Microsoft has released an urgent update that fixes a bug affecting Windows 11 users that caused USB keyboards and mice to become unavailable in Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). This issue arose after the installation of the October 2025 security update, KB5066835. This update disabled USB-enabled devices when accessing WinRE.

Windows 11 Releases Critical Update

Microsoft announced that the bug affects not only Windows 11 24H2 and the newly released 25H2 versions, but also Windows Server 2025. The company has released the emergency update, KB5070773, to address this annoying issue.

This patch restores all USB functionality within WinRE. Microsoft recommends users install this patch via Windows Update or download it manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

The company states that the issue only affects the recovery environment, and USB devices continue to work in normal Windows sessions. The KB5070773 update is now widely available, and Microsoft states that similar issues will not occur in the future.

It’s emphasized that Microsoft acted quickly to minimize the impact this time. It’s important for users to apply this update immediately to ensure their input devices are working as expected, especially if they rely on the recovery environment for troubleshooting.

This fix follows a series of update-related issues in recent months. Unlike bugs that appeared in some previous updates, Microsoft quickly addressed this critical bug, which blocked access to WinRE.