The latest Windows 11 security update from January 2026 is causing a frustrating bug that makes some PCs refuse to shut down or hibernate after installation. This issue stems from the monthly Patch Tuesday bundle, specifically update KB5073455, on devices running Windows 11, version 23H2.

Instead of shutting off completely, affected machines simply fail to power down. The screen may go black as if the computer is shutting down, but the fans and internal components continue to run. This is especially awful if you own a laptop because the system will drain the battery completely, potentially leading to lost work if you thought you had powered off before closing the lid.

Microsoft has confirmed that this strange behavior is tied to Secure Launch. Secure Launch relies on virtualization to verify that your boot software hasn’t been tampered with. The bug appears when this feature is enabled. Instead of completing the shutdown or hibernation process, devices with Secure Launch enabled may simply restart themselves.

If you are one of the unlucky users affected by this bug and need your device to turn off now, Microsoft has provided a temporary, if slightly annoying, workaround. You can force your PC to shut down by opening the Command Prompt. Once there, you need to type the command ‘shutdown /s /t 0’ and press Enter. That command will force the machine to power down immediately, bypassing the software hang.

This is much safer than a forced ‘hard shutdown’ (holding the physical power button until the screen goes black), which can cause data corruption. You should avoid doing this whenever possible.

Unfortunately, if you rely heavily on hibernation, there is currently no workaround available to fix that specific function. Microsoft has said that it is actively working on a resolution. It promised to release a fix for this issue in a future update, but we do not have any concrete timelines for when that patch will arrive. Until that time, Microsoft advises that you must make sure you save all your work.

This shutdown issue is not the only problem that arrived with the January Patch Tuesday bundle. Microsoft has also been forced to acknowledge several other issues lurking in this batch of fixes. The same update is causing connection and authentication failures for users accessing Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 through the Windows App. For those impacted, Microsoft suggests using the Remote Desktop client for Windows or connecting through the Windows App Web Client as temporary measures.

In addition to the virtual desktop issues, classic Outlook users are also experiencing trouble. Microsoft has confirmed a separate issue where POP account profiles in classic Outlook can hang or freeze after the January patches are installed. The company is similarly vague about the extent of this problem, stating that this is an emerging issue and that it does not yet have all the symptoms defined.