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Windows 11 users who recently dealt with a black screen after signing in now have a temporary fix available. The issue first originated with the August 2026 non-security preview update KB5120998 and can continue after subsequent updates.

As Microsoft noted, the issue was primarily reported on Azure Virtual Desktop hosts using FSLogix, with some existing user profiles appearing to be affected more frequently. Affected users may see a black screen after signing in, with the desktop failing to load automatically. In some cases, users can only access the desktop after manually starting the session, while Windows Event Viewer may show crashes involving explorer.exe.

Microsoft shares a temporary workaround

Microsoft has provided two ways to mitigate the problem while it works on a permanent fix. The quickest option is to manually launch explorer.exe. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, select Run new task, enter explorer.exe, and click OK. This should manually bring back the Windows desktop session.

For enterprise-managed PCs, Microsoft recommends using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). IT administrators can install and configure the appropriate Group Policy for their Windows version.

For Windows 11 26H1, Microsoft provides KB5124006 260924_20071 Known Issue Rollback, while Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 users can use KB5124010 260924_20021 Known Issue Rollback. The Group Policy must be configured and the affected devices restarted for the mitigation to take effect.

The KIR temporarily rolls back the change responsible for the problem while Microsoft works on a permanent resolution in a future Windows update. The issue affects Windows 11 26H1, 25H2 and 24H2, with no Windows Server versions currently listed as affected.