Windows 11 KB5053657 23H2 big update, direct download .msu

Windows 11 KB5053657 is now rolling out on Windows 11 23H2. If you’re on Windows 11 24H2, there’s nothing for your PC today, but I expect an update on 27th March. You can install today’s optional update for Windows 11 23H2 from Windows Update Settings, or Microsoft has also published direct download links for KB5053657 .msu offline installers.

KB5053657 is an optional update for Windows 11 23H2, so it will not download or install automatically on regular PCs with default settings. However, if you turn on the toggle that says “Get latest updates first,” you’ll automatically get the update. After installing the update, Windows 11 23H2 will bump to Build 22631.5126.

Also, if you check for updates manually, you will that this patch is labelled as: “2025-03 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5053657). It’s a big update because it has a lot to offer. For example, there’s a new emoji panel automatically added to the taskbar after the update.

I’ve been testing the emoji panel for a while now, and it works very well. You just need tap on the emoji button added to the taskbar and access the emoji, GIF or clipboard panel (one panel has everything). This is an optional feature, so you can right-click the icon and turn off the feature from the Windows Settings.

Download Links for Windows 11 KB5053657

Windows 11 KB5053657 Direct Download Links: 64-bit and ARM-64 | Microsoft Update Catalog.

The size is approx 1GB, which is not surprising given that today’s update adds features like new accessibility control for File Explorer, cards in Settings, and more.

The installation takes less than 10 minutes to finish applying the changes.

What’s new in Windows 11 Build 26100.3323?

As soon as you install the update, some of you will notice that Windows 11 KB5053657 has better accesisblity for File Explorer. This means that when you adjust the text or display scaling settings on Windows 11, File Explorer will correct the follow-up.

Previously, only some areas of File Explorer respected system settings, which caused accessibility issues. Some dialogs had large texts, some buttons were small and there were other issues in File Explorer when it got confused on how to deal with the scaling changes.

It’s a great addition and I can confirm that text size changes now reflect across all areas of File Explorer on my PC. You can try it yourself by going to Settings > Accessibility > Text size.

Another notable feature coming to Windows 11 23H2 today is cards within the Settings > System > About.

These cards show the key specs of the machine, including the amount of RAM installed, storage and even GPU information, which was previously missing from the Settings page.

In addition, Microsoft is rolling out the Gamepad keyboard layout for the touch keyboard in Windows 11. You can now use button accelerators, and keyboard keys have been vertically aligned. Could this be part of Microsoft’s broader plans to improve Windows with handheld games? It’s highly likely.

That’s all for Windows 11 23H2 today, but what about Windows 11 24H2? I was patiently waiting for Windows 11 24H2’s biggest feature update of the year to drop today, but it looks like we need to wait until Thursday.

Until then, if you’re on Windows 11 23H2, you can try some of the new features today.