Recently, Microsoft officially admitted that the abnormally slow shutdown speed encountered by many users in Windows 11 originated from a flaw in the system itself, rather than third-party software conflicts or insufficient hardware performance. According to information disclosed by Microsoft, this problem will cause users to wait for a long time to complete the shutdown or restart after seeing the "Shutting down" interface.
This fix is included in the optional update KB5095093 released for Windows 11 on June 23, corresponding to system versions Build 26200.8737 and 26100.8737. This update not only brings a number of improvements and new features, including a "Point-in-time Restore" function that allows users to restore a system snapshot at a certain point in time, as well as more fine-grained Windows Update control options, but also optimizes the long-standing shutdown delay issue.
Microsoft explains that the key factor causing the slow shutdown is an issue with the stopping process of BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) during the system shutdown phase. BITS is a core component used by Windows for background update and download tasks. When the system is still checking for updates, downloading patches, or deploying Microsoft Store app updates during shutdown, the service may delay shutdown, thereby slowing down the entire shutdown process, even if the user has entered the shutdown interface.
With the KB5095093 update, Microsoft has reduced the time required to stop the BITS service during the shutdown phase. The manufacturer emphasizes that this does not mean that the shutdown speed of all devices will be significantly improved, but for devices that have often been "stuck" or waited significantly longer for a few seconds during the shutdown phase, users should feel a certain degree of improvement.
In addition to shutdown-related fixes, Windows Latest pointed out that Microsoft has also solved the reliability issue of blank display of taskbar icons in the update that will be pushed to all users in July 2026. Previously, some users encountered the situation where the taskbar icon was displayed as a black or gray placeholder after logging into the system. Normal icon display could only be restored by manually restarting explorer.exe or waiting for a period of time.
Microsoft mentioned in the release notes that the fix "reduces the probability of taskbar icons appearing in gray blank space" and also resolves issues related to third-party credential providers in the login and lock screen interfaces. This means that affected users will see less empty taskbars after logging in, and the overall shell stability of the system will also be improved.
Microsoft also discovered that this reliability fix around explorer.exe is not just for the taskbar. Since explorer.exe is responsible for multiple parts of the Windows Shell at the same time, including the start menu, right-click menu, etc., once the process becomes abnormal, users may encounter a wider range of interface problems. Blank taskbar icons are just one problem, underlying a host of potentially unstable issues with the entire Shell experience.
According to Microsoft, the update also optimizes the opening speed of the File Explorer Home page, especially when OneDrive files are being synced. In addition, users should experience smoother responses when switching between multiple virtual desktops; the Acrylic translucent blur effect used in the Start menu and other areas has also been improved.
Previously, some users would notice that the Acrylic effect in the Start menu would suddenly disappear and then reappear, which was confirmed to be caused by a flaw related to explorer.exe. As this round of fixes progresses, such interface consistency issues are expected to be significantly reduced, and applications that rely on the Shell experience are expected to start faster.
Overall, this fix for shutdown delays and shell reliability is considered the beginning of the July 2026 update cycle. On this basis, Microsoft also plans to fix other known issues, including the defect that the Recycle Bin prompts an incorrect name when deleting files - this issue will display incorrect file names when emptying files, but Microsoft emphasizes that user files have not been lost or accidentally deleted. More tweaks and improvements have been scheduled on the update roadmap and are expected to be made available to Windows 11 users.