KB5094981

Microsoft has released cumulative update KB5094981 (Build 26220.8575) for Windows 11 version 25H2, intended for insiders on the Beta channel. This build includes new functionality for Windows Update, as well as fixes aimed at restoring audio functionality, improving graphical interface stability, and eliminating system freezes.

• Windows Update. Added the ability to extend the update pause as many times as needed, giving users more flexibility in controlling patch installation.
• Audio. Fixed an issue where audio did not work for some insiders after installing recent builds.
• Settings. Addressed an issue affecting the reliability of the Settings > Apps > Installed apps section after installing recent builds.
• General reliability. Resolved freezes that occurred in the previous build when working with search, Notepad, and several other scenarios.

Some features under active development that Microsoft preliminarily presents to insiders may not be fully localized. Localization will be completed as features are finalized. If you notice localization issues in your language, report them through the Feedback Hub app.

Installation is done through Windows Update: go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A computer restart is required to complete the installation.

How the new features work:

Windows Update: The user can now repeatedly extend the update pause without limitations. The system modifies a value in the registry and Task Scheduler, resetting the deferred installation timer each time the previous pause period expires, allowing the administrator to flexibly manage the timing of patch deployment and reboots.

Audio: Fixed a bug related to the initialization of audio devices after installing recent builds. The issue occurred due to a failure when enumerating audio endpoints in audiosrv.dll or incorrect loading of APO (Audio Processing Objects) drivers, which prevented the system audio stream from starting for some Insiders.

Settings: Addressed a crash affecting the stability of the Settings > Apps > Installed apps section. The error was related to incomplete or interrupted loading of the package list from the registry and AppX manifests, causing the UI thread to hang when trying to render icons and metadata of installed programs.

General reliability: Resolved critical freezes that occurred in the previous build when working with search, Notepad, and several other scenarios. The issue was localized in the window message queue processing mechanism and input thread dispatching failures, which blocked the main loop of the search indexer integration and caused deadlocks in the UI thread of Win32 applications.

The last 10 Windows updates: