With Windows 10 support at an end, Microsoft isn't making it easy to make the switch to Windows 11, as a recent update broke a crucial PC recovery tool that helps users reboot and recover PCs.
After the October 14 security update KB5066835, an issue in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) saw USB devices not being able to work. This means that mice and keyboards will refuse to function, preventing users from selecting options in WinRE.
"After installing the Windows security update released on October 14, 2025 (KB5066835), USB devices, such as keyboards and mice, do not function in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)," Microsoft states. "This issue prevents navigation of any of the recovery options within WinRE."
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Unless you have a touchscreen laptop, there's no way to use the built-in recovery tools, including resetting your PC, troubleshooting problems, booting into the BIOS and more. That's a major issue, especially if you run into a critical problem that requires using Microsoft's built-in recovery tools.
Microsoft states that this is only a problem in WinRE, as keyboards and mice still work in the normal Windows 11 environment.
Fortunately, Microsoft has rolled out an urgent out-of-band (OOB) update that fixes the issue, and includes all the security fixes and patches from the October 14 KB5066835 update.
Update your PC now to fix the issue
To make sure the WinRE works as intended for your USB devices, namely your mouse and keyboard, you'll want to download and install the latest Windows update. Microsoft released its KB5070773 to fix the bug, but updates after this will also resolve the problem.
Grab the latest update by heading to Settings > Windows Update and click Download & install all. Your PC will check for updates and do the rest, and you may need to restart your PC for the update to take effect. For more details, you can find out how to update Windows 11 with our guide.
Microsoft only issues OOB updates when there is a problem with its Windows OS that is critical enough to require one, as it otherwise rolls out its more general updates on a monthly basis.
If you haven't already, it's worth updating to the latest version of Windows 11 to get the most up-to-date improvements and security patches (until another problem comes up, where Microsoft is sure to issue another update to fix that). Right now, the latest version is Windows 11 version 25H2, but don't expect any big features compared to version 24H2.
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