Microsoft released its November Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11, adding a customizable right-click menu in File Explorer and fixing an Outlook spoofing flaw that attackers have already exploited. The update, labeled 2026-11 Security Update (KB5132061) (26300.9974), is mandatory and should download and install automatically. Users can confirm it through Settings and Windows Update, then restart if it shows as installed with a pending restart. Microsoft is distributing the menu feature as a gradual rollout, so not every PC will receive it immediately.
The context menu has long grown cluttered as users install more apps, and Windows 11’s modern version can crowd up while also omitting commands, pushing users back to the older classic menu. The new controls let users turn specific file actions on or off, including Send to, Print, Create shortcut, Copy as path, and Rotate image, and choose which apps appear in the main menu or a submenu. If the feature has arrived, right-clicking a file or folder shows a Customize menu entry; the same options are available under Settings, Personalization, and Context menu.
Microsoft also began a gradual rollout of Cloud rebuild, a recovery option that reinstalls Windows 11 using cloud-based system images and drivers downloaded from Windows Update. It is aimed at PCs that will not load when no USB drive or custom image is on hand, though files do not survive and must be restored from backups. Users start it through Settings, System, and Recovery by selecting Rebuild PC, which restarts the machine into the Windows Recovery Environment with an internet connection required.
Other changes include clearer and more consistent file names, locations, and dates in File Explorer search results, message previews on hover in Phone Link, a modernized AutoPlay dialog box, and grouped privacy and security controls in Settings. Microsoft also made changes to the Taskbar, Magnifier, Narrator, Xbox Mode, and Live Captions.
The update resolves 1,094 security vulnerabilities, according to Microsoft, 63 of them rated critical and one exploited in the wild, down from October’s record 1,400 patches. The exploited flaw is a spoofing vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook: a remote attacker who sends a malicious email and persuades a user to open it can make Outlook connect to an attacker-controlled network without warning, potentially revealing the user’s username and password and allowing impersonation.
Microsoft’s monthly updates fully support Windows 11 26H2 and 25H2. Support for 24H2 ended last month for the Home and Pro editions, while 24H2 Enterprise and Education continue receiving monthly security updates but not regular non-security preview updates, and 23H2 Enterprise and Education receive no further updates after this month. Home and Pro users should upgrade to 26H2 to keep receiving support and updates.
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