Windows 11 KB5132061 Breaks Windhawk Mods, but a Temporary Fix Is Available

Microsoft’s November 2026 Patch Tuesday update, KB5132061, has caused compatibility issues with Windhawk, preventing some Windows customization mods from working.

Users reported problems with mods that customize the Windows 11 taskbar and File Explorer. Windhawk developer Michael Maltsev has confirmed the issue and released a workaround that should restore most affected mods.

Windows 11 KB5132061 prevents Windhawk mods from loading

According to a GitHub discussion, users began reporting problems on November 10, shortly after Microsoft released its monthly security updates.

One user reported that none of their Windhawk mods would load after updating to Windows 11 build 26100.9974. Other users experienced similar problems, including some running Windows 10.

Maltsev explained that Microsoft had not published certain debugging symbols required for the latest Windows updates.

Windhawk relies on these symbols to locate and modify Windows components. Without them, affected mods cannot identify the functions they need, preventing them from loading correctly.

How to fix Windhawk mods after the November 2026 update

Maltsev has introduced a workaround that uses manual symbol mapping and Windhawk’s existing symbol cache to restore compatibility.

The workaround is available through Windhawk’s online symbol cache and supports both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

If your Windhawk mods still do not work, open Windhawk, disable the affected mods, and then re-enable them. This should reload the updated symbol information and allow the mods to work again.

The workaround should restore most affected mods without requiring users to uninstall the November updates.

Microsoft has not announced when it will publish the missing debugging symbols.

Windows 11 KB5132061 is causing other problems

Windhawk compatibility is not the only issue users have encountered after installing the November 2026 updates.

Some users reported that Windows 11 KB5132061 fails to install, displaying errors 0x80070306, 0x800f0993, and 0x800f0989.

Microsoft has also warned that the update could break older PowerShell scripts because of stricter script-signing validation.

Separately, Microsoft confirmed that recent Windows updates are causing SQL Server connection problems, potentially affecting database performance and stability.

For Windhawk users, however, the available symbol cache workaround provides a way to restore affected mods without rolling back the security update.

Via Neowin