Windows 11 KB5068861 25H2 out with features, direct download links (.msu)

Windows 11 KB5068861 is available on Windows 11 25H2 or 24H2, and it’s one of the biggest updates of the year. It turns on the new Start UI for more users, adds colourful battery icons to the taskbar, and it also improves performance. In addition to Windows Update, Microsoft has posted direct download links for the KB5068861 offline installer.

KB5068861 is a mandatory release part of Windows 11 November 2025 Update, and it will automatically download and install in the coming hours. This update shows up as “2025-11 Security Update (KB5068861) (26200.7171).” For those unaware, Microsoft has now dropped OS version and architecture details from the update titles.

In our tests, Windows Latest observed that Windows 11 25H2 advances to Build 26200.7171, but if you are on version 24H2, it’ll bump to Build 26100.7171. The size of the November 2025 Update is approximately 1GB when you download it from Windows Update, but it can go up to 4GB when you use the Update Catalog.

Download Links for Windows 11 KB5068861

Windows 11 KB5068861 Direct Download Links: 64-bit and ARM-64 | This is the direct link to the Update Catalog where you just need to click ‘Download’ next to the update supported on your PC. You can verify the OS version and architecture from Settings > System > About.

As I always recommend to consumers and businesses, if Windows Update is working, you can just use it over Update Catalog. If you run into issues with Windows Update, use Update Catalog I linked above.

What’s new in Windows 11 Build 26200.7171 (25H2) and 26100.7171 (24H2)

1. New Start menu now rolling out

Windows 11’s Start menu has been updated for the first time since its launch, and it now uses a single-page layout. This means you don’t have to click on “All” to see a list of installed apps or games. Instead, you just need to scroll down to see all your apps, but even that can be annoying.

Thankfully, Microsoft has created two new “views” for the all apps list. The first is ‘Categories,’ which is the default if you install Windows 11 KB5068861. In this view, all apps are grouped under different categories. For example, if you have Windows Media Player installed, Spotify, and Netflix, they’ll be grouped under “Entertainment.”

You might wonder how these categories actually work in the Windows 11 Start menu, but I’ve got the details.

Windows 11 KB5068861 creates a 15MB JSON for the new Start menu categories feature.

Windows uses a 15 MB JSON, which is stored locally to assign apps to different categories. When Start builds the “All” list, it pulls the list of installed apps (Store packages, etc), normalizes their IDs to and checks them against these per-category lists.

If an app’s ProductId is found under a category key, the app is tagged for that specific group of apps. Windows 11 Start menu does not ping Microsoft or Windows Store servers to create these categories, and it’s an offline experience. But the catch is that there must be at least three apps for the category to show up. Otherwise, those apps collapse into Other.

But if you prefer the existing alphabetical list, you can always switch back. There is also a middle ground. The option is called Grid list. This shows all apps in a grid layout, which takes less space, and it’s also filtered using the alphabet, as it previously did.

2. New colourful battery icons for the taskbar with percentage support

Windows 11 KB5068861 also adds colourful taskbar battery icons. This means you are going to see three different colours for battery level.

For example, we’ve red colour when the battery is about to run out of energy or is below 6%. It’s static white the rest of the time, but when you turn on the energy saver (previously called battery saver), it turns orange, and it’s green when you charge the device.

I also notice that the battery icon length has been increased to make these colours easier to understand, and Microsoft has also added the percentage.

You are going to see the percentage on the right side of the battery icon, but this feature is turned off by default, and needs to be turned on from the “Power and sleep” settings.

“In addition to updating the the battery icon that you’ll see in the in the in the bottom right there, you can also turn on the percentage value on your taskbar so you’ll be able to see it top level at a glance… without needing to go into the quick setting menu or or hover over your your battery icon,” a Microsoft official explained.

Microsoft previously told Windows Latest that it started working on the colour taskbar battery feature about a year ago because of the feedback. Microsoft says the old taskbar icon was not really clear because it was almost always static white, and with limited space, you could not even guess the level unless you hover.

“You can’t understand what level my battery’s at, what charging state I’m in… it’s a teeny tiny icon… there was a lot of [feedback like hey can we please have… battery percentage, a Microsoft designer explained in a webcast. Fast forward to November 2025, and we finally have a better battery icon, and it’s included in Windows 11 KB5068861.

However, Microsoft told me that most features, including this new battery icon, in Windows 11 KB5068861 are rolling out in stages.

3. Task Manager now quits.

In a statement to Windows Latest, Microsoft confirmed it patched an issue where Task Manager does not quit when you use the close button (“X”). While Microsoft won’t share the details, Windows Latest understands that a bug in the Task Manager was sending it to the background instead of ending the process.

This means Windows could end up with hundreds of Task Manager processes if you have a habit of opening Task Manager frequently, or if you don’t shut down the PC.

Windows Latest and Microsoft found that the Task Manager bug was hurting performance, but it’s finally patched.

Windows Latest verified that Windows 11 KB5068861 finally allows the Task Manager to quit, and this change is available immediately after installing the update.

4. Faster performance in some cases

Windows 11 KB5068861 could actually make a thing or two run faster on your PC.

After installing the update, Windows Latest found that the taskbar is now faster, as it quickly loads after you turn on the PC or unlock it from sleep. Previously, a bug slowed the taskbar when you unlocked your PC from sleep. As a result, you might have noticed how apps on the taskbar take time to load.

In some cases, the taskbar would not load at all, and you would need to restart the explorer.exe process to bring back the taskbar. Also, a bug where the lock screen freezes, and the password field does not appear after booting.

Microsoft says these two issues are now also patched, and both the taskbar and lock screen should feel faster.