KB5046696 Windows 11 24H2 LTSC hotpatch update out, no restart required

Microsoft, alongside the various Ignite 2024, announcements, also released the first hotpatch update for Windows 11 24H2 LTSC Enterprise yesterday. This update is a preview and has been released as Build 26100.2240 under KB5046696.

The changelog says:

Improvements and fixes

 

This security update includes quality improvements. Below is a summary of the key issues that this update addresses when you install this KB. If there are new features, it lists them as well. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change we are documenting.

 

• This update makes miscellaneous security improvements to internal OS functionality. No additional issues were documented for this release.

Hotpatching, as the name suggests, means that the update does not require any system reboot, nor does it need any user intervention and they are applied immediately. However, Microsoft assures no comprise in the level of security provided. Thus it will be installed automatically via the Windows Update. It explains:

Hotpatch technology already has a proven, two-year record for Windows Server. Expanding hotpatching to Windows 11 Enterprise, version 24H2 client devices offers numerous benefits:

 

• Devices receive the same level of security patching as the standard monthly security updates released on Patch Tuesday.
• Hotpatch updates take effect immediately and don’t require user attention.
• Users maintain productivity and security without the need for a device restart.

This is not the only major change to the way updates are delivered on Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025. The company also launched checkpoint cumulative updates earlier this year which are meant to reduce update sizes and thus the required download bandwidth and storage footprint.

Source

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