPN processes stop responding. Microsoft has not described this as a major VPN redesign, but the change should improve recovery from certain process-related failures.

At the same time, Microsoft is continuing to remove legacy components. Beginning with the August 2026 releases,WMIC—the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line utility—is no longer included with Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. It had already been removed by default from clean installations, but Microsoft is now eliminating its availability as a Feature on Demand as well.

PowerShell and modern Windows management interfaces remain the recommended replacements, making the change particularly relevant to administrators maintaining older scripts that still depend onwmic.exe.

Microsoft is also warning that a limited number of computers may experience one additional restart while installing this and upcoming Windows updates. The extra reboot is associated with Microsoft’s ongoing Secure Boot certificate updates and is expected to occur only once as affected devices transition to the new certificates.

This is part of Microsoft’s broader effort to replace Secure Boot certificates that are approaching expiration. For most users, the practical effect should simply be an additional reboot during an update rather than a persistent change in normal Windows behavior.

KB5120998 can be installed through Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, followed by selecting Download and install. Systems configured to receive Microsoft’s latest updates as soon as they become available may receive it automatically.

Since this is a preview update, users who prioritize stability have little reason to rush. The important fixes and improvements are expected to become part of a future regular cumulative release after Microsoft has gathered additional telemetry from early adopters.

For users who do install it, however, KB5120998 is more interesting than a typical maintenance update. Microsoft is restoring several pieces of Windows interface flexibility, introducing a more restrictive administrator model and continuing to modernize Windows management by retiring legacy components such as WMIC.

Taken together, the 35 changes show Microsoft continuing to adjust two areas that have generated considerable criticism since Windows 11 launched:an interface with fewer customization options than its predecessor and a security model in which powerful privileges are often available for much longer than they are actually needed.

⁠Original report at BleepingComputer