Microsoft has added the Windows 11 KB5120998 cursor bug to its official Windows release health dashboard, confirming it is looking into reports that custom mouse pointers are being wiped out by the August optional update. The entry was opened on 28 August, a day after the update shipped, and is currently marked “Reported”, with Microsoft saying it is still investigating whether the problem is one it caused.
KB5120998 is the optional preview update released on 27 August for Windows 11 version 25H2 and 24H2, taking those builds to 26200.9278 and 26100.9278. It is the update that finally delivered the movable taskbar along with other interface changes — which is exactly why so many people were quick to install it.
What the Windows 11 KB5120998 cursor bug does
Microsoft’s dashboard entry describes mouse cursor personalisation settings being changed or reverted to standard settings after installing the update, with what it calls appearance regressions and intermittent animation changes. Specifically, it notes that reports mention high-DPI cursors being replaced by larger white ones, and custom cursor animations falling back to defaults. Crucially, Microsoft also records that attempts to restore the previous customisation are reported to be unsuccessful — so this is not a case of simply setting your pointer again.
Both Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 are listed as affected. Server editions are not.
On what happens next, Microsoft is unusually blunt about how early this is:
We are presently investigating to determine if this is an issue caused by Microsoft.
That line is from the Windows release health entry. There is no fix, no workaround and no timeline attached to it yet. Microsoft asks affected users to file a report through Feedback Hub, which you can open at any time by pressing Windows + F.
Worth noting: the KB5120998 support article itself still states, as of 29 August, that Microsoft is not aware of any issues with this update. The release health dashboard is the surface that has been updated, not the KB page, so don’t take the KB article’s silence as reassurance.
The wallpaper reports are not on Microsoft’s list
Windows Latest, which reported the user complaints on 28 August, also described a second problem alongside the cursor one: desktop wallpapers being replaced by solid black after installing the update, in some cases reverting again after every restart or sign-out. That claim comes from user reports on Reddit and Feedback Hub rather than from Microsoft — neither the release health dashboard nor the KB article mentions wallpapers at all. Treat it as an unconfirmed report for now, not an acknowledged bug.
Why this one matters more than a cosmetic glitch
It is tempting to file a pointer change under “annoying but harmless”. For a lot of people it isn’t. Large, high-contrast and custom-colour cursors are an accessibility setting — the reason they exist is that the default pointer is hard to track for users with low vision, and on high-DPI laptop displays a mis-scaled pointer is genuinely hard to follow. A bug that resets that preference and then refuses to let you set it back takes away a setting somebody deliberately configured to be able to use their PC comfortably.
The other awkward part is that not everyone who installs KB5120998 runs into this. Microsoft’s own entry calls the animation changes intermittent, and it has not published anything identifying which configurations are affected. Windows Latest speculates the trigger may relate to specific hardware, display scaling or theme setups, but that is their reading, not Microsoft’s. For most people, the practical position is that you find out after installing.
What to do about it
If you have not installed KB5120998 yet, the simplest option is to leave it alone. Microsoft describes it as a non-security update that includes quality improvements, so skipping it costs you no security fix, and its changes are due to reach everyone through the September Patch Tuesday update on 8 September. Microsoft has not said whether that release will include a fix for the cursor problem, so don’t assume it will.
If you have already installed it and your pointer has reset, removing the update is the step reported to work. Microsoft’s own instructions for this are:
- Open
Start > Settings > Windows Update. - Under More options, select Update history.
- Under Related settings, select Uninstall updates.
- Select KB5120998 from the list, then select Uninstall and restart the PC.
Be aware of the trade-off: uninstalling takes the new interface changes away with it. If your cursor is fine and the update is behaving, there is no reason to remove it.
Do file a Feedback Hub report if you are affected. On a bug Microsoft has only classed as “Reported”, the volume and detail of those reports is what moves it along.
Sources: Microsoft Windows release health, Microsoft Support, Windows Latest
