KB5083769 has broken the ability of Explorer to access my local network

Question

KB5083769 has broken the ability of Explorer to access my local network

Mark Chamberlain 0

When I click on Network in Explorer, I just get the no response / waiting icon.

This happened on all of my 7 PCs after the update.

If I roll back and uninstall the KB5083769 update, normal network access from Explorer is restored.

When will Microsoft issue an update to fix this problem?

Bradford1040 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T21:26:57.1133333+00:00
Not a 100% sure it was the update but I have the same issue that just started a day or two ago

This was the update that started mine I think

Security Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package (KB2538243)

100% Broken at the Dev's level, I can get it to come back temporarily by using

PowerShell

Stop services in the correct dependency order

Stop-Service -Name FDResPub -Force

Stop-Service -Name fdPHost -Force

Then clear the local network cache

ipconfig /flushdns

nbtstat -R

Start them back up

Start-Service fdPHost

Start-Service FDResPub

There was a hung PID when I first tried to kill them so more to it than above

But this shows up only one in the Network area of Explorer, you can still see the folder if you use address bar

\\machines-ip or \\machines-name

My windows info

Edition - Windows 11 Pro Insider Preview

Version - Dev

Installed on - ‎4/‎26/‎2026

OS build - 29576.1000

Experience - Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.345.0
AsFarAsLarry 0 Reputation points

2026-05-14T15:54:00.46+00:00

AI slop at the bottom aside, you weren't crazy. I had this same issue and when I uninstalled that KB, it rolled me back to 24H2, which was sad. But, as of Tuesday's KB5093447, they appear to have solved this issue, as well as solving the VSS issue that was plaguing many a user who performs their own local backups with software of choice (Acronis in my case).
Mark Chamberlain 0 Reputation points

2026-05-14T18:09:47.8733333+00:00

The May KB security update has indeed fixed the issue.

4 answers

Your answer

Bradford1040 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T21:26:57.1133333+00:00

Not a 100% sure it was the update but I have the same issue that just started a day or two ago

This was the update that started mine I think

Security Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package (KB2538243)

100% Broken at the Dev's level, I can get it to come back temporarily by using

PowerShell

Stop services in the correct dependency order

Stop-Service -Name FDResPub -Force

Stop-Service -Name fdPHost -Force

Then clear the local network cache

ipconfig /flushdns

nbtstat -R

Start them back up

Start-Service fdPHost

Start-Service FDResPub

There was a hung PID when I first tried to kill them so more to it than above

But this shows up only one in the Network area of Explorer, you can still see the folder if you use address bar

\\machines-ip or \\machines-name

My windows info

Edition - Windows 11 Pro Insider Preview

Version - Dev

Installed on - ‎4/‎26/‎2026

OS build - 29576.1000

Experience - Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.345.0
AsFarAsLarry 0 Reputation points

2026-05-14T15:54:00.46+00:00

AI slop at the bottom aside, you weren't crazy. I had this same issue and when I uninstalled that KB, it rolled me back to 24H2, which was sad. But, as of Tuesday's KB5093447, they appear to have solved this issue, as well as solving the VSS issue that was plaguing many a user who performs their own local backups with software of choice (Acronis in my case).
Mark Chamberlain 0 Reputation points

2026-05-14T18:09:47.8733333+00:00

The May KB security update has indeed fixed the issue.

Answer 1

TaoLi 79,710 Independent Advisor

Hello,

The official Microsoft KB5083769 page only lists two known issues: BitLocker recovery key and remote desktop warning display issues; I don't see "Explorer/Network browsing local network freezes" listed as a confirmed known issue. KB5083769 is a cumulative update for Windows 11 24H2/25H2 released on April 14, 2026.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/april-14-2026-kb5083769-os-builds-26200-8246-and-26100-8246-22f90ae5-9f26-40ac-9134-6a586a71163b

We suggest you uninstall KB5083769 and pause updates for 1 to 2 weeks. At the same time, press Win+F to open the Feedback Hub and submit this issue, clearly stating "KB5083769 breaks Explorer Network browsing" in the title. If Microsoft confirms, this issue will usually be fixed in a subsequent cumulative update.

Mark Chamberlain 0 Reputation points

2026-04-30T15:36:51.9666667+00:00

Thanks, I have done as you suggest. Hoping that Microsoft issues a fix at the next update.

Answer 2

TaoLi 79,710 Independent Advisor

You're welcome. Hopefully, Microsoft can resolve this issue as soon as possible.

If my answer was helpful, you can click the "Accept Answer" button below to mark this reply as the answer. This will help other users who encounter the same problem, which is also very important to our work. Thank you for your contribution to the community.

If you encounter any problems while using Microsoft products in the future, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Support Community again.

0 comments

Answer 3

TaoLi 79,710 Independent Advisor

Hello,

If you have any questions about my reply, please let me know.

Thank you.

0 comments

Answer 4

AI answer

KB5083769 is not mentioned in the provided material, and there is no information about a specific fix or follow‑up update for that package.

The context only covers older issues where Windows Explorer hangs or crashes when accessing network resources or Network view, and the resolutions there are:

Install the specific hotfix or update that addresses Explorer/network issues for the affected Windows versions (Windows 7, Windows Server 2008/R2, Vista):
- Hotfixes for:
  - Random Explorer crashes when Network Discovery is On.
  - Explorer stops responding when accessing files on a network share.
  - Explorer stops responding when expanding a mapped drive.
  - "0xc0000005" error and Explorer stops responding.
- These are obtained either via the “Hotfix download available” section in the relevant KB article or via the Microsoft Download Center, depending on the article.
If the hotfix download section is not present, contact Microsoft Support via the contact page in the article to obtain the hotfix or open a separate support request.
For issues introduced by a specific update where uninstalling the update resolves the problem, the patterns in the context show two common mitigation paths while waiting for a fixed build:
- Uninstall the problematic update from Settings → Windows Update → Update history → Uninstall updates, then pause updates until a newer build is released (as done for KB5079491 in the WhatsApp/Insider scenario).
- If the system becomes unstable or core apps are corrupted, perform an in‑place reinstall/repair of the current Windows version using the official “reinstall the current version of Windows” guidance.

Based on these patterns, the supported mitigations for a breaking update are:

Uninstall KB5083769 on affected PCs to restore Explorer network access.
Pause Windows Update on those PCs to avoid automatic reinstallation until a newer cumulative update supersedes KB5083769.
If uninstalling is not sufficient or causes further corruption, use the documented “reinstall the current version of Windows” process.
If an official hotfix or replacement update for KB5083769 is not yet visible in Windows Update, open a support case with Microsoft using the contact link from the KB articles so the issue can be tracked and an official fix or guidance provided.

The context does not provide a timeline or announcement for when a specific fix for KB5083769 will be released; only the general mechanisms above are documented.

References:

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KB5083769 has broken the ability of Explorer to access my local network

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