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KB5023706 did cause serious problems for some Windows 11 22H2 systems, but it was not a universally broken update. Microsoft confirmed compatibility failures involving the ExplorerPatcher and StartAllBack shell-customization tools, plus a narrower file-operation issue affecting certain 32-bit applications in enterprise environments. SSD slowdowns, gaming problems and other performance complaints were reported by users, but Microsoft did not confirm a general SSD-performance bug. The Local Security Authority (LSA) protection warning circulating at the same time was a separate Microsoft Defender issue, not a KB5023706 bug.
What KB5023706 was
Released on March 14, 2023, KB5023706 was the monthly cumulative security update for Windows 11 version 22H2. It brought the operating system to build 22621.1413 and included servicing-stack build 22621.1344. The update also delivered the public rollout of the February 28 preview update’s “Moment 2” improvements, including taskbar search changes and Task Manager enhancements. It was distributed through Windows Update, Windows Update for Business, the Microsoft Update Catalog and WSUS. Microsoft’s KB5023706 release notes describe its scope and changes.
This was specifically the Windows 11 22H2 package. Windows 11’s original release had a different March 2023 cumulative update, KB5023698, so a problem occurring around that date does not by itself establish that KB5023706 was installed.
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Microsoft’s release-health record identifies specific compatibility and deployment issues, not a general failure affecting all PCs. The known-issues entry distinguishes these cases:
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| Problem | Who was affected | What was known |
|---|---|---|
| Windows startup trouble or repeated Explorer crashes | Some users of ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack | Microsoft identified incompatibility with these third-party UI customization tools, which used unsupported Windows customization methods. Updated versions from the developers resolved the issue. |
| Intermittent file save, copy or attachment failures | Some users of 32-bit, large-address-aware applications on systems using certain enterprise security products | The affected applications used the CopyFile API, and the security software’s extended file attributes were part of the scenario. Microsoft said typical home users were unlikely to encounter it and 64-bit apps were unaffected. KB5027231 addressed the issue. |
| Windows 11 updates not offered to clients | Some organizations with Windows Server 2022 WSUS upgraded from Windows Server 2016 or 2019 | Required UUP MIME types had been removed during the earlier server upgrade. This was a deployment configuration issue; Microsoft Configuration Manager was not affected. |
The Explorer issue is best understood as a compatibility failure between Windows and a customization layer, not proof that every Windows installation had a built-in Explorer defect.
What users reported, but Microsoft did not establish
Microsoft Q&A and community posts from the period describe long sign-ins, delays before the desktop appeared, programs launching slowly or failing, flashing white or gray screens, taskbar and Explorer trouble, and cases where removing the update appeared to help. Other users alleged longer boot and file-access times, lower SSD read/write results, gaming slowdowns or unusually slow game launches. Examples include reports of difficult sign-ins and severe slowdown, flickering screens, and claimed drive-performance impacts.
These accounts document what individual users experienced and when; they do not establish how common the symptoms were or prove that the update caused every case. In one report describing an apparently unusable PC, a later reply identified an Explorer customization mod as a likely factor. That exchange illustrates why checking shell add-ons matters before attributing a failure to Windows itself.
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Microsoft’s official issue list did not confirm a general SSD-speed regression. Benchmark differences can also reflect background work, storage health, drivers, power settings, antivirus scanning or thermal throttling. A single before-and-after result is not enough to isolate the update as the cause.
The LSA protection warning was a separate issue
The “Local Security Authority protection is off” warning was associated with Microsoft Defender antimalware platform update KB5007651, version 1.0.2302.21002—not KB5023706. Microsoft’s release-health entry says the warning was resolved by Defender platform version 1.0.2303.27001. Microsoft’s suggested interim response was to enable LSA protection, restart, and dismiss a lingering warning if protection was enabled. See Microsoft’s Windows 11 22H2 release-health entry.
How to check whether KB5023706 is relevant
- Confirm the installed update: Open Settings → Windows Update → Update history and look for KB5023706. You can also check the Windows version and OS build; the update’s resulting build was 22621.1413. Record any later cumulative update as well, because a current problem may involve a newer update rather than this 2023 package.
- Match the timing: Note when the problem began and whether it followed the update, a Defender platform update, a driver change or installation of a customization tool. Timing is useful evidence, but not proof on its own.
- Check shell customizers first: If ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack is installed, install a version compatible with the Windows build or remove the tool. If the desktop is unstable, use Safe Mode or Windows Recovery Environment to remove it.
- Determine the scope: If only one application has trouble saving or copying files, check whether it is 32-bit and large-address-aware and whether enterprise security software is installed. That is a closer match to Microsoft’s documented file-operation issue than a system-wide slowdown.
- Investigate other causes before attributing performance changes: Compare behavior after a clean boot, check graphics, storage and firmware drivers, review security software, and use the SSD maker’s diagnostic utility if storage performance is the concern. Do not treat one benchmark as a confirmed update regression.
Recovery options, from least to most disruptive
1. Update or remove incompatible customization software
For Explorer crashes, repeated desktop restarts or a flashing desktop after sign-in, address ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack before removing a Windows security update. If you cannot use the normal desktop, try Safe Mode or the recovery environment to remove the customization software.
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2. Restart and install applicable fixes
Restart after installing Windows or Defender updates, then check whether the symptom remains. For the documented 32-bit file-operation failure, Microsoft identified KB5027231 as the resolving update. For the historical LSA warning, check the Defender platform version and protection state rather than treating it as evidence against KB5023706.
3. Repair Windows system files
If problems persist, open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal as an administrator and run these general Windows repair commands:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannowThese are general repair measures, not a guaranteed fix specific to KB5023706. If DISM cannot obtain repair files or the commands report errors, note the exact message before trying a more disruptive recovery.
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4. Use System Restore or Windows Recovery Environment
If Windows cannot reach a usable desktop, open Windows Recovery Environment and consider System Restore if a suitable restore point exists. If choosing an update-removal option there, select the latest quality update, not the latest feature update. Back up important files whenever possible before recovery operations.
5. Uninstall the quality update only if the problem warrants it
Removal is reasonable when a serious problem began directly after installation, blocks important work, and persists after checking compatibility and other likely causes. It is not a good first move for an LSA warning, a single affected app, or an untested SSD benchmark. Removing a security update leaves the PC without its fixes until a replacement update is installed.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhen Windows is usable, check Settings → Windows Update → Update history → Uninstall updates for an available uninstall control. Microsoft warns that wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:5023706 does not work for this combined servicing-stack and cumulative update package. The servicing-stack update cannot be removed, though the LCU can. Administrators can inspect installed packages and use DISM, as documented by Microsoft:
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DISM /Online /Get-Packages /Format:TableFind the package corresponding to the LCU in the output, copy its exact package name, and then run:
DISM /Online /Remove-Package /PackageName:<package-name>Run these commands in an elevated terminal. Do not guess the package name; use the value returned by the machine. Make sure important files are backed up and plan to install a replacement security update.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If the update appears again after removal
- The PC may be managed through Windows Update for Business, WSUS or another organization policy; check with the administrator before changing update behavior.
- A newer cumulative update may have superseded KB5023706, so the update shown after a restart may not be the same package.
- The underlying shell customization or application conflict may still be present, meaning that uninstalling Windows temporarily changed symptoms without resolving the cause.
- A recovery operation may have rolled back some changes without removing the incompatibility that triggered the failure.
Because KB5023706 is a historical 2023 release, do not seek it out for installation today. If it appears in Update History, use that fact as one diagnostic clue and identify which update and software versions are actually present now.
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