April updates for Windows 10 and 11 break some VPN software, Microsoft says

Microsoft is currently investigating a bug in its most recent batch of Windows 10 and Windows 11 updates that is preventing some VPN software from working properly. The company updated its list of known Windows issues to say that it has recreated the issue on its end and that it’s currently working on a fix.

The VPN issue affects all currently supported versions of Windows: Windows 10 21H2 and 22H2; Windows 11 versions 21H2, 22H2, and 23H2; and Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, and 2022.

Microsoft says the problem was caused by update KB5036893, which was initially released on April 9, 2024. The update makes “miscellaneous security improvements to internal OS functionality,” among a few other minor changes. The company hasn’t provided specific information on what’s been broken or what needs fixing, noting only that PCs “might face VPN connection failures” after installing the update.

Routine updates have caused several headaches for VPN-using Windows 10 and 11 users in the last couple of years; updates in early 2022 broke some L2TP and IPSEC VPNs, and another update about a year ago slowed down speeds over VPN connections. Of course, Microsoft isn’t always to blame for VPN problems in Windows—earlier this month, we wrote about issues with the Google One VPN software totally resetting DNS settings for all network adapters.