As we reported recently, some users are encountering serious
problems after applying
Windows 10’s June 2021 cumulative update. According to
various reports and our own testing, mandatory security update
KB5003637 could break the taskbar icons. In some
cases, users are also unable to access the Action Center due to
overlapped icons.
Earlier this month, Microsoft published June 2021 security
patch for Windows 10 version 21H1, version 20H2, and version
2004. KB5003637 is a security and mandatory update
intended to patch the security bugs reported in the operating
system and issues caused by the previous update, including the
long-running memory leak bug.
Based on the various posts we’ve seen across our own forum and
social media sites, Windows 10’s taskbar bug appears to be a
growing issue, particularly affecting devices where the “News
and Interests” feed has been turned off using Group Policy or
taskbar context menu.
Latest
Comments on the blurry taskbar icon problem are also available
on the Feedback Hub, with various users explaining how their
taskbar stopped working properly after they deployed the
mandatory security update.
In an update to the support document,
Microsoft has finally acknowledged the reports, with the
company stating that the blurry taskbar bug affects “certain
display configurations” only. No specifics were provided and
it’s unclear how many users are affected worldwide.
“After installing KB5001391 or later updates, the news and
interests button in the Windows taskbar might have blurry text
on certain display configurations,” the company stated in the
updated documentation, and promised that the fix will be
provided in an “upcoming release”.
Contrary to what Microsoft says, we’ve observed the blurry text
bug across the taskbar/system tray icons and it’s not limited
to the weather icon (News and Interests button).
How to fix blurry icons/texts on the taskbar
To fix blurry icons or texts bug on your taskbar after applying
June 2021 update, try these workarounds tested by us:
- Play with News and Interests settings: Right-click on the
taskbar, select News and interests and click Turn off. If it’s
already disabled and you still have the issue, enable it to see
if that fixes your problem. You can also use the “show icon
only” mode of News and Interests. - Change the taskbar location to the top of the screen.
- Display scaling settings: Go to Start > Settings >
System > Display and set scaling to the Recommended setting. - Uninstall third-party apps: Remove or disable third-party
apps installed on your device to customize the taskbar or Start
menu.
If nothing works, uninstall the update and pause the Windows
update for one month. To do this, open Start > Settings >
Update & Security, and click View update history then Uninstall
updates.
Right-click the offending update June 2021 update and click
Uninstall.
