Windows 11’s August update is rolling out now, and while it is mostly a routine monthly patch, it carries one performance feature that users have been waiting for: faster app launches.
The update landed on Tuesday as part of Microsoft’s August Patch Tuesday release. The cumulative updates are KB5121003 for versions 24H2 and 25H2, KB5120240 for 23H2, and KB5121000 for the newer 26H1. In total, Microsoft fixed more than 400 vulnerabilities this month, including one zero-day that attackers were already exploiting in the wild.
The exploited flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-68820, is a use-after-free bug in afd.sys, the kernel driver that supports the Windows Sockets API. An attacker who can run code on a machine can trigger a race condition to elevate privileges to SYSTEM level, and no user interaction is required. Microsoft’s assessment flags it as actively exploited. A second issue, CVE-2026-62832 in the Windows User Profile Service, was publicly disclosed ahead of the patch and is considered likely to be exploited. The Zero Day Initiative counted 62 critical vulnerabilities in the month’s haul.
The headline feature is the extension of Low Latency Profile (LLP) to applications. LLP first appeared in June, applied only to parts of the interface such as the Start menu and Notification Center. When an app launches, LLP nudges the processor into a brief speed boost so the program loads noticeably faster; with Task Manager open, the CPU visibly ramps for a couple of seconds before settling back down. The rollout is controlled, so not every machine will see it immediately.
The second notable addition is Voice Isolation in Voice Access, Windows 11’s built-in voice control. When enabled, it filters out background noise and other people speaking so that only the user’s voice is picked up. The full version requires a one-time voice setup, found in Voice Access settings under Improve speech recognition. A lighter option removes non-speech background noise such as typing or door slams and needs no setup at all. Voice Access also gains Korean language support.
Third, search gets a round of small fixes: Windows now handles typos and partial app names when you search for software, and settings search should surface the more useful options higher in the results.
Beyond those three, the patch includes several other improvements. Precision touchpad users get new gesture controls, including an adjustable baseline speed for scroll and zoom, plus accelerated scrolling for long documents. The Energy Saver threshold setting is back in Settings, System, Power and Battery, after Microsoft removed it and users complained. The lock screen now shows only the weather widget by default, taskbar notification badges use the accent color instead of red, and Windows Hello’s Enhanced Sign-in Security now supports external fingerprint readers, including on Copilot+ PCs without a built-in sensor. File Explorer displays file sizes in appropriate units instead of kilobytes only, middle-click opens folders in new tabs, and on Copilot+ PCs that support it, users can now uninstall the built-in Image Generation AI component. Microsoft said the release ships without any known outstanding problems.
The 26H1 package carries what 24H2 and 25H2 got last month: a Screen tint accessibility option, a quieter Widgets panel, and a setting that lets users freeze Windows updates for as long as 35 days.
Sources: Windows 11’s August update has arrived (TechRadar, Aug 2026); Windows 11 KB5121003 & KB5120240 cumulative updates released (BleepingComputer, Aug 2026); August 2026 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Fixes 421 CVEs (SecurityWeek, Aug 2026); Microsoft Releases August 2026 Patch Tuesday Updates (Thurrott, Aug 2026); Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 August 2026 Patch Tuesday update (NotebookCheck, Aug 2026)