Summary
- The Windows 11 January update KB5074109 causes frame drops and artifacting on Nvidia GPUs.
- Nvidia confirms the issue is linked to the update and suggests uninstalling KB5074109 for now.
- If you have an Nvidia GPU and post-update issues, uninstall KB5074109 to restore performance.
Windows 11 didn't have the best start to 2026. After Microsoft rolled out the January update, people have been reporting all sorts of strange bugs cropping up. For instance, Windows 11 would refuse to shut down properly, and Outlook would cause issues with system stability.
However, despite us heading into February, the ghost of January is still haunting the operating system. This time around, people on Nvidia cards are reporting that, after downloading the January update, they're experiencing both frame drops and artifacting when playing their favorite games. Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem, and there's a good chance you already know what the best fix is.
Microsoft confirms that a stack of bad Windows updates is causing boot issues
It's not just January's one.
Nvidia confirms that the Windows 11 January update is causing gaming issues
Uninstalling the update seems to be the best solution right now
As spotted by Windows Latest, there has been a lot of talk over on the Nvidia forums about the latest update. People have been reporting issues with their Nvidia cards with Windows 11. People have been testing different tricks to get things working again, and they've discovered that uninstalling the Windows 11 January update works. For instance, one user posts:
Tested and I can confirm, you might not notice it on light games but fire up some intensive games and you'll see. Definitely lost 10 to 20 fps and even worse, the 1% low was noticeably worse. As soon as uninstalled the windows security update KB5074109 everything went back to normal working like a charm. And Microsoft has not even acknowledged this mess, it's crazy. I have Windows fatigue at this point and I wonder if Nvidia will bail them out another time.
The discussion got to a point where Nvidia began to take notice. Manuel from Nvidia made an appearance to confirm what everyone was saying:
Even though it started after a Windows 11 update, we are looking into it. As far as I know, the only way to resolve it appears to be uninstalling KB5074109
If you're using an Nvidia GPU and you've noticed some issues after installing the Windows 11 January update, it's worth uninstalling it and seeing if it fixes your problem.