In a welcome fix, Microsoft has resolved a known issue that reset mouse settings on some Windows 11 systems after installing the August preview update. The problem, which was confirmed by the company just days after its release, caused users to lose custom cursor personalization settings and animations.
The issues affected non-English Windows installations, where “code components” in these systems led to setting load failures and a default being used instead of the user’s preferred settings. This meant that even after uninstalling the problematic update, users were unable to restore their mouse settings to their previous state. Microsoft acknowledged the problem on Friday, just 24 hours after releasing the update, which aimed to bring improvements to the Start menu, taskbar, and Windows search.
The affected update, KB5120998, was an optional preview release that required users to manually download and install it. However, if the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option is toggled on, this update will be installed automatically, potentially exposing more devices to the issue. Thankfully, Microsoft has now released a cumulative update in September (KB5124008) that resolves this bug.
In recent months, Microsoft has struggled to address several mouse-related issues on Windows devices. This latest fix brings some much-needed relief to users who have been plagued by these problems. However, it’s clear that the company still needs to work on improving its testing processes to catch such bugs before they reach production environments.
It’s worth noting that this issue highlights a common problem in software development: the potential for issues to arise when code components from different languages interact with each other. While Microsoft has resolved this particular bug, it serves as a reminder that cybersecurity professionals and users alike should remain vigilant and keep their systems up-to-date with the latest security patches.
In practical terms, users who have installed the problematic update are advised to install the September cumulative update (KB5124008) as soon as possible. This will not only resolve the mouse settings reset issue but also bring important improvements and fixes to their devices.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-09-10