Microsoft has published a mitigation for a Windows 11 problem that can leave the desktop blank after sign-in. Its September 24 release-health notice says the issue primarily affects Azure Virtual Desktop hosts using FSLogix, with existing user profiles more frequently affected.
The problem follows the August 2026 preview update and later updates. Microsoft lists Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2 and 26H1 as affected; the notice does not list affected Windows Server versions.
What affected users and administrators can do
Microsoft’s immediate workaround is to press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, open Task Manager, select Run new task, enter explorer.exe and select OK. This is a recovery step for the missing desktop, rather than evidence that the underlying issue has been permanently fixed.
For managed devices, Microsoft provides a version-specific Known Issue Rollback policy. Administrators should follow the linked deployment instructions and restart affected computers after applying the policy.
What the rollback changes
Microsoft’s KIR documentation explains that this mechanism reverses a specific nonsecurity change while keeping the rest of an update intact. The rollback is temporary until a subsequent update fixes the regression. Administrators need the policy package matching the device’s operating-system version.
Sources: Microsoft Windows release health; Microsoft KIR deployment guidance.
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