Windows 11 April 2026 Patch Disrupts Third-Party Backup Tools

Microsoft’s April 2026 Patch Tuesday update, identified as KB5083769, is causing major disruptions across Windows 11 systems.

The update, released for versions 24H2 and 25H2, introduced a critical issue affecting the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), a core Windows component used for creating reliable system snapshots.

VSS plays a vital role in backup operations by enabling point-in-time copies of files, even while they are in use.

However, after installing the update, users and administrators are reporting widespread failures in backup jobs, with many processes timing out or failing during snapshot creation.

Security analysts and IT teams quickly raised alerts as reports of broken backup systems emerged shortly after deployment, highlighting the severity of the issue.

Major Backup Solutions Affected

The disruption is not limited to a single vendor and has impacted several widely used backup platforms across enterprise and consumer environments.

• Acronis has confirmed that its Cyber Protect Cloud solution is experiencing failures due to VSS timeout errors and is actively investigating.
• Macrium users report persistent snapshot failures when running backup tasks via Macrium Reflect.
• UrBackup, an open-source backup tool, has acknowledged that file backup operations stop working completely after the update.

Interestingly, Microsoft’s own cloud-based backup feature remains unaffected. This is because it does not rely on VSS for its operations.

However, concerns are growing around Microsoft’s upcoming point-in-time restore (PITR) feature, currently being tested in Insider builds, as it depends on VSS and may inherit the same issue upon release.

Until Microsoft provides a fix, either through an out-of-band update or the May 2026 Patch Tuesday release, vendors are advising users to roll back the problematic update.

Administrators experiencing backup failures can follow these steps:

• Open Windows Settings and go to Windows Update.
• Select Update History.
• Navigate to Related Settings and click Uninstall Updates.
• Locate “Security update for Microsoft Windows (KB5083769).”
• Click Uninstall and allow the process to complete.
• Restart the system.
• Pause updates temporarily to prevent automatic reinstallation.

This rollback restores VSS functionality and allows backup systems to operate normally again.

While uninstalling the update resolves backup issues, it introduces security concerns. The KB5083769 patch was designed to fix multiple vulnerabilities, and removing it exposes systems to those risks.

This creates a difficult trade-off for IT teams: maintain a strong security posture or ensure reliable backup and disaster recovery capabilities.

Organizations must carefully assess their risk exposure and prioritize based on operational needs. Continuous monitoring of vendor updates is essential, as backup providers are expected to release compatibility fixes.

Microsoft has not yet issued an official fix, but pressure is mounting as more organizations report disruptions.

Security teams should stay updated through vendor advisories and be ready to reapply the patch once a stable solution is available.

In the meantime, maintaining offline backups and alternative recovery strategies can help reduce risk during this temporary disruption.

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