Microsoft says latest Windows 11 issue crashes explorer.exe, makes taskbar disappear, but a fix is rolling out

A bug in Windows 11 is causing Explorer.exe to crash, leading to the disappearance of the taskbar and desktop UI. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and released a fix in Windows 11 KB5074105. The bug specifically impacts Windows installations with certain startup apps configured. The optional update addresses Explorer.exe issues, restores custom folder names, and fixes File Explorer and lock screen unresponsiveness problems. Microsoft is gradually rolling out the fix, so it may not apply instantly to all PCs.