Windows 11 Update KB5074105: Enhanced Cross-Device Features and System Optimizations

Microsoft has released a new non-security update that significantly improves how Windows interacts with mobile devices and peripheral hardware. This optional update brings refined control over accessibility tools and resolves several long-standing interface bugs.

New Features for Seamless Productivity

Expanded Cross-Device Resume Functionality

Microsoft has upgraded the Cross-Device Resume feature, allowing you to transition your work effortlessly from an Android phone to your PC.

• App Continuity: You can now resume Spotify playback, pick up where you left off in Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), or continue browsing sessions.

• Browser Support: Vivo users can now sync their browsing history directly from the Vivo Browser to their PC.

• Cloud File Integration: Users with HONOR, OPPO, Samsung, Vivo, or Xiaomi devices can resume working on online files opened via the Copilot mobile app. These files will automatically launch in the corresponding desktop Office app or your default browser.

Professional Audio with Windows MIDI Services

Musicians and producers will benefit from improved MIDI 1.0 and 2.0 support. The update introduces shared MIDI ports across different applications, custom port naming, and app-to-app MIDI routing. For advanced users, a separate App SDK and Tools package is available, featuring a MIDI Console and dedicated Settings app to fine-tune performance.

Accessibility and User Experience Enhancements

Personalized Narrator and Voice Controls

• Narrator Customization: You now have granular control over how Narrator announces on-screen elements. You can choose specific details to be spoken and reorder them to fit your navigation style, reducing unnecessary “chatter.”

• Streamlined Voice Access: A redesigned setup process helps users download speech models, configure microphones, and learn voice commands more quickly.

• Voice Typing Flexibility: A new “Wait time before acting” setting allows you to adjust the delay for voice commands, improving accuracy for both fast and slow speakers.

Security and System Settings

• Windows Hello Peripheral Support: Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) now supports external fingerprint sensors. This allows desktop users and those without built-in sensors to enjoy the same high-level security as laptop users.

• Device Card in Settings: A new card on the Settings home page provides a quick snapshot of your PC’s hardware specifications and usage details when signed in with a Microsoft account.

• Smart App Control (SAC): You can now toggle Smart App Control on or off through Windows Security without needing a clean Windows installation.

Critical Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

Microsoft has addressed several UI and system-level glitches to improve overall stability:

Interface and Start Menu Fixes

• Start Menu Alignment: Fixed an issue where the Start menu appeared on the wrong side of the screen for Arabic and Hebrew users.

• Shutdown Warnings: Resolved a bug where warning messages were cut off when shutting down with multiple users signed in.

• Desktop Stability: Desktop icons will no longer move unexpectedly when you rename or open files.

System Stability and Performance

• File Explorer: Improved responsiveness when browsing network locations.

• Sign-in Reliability: Fixed a hang  Explorer.exe that occasionally caused the taskbar to disappear during the first login.

• Windows Sandbox: Addressed the startup error 0x800705b4 that caused Sandbox to become unresponsive.

• Activation Issues: Fixed a bug where valid digital licenses failed to migrate correctly during a Windows upgrade.

How to Install

Since KB5074105 is an optional update, Windows will not install it automatically. To get these features:

1. Go to Settings > Windows Update.

2. Click Check for updates.

3. Select the optional update to download and install.

4. Alternatively, download it manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog.