Microsoft issues emergency fix after a security update left some Windows 11 devices unable to shut down

If you haven’t been able to turn off your Windows 11 device recently, Microsoft has rolled out an emergency patch fixing a few critical bugs that appeared with its latest Windows Security Update of January 2026. The latest “out-of-band” update fixes an issue for some Windows 11 devices that would only restart when users tried to shut down or hibernate. The same update restores the ability for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users to log in to their devices via remote login apps.

Microsoft said the inability to shut down or hibernate affected Windows 11 devices using Secure Launch, a security feature that protects a computer from firmware-level attacks during startup. As for the remote login issue, Microsoft explained in its Known Issues page that credential prompt failures were to blame when users attempted to remotely log in to affected Windows 10 and 11 devices.

According to WindowsLatestSome persistent issues with the January 2026 Windows Security Update are still affecting users, such as seeing blank screens or Outlook Classic crashing. In October, Microsoft had to release another emergency patch for Windows 11 related to Windows Recovery Environment. For those who are still hesitant to upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft is allowing you to extend the life of Windows 10 a little further by signing up for Extended Security Updates.