Good news! A new Windows 11 update could be about to speed up your laptop or PC. Bad news! It is actually fixing an issue that was slowing down your device.
Windows 11 22H2 is the first major OS update and is expected to arrive later this year with many new features as well as bug fixes.
One of these fixes, as Windows latest reports (opens in new tab), is a long-running issue with the Shell Infrastructure Host, which handles the Start menu, taskbar, and other important Windows components. The sihost.exe process would cause the processor usage to increase on some PCs without any need and this would cause the whole PC to slow down.
It appears that a bug causes the process to freeze and increase CPU power and affects the performance of the Start menu and taskbar in particular.
This bug has been bothering people for a long time, so it’s good to see that it appears to be resolved in the Windows 11 KB5016700 update, which is being tested by Windows Insiders right now.
Windows Insiders are users who have signed up to help experience early versions of Windows 11 updates and the release notes (opens in new tab) report that the problem has been fixed. If all goes well, the KB5016700 update is expected to be released for regular Windows 11 users alongside Windows 11 22H2, which is expected in the coming months.
Analysis: A welcome speed boost – but it should never have been necessary
Normally, we would celebrate any update that made our laptops and PCs faster, but the weird fact is that this problem was caused by Microsoft in the first place.
So fixing a bug that has been bothering users for months is not something to brag about, but we’re glad Microsoft fixed the problem at least belatedly.
If you’ve noticed that Windows 11 is running slow, especially when you use the Start menu or taskbar, Windows 11 update KB5016700 can fix it. This is currently only available to Windows Insiders, but it’s free to sign up for it.
However, while this means you’ll get Windows 11 updates before everyone else, keep in mind that these early versions can have bugs and issues. Waiting until an official release, after Windows Insiders identify any issues for Microsoft to fix, might be a better solution for people looking to fix any Windows 11 issues.
Fortunately, we won’t have long to wait to get this update if it does indeed release alongside Windows 11 22H2, which is due for release at the end of September. While it’s frustrating to use a slow PC, it’s worth waiting a few more weeks just to be sure.