This article was originally published on December 19 and was updated on December 20 to include a response from Microsoft. Click here to jump to the response.
Since the release of Microsoft's latest Windows 11 update KB5033375 for December's Patch Tuesday, there's been a deluge of reports from unhappy users with Wi-Fi connectivity issues, according to Bleeping Computer. A quick search of Reddit reveals a large number of users who've installed the latest update complaining about dropped connections or an inability to access Wi-Fi networks, and the picture is much the same on Twitter and the Microsoft Community Forums.
This issue appears to affect enterprise wireless networks with fast-transition/fast-roaming enabled, such as those used on campuses to help with seamless movement between access points. As such some universities have already recommended their students uninstall the update until an official fix is provided. The problem does not seem to currently affect home wireless networks and regular internet usage as things stand.
Luckily for those affected by the issue, it's pretty easy to uninstall the update while Microsoft works on a fix.
Note: Microsoft has also released their own response since this article was first published, including instructions to use Known Issue Rollback. The response is detailed below.
To uninstall KB5033375 and the related KB50532288 optional preview update, (which may not be installed on all affected machines), you simply need to search for "Windows Update" from the Windows search bar, navigate to "Update History" and then "Uninstall Updates". From there, select KB503375 (or KB50532288) and then uninstall.
Windows 11 review: What we think of the latest OS.
How to install Windows 11: Our guide to a secure install.
Windows 11 TPM requirement: Strict OS security.
While this issue seems simple enough to solve, it's worth mentioning that this isn't even the first time this month a Window 11 update appears to have gone awry.
Regular OS updates are a vital part of keeping your system safe and secure, but when widespread issues occur on a regular basis it makes the task of keeping your devices up-to-date with all the latest fixes more of a minefield than it should be.
Here's hoping the problem can be fixed in the next update, so everyone can get back to studying, working, and doing that whole getting on with life thing without any more Wi-Fi setbacks.
Microsoft's response
Microsoft has released a response on December 19, confirming that it has received reports of the issue and an instruction to resolve the problem via its Known Issue Rollback service, or KIR.
"Microsoft has received reports of an issue in which some Wi-Fi adapters might not connect to some networks after installing KB5032288. We have confirmed this issue was caused by KB5032288 and KB5033375.
"As reported, you are more likely to be affected by this issue if you are attempting to connect to an enterprise, education, or public Wi-Fi network using 802.1x authentication. This issue is not likely to occur on home networks.
"Resolution: This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). Please note that it might take up to 24 hours for the resolution to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices. Restarting your Windows device might help the resolution apply to your device faster. For enterprise-managed devices that have installed an affected update and encountered this issue, it can be resolved by installing and configuring a special Group Policy. The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> <Group Policy name listed below>"
