Windows 11 KB5074105 preview update: New features and fixes for 25H2

Microsoft has released KB5074105 as the January 2026 Preview Update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, pushing systems to build 26200.7705. Unlike KB5074109, this is an optional, non-security update that focuses on new features and cleaning up some of the mess from January’s earlier patches.

What’s new in KB5074105

The update introduces a handful of user-facing changes and under-the-hood improvements, including:

• Cross-device Resume: Lets you pick up certain activities started on your Android phone (like media or documents) directly on your Windows 11 PC via the taskbar.
• Upgraded Windows MIDI services: improved support for MIDI 1.0/2.0 devices and better sharing between apps, which should please music creators and DAW users.
• Smarter security controls: Smart App Control can now be enabled or disabled from Windows Security without reinstalling Windows.
• New “Device” card in Settings Home: surfaces basic hardware and usage info right on the main Settings page.
• Expanded Windows Hello support: Enhanced Sign-In Security now works with some external fingerprint readers, not just built-in sensors.

Bug fixes after January’s problems

KB5074105 also brings a long list of fixes, some clearly aimed at issues seen after KB5074109:

• Fixes a black screen issue that could affect some systems after sign-in.
• Addresses Start menu and taskbar glitches, including cases where Explorer could hang at first login, preventing the taskbar from appearing.
• Fixes a dxgmms2.sys-related BSOD, which sits in the graphics stack, plus various desktop icon and desktop.ini localization quirks.

Because it’s a preview, KB5074105 won’t install automatically unless you explicitly click Download & install (or have “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” turned on). For users still nervous after KB5074109, it may be worth waiting for the next full Patch Tuesday rollup, but for those affected by the specific Start/menu/black screen issues it targets, this preview is Microsoft’s first attempt at a broader clean-up.