Microsoft Fixes Task Manager That Wouldn’t Close in Windows 11

On 18 November 2025, Microsoft appears to have fixed a Windows 11 issue where the Task Manager wouldn’t stop after closing, leaving the process running in the background. The fix arrives with Windows 11 Build 26220.7262 (KB5070303), and the update notes state that the Task Manager process wasn’t stopping correctly after closing, which could also cause Task Manager to unexpectedly open at boot.

In addition to the Task Manager remedy, the release also addresses a problem in WinRE recovery mode where the mouse and keyboard could become unusable. According to Microsoft, some users might experience input device failures in WinRE or Advanced Startup, potentially disrupting standard recovery procedures after system failures. The KB5070303 update is currently available only to Insider preview users, and the corresponding fixes will not be merged into the stable Windows 11 25H2 release until December.