Microsoft Fixes Windows 11 Update Loop in Emergency Patch
▼ Summary
– Microsoft released KB5072753 to fix a bug causing the November 2025 KB5068966 update to repeatedly reinstall on Windows 11 25H2 systems.
– The issue did not affect system functionality and was only noticeable through update history timestamps.
– KB5072753 is a cumulative update that includes all improvements and security fixes from the previous KB5068966 update.
– Microsoft recommends installing KB5072753 instead of KB5068966 for those who haven’t yet deployed the November update.
– The company also recently resolved Windows 10 issues, including installation failures and incorrect end-of-support warnings after October 2025 updates.
Microsoft has issued an emergency patch to resolve a persistent Windows 11 update loop affecting systems running the 25H2 version. The out-of-band cumulative update, designated KB5072753, directly addresses a problem where the November 2025 security hotpatch, KB5068966, would repeatedly download and reinstall itself. This corrective measure ensures users can regain a stable and predictable update experience without unnecessary reinstalls.
According to Microsoft’s advisory, after the initial installation of the KB5068966 hotpatch released on November 11, 2025, affected devices would continuously download and install the identical update each time a Windows Update scan was performed. The company clarified in a Microsoft 365 Message Center entry that this behavior was a known issue, though it did not impact the core functionality or security of the operating system. Users would typically only notice the problem by checking the timestamps within their update history, which would show multiple identical entries.
The newly released KB5072753 hotpatch is now being distributed automatically to all Windows 11 25H2 devices through the standard Windows Update service. This is a cumulative update, meaning it bundles all the previous improvements and security fixes from the problematic KB5068966 update. Microsoft has explicitly stated that users do not need to install any prior updates before applying this one, as it fully replaces all previous updates for the affected Windows versions.
For organizations and individuals who have not yet deployed the November 2025 hotpatch, Microsoft’s official recommendation is to apply this new out-of-band update (KB5072753) directly. This preemptively avoids encountering the reinstallation loop altogether.
This recent Windows 11 fix follows other emergency updates Microsoft has rolled out for its operating systems. Earlier in the same week, the company released a patch for Windows 10 to tackle installation failures of the November 2025 extended security updates, which were causing error code 0x800f0922 on some machines. Just one week before that, Microsoft corrected a separate bug that was incorrectly displaying end-of-support warnings on Windows 10 PCs that were, in fact, still under active security coverage. That particular issue had generated widespread user reports of erroneous messages appearing on the Windows Update Settings page.
(Source: Bleeping Computer)
