Windows 11 features terminate due to expired certificate
Microsoft has released a hotfix that fixes most of the issues.
First-time Windows 11 users might not be able to use the Capture tool, touch keyboard, or emoji panel unless they manually update the operating system. Microsoft has released a patch to resolve most of the issues, citing an expired certificate as the cause.
The fix will be sent to affected devices as an automatic update, but you can manually install the preview fix, KB5006746, if you want it immediately. It fixes the touchscreen keyboard, voice typing, the emoji panel (Windows key + period, for those of you who haven’t had the fun), and the startup and tips sections in Windows 11. It doesn’t fix not the capture tool (Windows key + Shift + S), however. Microsoft recommends using the Print Screen key as an alternative.
Windows 11 users running security-focused S mode (a version of Windows that limits you to Microsoft Store and Microsoft Edge apps), or who want to use the Input Method Editor (a keyboard macro tool, basically ) may experience issues regardless of the patch as well.
Certificates essentially verify that certain parts of your operating system are official, such as a contract. This expired on October 31, causing all of these programs and features to be blocked for some users. Normally expired certificates can continue to work past their expiration date, but for some reason this is causing crashes now that we are past the end of October.
The Verge reported that you can manually change the date on your device until October 30 for the capture tool to work if you experience crashes related to this issue. Otherwise, you may have to wait for another fix.
This is the path for all new operating systems. If you’re still using Windows 10, you might consider pausing this upgrade to 11, as Wes noted last month.