Windows 11 users who installed the September 2025 update might think that it doesn’t really change much. After all, update KB5065426 is just a small patch that Microsoft is rolling out to everyone. But there’s more happening in the background than you might think.
Apparently, the update secretly removes two programs that were still part of the operating system for some users. The two programs are PowerShell 2.0 and Windows Management Instrumentation Command-Line (WMIC), which were of particular interest to power users and admins.
Why were these programs removed?
PowerShell 2.0 is, as the name suggests, a tool with which admins could access a special Windows command line for power users. However, the program is now considered insecure and outdated, which is why Microsoft has decided to phase it out for good. (PowerShell is still around, though, and sits at version 7.5 as of this writing.)
WMIC is a web-based tool that enabled Windows Enterprise customers to retrieve information about PCs on their network. Like PowerShell 2.0, this tool is also considered obsolete and is therefore being removed if it’s still present on certain Windows 11 PCs.
According to Microsoft, both tools are hardly used any more and represent security risks. Instead, users should use the latest version of PowerShell, which combines the features of both tools.
Preparation for Windows 11 25H2
With this past update, Microsoft is also preparing Windows 11 PCs for the delivery of the big 25H2 update that’s expected in October. If you’re curious and want to try it out ahead of time, you can take a peek at the preview version of the major update.
In the future, admins will have more control over which programs are installed on Windows 11 computers and which aren’t. Microsoft even allows AI features and system apps to be removed via group policies in order to make PCs leaner and less bloated.
Further reading: I can’t stop using Windows 11’s hidden God Mode
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