Microsoft has officially confirmed and resolved a serious issue affecting Windows 11 systems by releasing an out-of-band emergency update, KB5070773.
What Was the Problem?
Microsoft previously acknowledged a known issue on its Windows Health Dashboard. After installing the following updates:
- KB5066835 (Windows security update released around October 14–15, depending on region)
- KB5065789 (optional bug-fix update released late last month / early this month)
Users on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 reported that USB keyboards and mice stopped working in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
This issue made it impossible to navigate recovery options, effectively breaking system recovery for affected users.
Important clarification: USB devices continued to work normally inside Windows itself. The problem only occurred in the recovery environment.
Microsoft’s Response: Emergency Out-of-Band Update
Microsoft acted quickly and released an out-of-band emergency update, KB5070773, which began rolling out late yesterday (depending on region).
Out-of-band updates are mandatory emergency patches that Microsoft deploys outside the normal update schedule when an issue is serious enough to require immediate attention.
Microsoft has officially confirmed the fix, stating that:
After installing the Windows security update released on October 14, USB devices such as keyboards and mice may not function in the Windows Recovery Environment. This issue has now been resolved.
What You Need to Do
If you were affected:
- Go to Settings → Windows Update
- Click Check for updates
- Install KB5070773 if it hasn’t already installed automatically
Because this is a mandatory emergency update, it should download and install automatically on most systems.
Conclusion:
This was a real issue—not a minor bug. Losing keyboard and mouse functionality in WinRE is a serious failure, and Microsoft was right to push an emergency fix rather than wait for the next Patch Tuesday.
If you rely on recovery tools, make sure this update is installed.
