Windows 11 KB5062553 update is now available for Windows 11 24H2, and it comes with as many as five new features, including smaller icons in the taskbar. The July 2025 Patch Tuesday update is rolling out via Windows Update, but Microsoft has also posted direct download links for KB5062553 offline installers (.msu). More on this later.
Windows 11 KB5062553 is a mandatory security update, and it will download or install automatically. But if you run into issues, you can always remove the update from Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall update, and select Uninstall. You don’t have to remove this update, as it’s an important release, but you should be aware.
Windows 11 July 2025 Update finally allows you to have smaller taskbar icons. As you can see in the screenshot below, there’s a new “Show smaller taskbar buttons” button, and by default, it’s set to “When the taskbar is full.”
This means when there are several apps open and the taskbar is running out of space, Windows will now make the icons smaller, so there’s enough room for new and existing apps or icons. At the moment, if you open a lot of apps and the taskbar has run out of space, it uses a ‘^’ arrow button to show the rest of the apps in a separate applet.
Smaller taskbar icons are a neat idea, but it looks a bit odd because the taskbar retains its original size. Have a look at the screenshot below. Is it just me, or do you also find it out? Let me know in the comments at the end of the article.
Thankfully, you can always disable the smaller taskbar icons treatment from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. And if you want to have smaller taskbar icons all the time, there’s a toggle to change it to “Always.”
In our tests, Windows Latest noticed that a reboot is not required to switch between the taskbar modes, and the animation is smooth. I made a video that you can watch above.
This update shows up as “2025-07 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5062553),” and it advances PCs to Windows 11 Build 26100.4652.
Download Links for Windows 11 KB5062553
Windows 11 KB5062553 Direct Download Links: 64-bit and ARM-64 | Microsoft Update Catalog.
What’s new in Windows 11 Build 26100.4652?
Windows 11 KB5062553 is part of the Windows 11 July 2025 Patch Tuesday cycle, but that doesn’t mean you’ll immediately see the features we’re going to show here.
1. Smaller taskbar icons and taskbar icon indicators
As I mentioned, you can now switch between smaller and regular taskbar icons from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. But that’s not the new feature. Another notable addition is new icon indicators for the taskbar.
You’ll notice that the pill-shaped alert, which appears below the icons, is now more visible.
Default-app headaches inside the European Economic Area just eased up. You can now hit the one-click “Set default” button in Settings and Windows now grabs extra file types for your chosen browser, pins that browser to Start and the taskbar (unless you uncheck the boxes), and even offers a separate toggle to hand .pdf files to the same app.
2. Narrator can now black screen
Microsoft is finally making it easier for those who use Narrator to have a private life when they’re around people.
With Windows 11 KB5062553, Narrator now blacks out the screen and hides sensitive material, so the people around cannot see what’s on the screen. You can use Narrator with Ctrl + Windows Key + Enter, and then you need to turn on “Screen Curtain” with a shortcut Lock + Ctrl + C. The same shortcut turns off Screen Curtain.
3. Click To Do for Copilot+ PCs
This is only for those with new Copilot+ PCs (40+ TOPs), so scroll below if you’ve a regular PC. But those with AI PCs can now access “Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot” from the Click to Do menu, which can be triggered with a right-click or Copilot key.
When the Click to Do menu opens, which can open anywhere, including images or texts, you can now select the MS 365 Copilot option. This will upload the screen content to Microsoft 365 Copilot.
After Windows 11 KB5062553 on Copilot+ PCs, you can now highlight text or an image, send it to the 365 Copilot app, and get an answer without copy-pasting.
4. Faster File Explorer
In our tests, Windows Latest observed that File Explorer can now handle archives up to 10-15% faster. We tested it on a range of devices, including Intel Core i7 155H, and performance was noticeably better, but only in certain use cases.
In Windows 11 KB5062553, File Explorer extracts .7z or .rar archives feels faster, but only when there are thousands of files inside the archive. If you have a few files, which are huge in size, you would not notice any difference.
For example, I created an archive with five .ISO files, and when I tried extracting it, I didn’t notice any meaningful difference. But when I extracted the contents of all the .ISO files into different folders and then archived everything, the extraction ran 13% faster.
5. PC-to-PC migration
Windows 11 KB5062553 is adding a new feature, PC-to-PC migration. This will allow you to connect local PCs over the same network, authenticate using a PIN code, and transfer files wirelessly without connecting to the cloud. This could aid in Windows 10 to Windows 11 migration, but the feature is a placeholder and doesn’t work right now.
Dozens of important fixes
Game windows stop freezing when you Alt-Tab away, Japanese typing on the touch keyboard no longer stalls after you jump between languages, the Quick Settings buttons respond again, and a rogue display bug that painted some monitors green is gone.
Even old problems like over-thick printed lines and sluggish scripts on ancient SMB shares have been addressed.
