Microsoft has confirmed that the KB5124010 update can cause certain Windows 11 games and applications to crash. The issue affects software that relies on Windows’ built-in AC-3 audio decoding, commonly associated with Dolby Digital sound.
Affected programs may fail to open or close unexpectedly. In other cases, they work normally until a particular action, such as playing music, triggers the problem.
Microsoft is developing a fix. However, the company has not announced when it will become available.
Audio Decoding Issue Affects More Than Games
The crashes can affect games, media players and some productivity applications. The deciding factor is whether the software uses the affected Windows audio component.
According to Microsoft, older applications are more likely to depend on this built-in decoder. As a result, legacy software may face greater exposure to the issue.
Meanwhile, many modern applications handle audio decoding through their own components. Those programs do not rely on the affected Windows functionality and therefore avoid this particular problem.
The presence of AC-3 audio alone does not establish whether an application will crash. Its method of decoding that audio matters.
Optional Update Can Install Automatically on Some Devices
Microsoft released the KB5124010 update as a Windows 11 preview in September 2026. It normally requires users to select Download and install, which limits how widely the problem may spread.
However, the update can install automatically on Windows 11 24H2 devices with Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available enabled.
Consequently, some users may encounter the crashes even if they did not manually select this specific preview release.
Microsoft’s description also explains why an affected application might initially appear healthy. A program may launch successfully and only close when it reaches a feature that requires AC-3 decoding.
Microsoft Is Working on a Resolution
Microsoft documented the problem on its Windows release health dashboard and says it will provide more information in a future update.
For now, the confirmed issue concerns applications using the affected audio-decoding component. It does not mean every game or media application will stop working after installation.
Separately, Microsoft released emergency fixes in September for USB audio problems, Remote Desktop Services failures and Hyper-V issues following other Windows updates. Those fixes addressed different problems and do not establish a resolution for the KB5124010 crashes.
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