Windows 11 update arrives with much-wanted features and very-much unwanted bugs that mess up the mouse cursor and wallpaper

Date:
Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:27:09 +0000

Description:
Miss Microsoft's old-style chunky white mouse pointer? A weird Windows 11 bug turns the cursor retro and it's messing with wallpapers too.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Windows 11 has a new preview update for August It offers some nifty new features, including the ability to move the taskbar There are some frustrating bugs in the update, though, which include an oversized retro mouse pointer you can't switch away from Windows
11 just got a new update albeit still in preview and while it delivers some smart goodies for the interface (including a taskbar option many users have been waiting for), there's a problem with bugginess here.

As a result, the preview update for August is an 'install at your own risk' affair, and although it's not going to put you in danger of being trapped in
a boot loop or something equally terrible, the bugs are annoying. Windows Latest noticed the initial reports of problems with this update, which
include the mouse pointer being changed to a " big white cursor " and the wallpaper becoming a blank black background. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

There are plenty of reports of this happening in the official Reddit thread (posted by Microsoft 's Jen Gentleman) pertaining to this Windows 11 update. Apparently the old-style cursor which is appearing in some cases can't be changed, and if you try to revert the cursor back to what you had before, it'll just switch to the legacy pointer again, going by the reports on
Reddit. You can, apparently, get rid of the plain black wallpaper.

While this update is optional, as are all preview releases, there's been
quite a rush to grab it, because, as mentioned, it comes with some long-awaited interface changes: the ability to move the taskbar away from the bottom of the screen, and to resize the Start menu. There's also
functionality that allows you to turn off Bing in Windows 11 search, which is great to see . You may like Microsoft fixes Windows 11's nasty bugs with Dell laptops with one catch New Windows 11 update is a big one these are my top
4 features Windows 11's June update is here these are the 3 most important features Analysis: QA and gradual rollout frustrations (Image credit: Lipik Stock Media / Shutterstock) While the bugs are purely cosmetic issues, you do end up with a stark and basic-looking operating system if they happen to your system. The really annoying bit is that you can't escape from the clutches of the oversized white retro mouse pointer (the only solution is to remove the update by all accounts).

One unimpressed Redditor complains : "Wow a buggy mess of an update for everyone." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

It's easy enough to draw this conclusion scanning through the official Reddit thread, where there are quite a lot of reports of this issue. However, we've got to remember that those who are affected are more likely to be vocal and drop a complaint (or a straightforward bug report) on social media. So, that skews things and makes matters look worse than they actually are and notably some folks are chiming in saying they've installed the August optional update just fine with no problems. Windows Latest didn't encounter any pointer-related shenanigans, either.

That said, there are enough reports of this to be a worry, and it's a weird glitch to have made it through to the final stage of Windows 11 testing
where preview updates are actually pushed to customer (non-Insider) devices (if they elect to install the optional release, of course). This again points to issues around QA (quality assurance) and testing for Microsoft, something that I keep banging on about .

At any rate, hopefully it'll be a quick fix from Microsoft here. This preview release will become the September update next month, and so this bug will certainly need to be squashed before then. What to read next Windows 11's August update has arrived here are 3 reasons to download it Windows 11 is finally getting the Start menu changes we all wanted How I think Microsoft's campaign to fix Windows 11 is going so far

It's also worth noting that there are people who've not encountered the mouse cursor bug, but are still expressing their disappointment that they haven't got the mentioned interface changes for the taskbar and Start menu. This is because those features are on a gradual rollout, so they will only come to a selection of PCs to begin with, which will broaden over time.

As another Redditor observes : "So I got black screen, my cursor is stuck to Windows 98 and can't be changed for some reason. I got the movable taskbar
but don't have the big or small Start menu. With all due respect, this OS is
a 'joke' (more than that actually just wanted to stay super polite)."

It's frustrating to take a chance on an optional update because you want the features therein, only to find you don't get some or indeed any of them,
but such is the nature of functionality deployment in Windows 11. You just have to be patient, although Microsoft has had some of its bigger changes on
a very slow-paced rollout in recent times, and this is proving to be an increasing annoyance for some folks. Better to be 'right' than 'rushed'
though Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to
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Read our full guide to the best laptops 1. Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M5 2. Best budget: Apple MacBook Neo 3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch 4. Best thin and light: Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 5. Best Ultrabook Asus Zenbook S 16



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/windows-11-update-arrives-with-muc h-wanted-features-and-very-much-unwanted-bugs-that-mess-up-the-mouse-cursor-an d-wallpaper


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