Recent Windows security updates have caused some VPN connections to fail, Microsoft says. The company is working on the solution.

The KB5036893 update, known as the April Security Update, was first released in 2024/4/9. Since then, after rolling out between heaps of PCs, Microsoft has noticed the careless impact that updates have on virtual private networks. This may prevent some users from fully connecting and may prevent them from hiding their IP address or changing their location on the web.

Beyond what Microsoft has reported on the Windows 11 issues page, there is not much detail about this failure.

"Windows devices may face VPN connection failure after installing the 2024/4 Security Update (KB5036893) or the 2024/4 Non-Security Preview update," Microsoft states.

"Next step: We are working on a resolution and will provide updates in an upcoming release."

This issue affects Windows11 (versions 23H2, 22h2, and 21h2) and Windows10 (versions 22h2 and 21h2).

If you look at the WINDOWS11subreddit, you can usually quickly detect common OS failures, but you don't see many reports of problems. Then again, it is one of these problems that may not attribute to Windows unless you know Microsoft has admitted responsibility. Anyway, if you are struggling with the connection, it seems like you should try to remove this package. To remove an LCU after installing a combination of SSU and LCU, use the DISM/Remove-Package command-line option with the LCU package name as an argument, which can be found using the following command:DISM/online/get-packages.

"Windows Update Standalone Installer(wusa.Using the /uninstall switch of the combined package does not work because the combined package contains the SSU. You cannot remove the SSU from the system after installation.

Another way is to check if your router and VPN provider support running a VPN directly through the hub.1This means that Windows does not need to be aware of the connection. It's a little extreme measure for some, but if you need to.