Picture this: you’re settling in for an evening of gaming or binge-watching your favorite series, and suddenly everything on your screen looks like it’s been filtered through rose-colored glasses—except these glasses are decidedly more crimson than rosy. Welcome to the latest Windows 11 headache that’s been turning displays red across the PC landscape.
The red alert
Windows 11 users have been reporting a peculiar visual glitch that’s transforming their digital experience into something resembling an old sepia photograph, but with a distinctly reddish twist. The culprit? An optional update bearing the designation KB5064081, which rolled out in August and apparently decided to take some creative liberties with color reproduction.
Microsoft has acknowledged this chromatic chaos, confirming that certain games and video content are displaying with an unwanted red tint after the update installation. The tech giant has been characteristically vague about the specifics—which titles are affected, which video formats are problematic—leaving users to discover these issues through trial and error.
The prevailing theory points toward a malfunction in Windows 11’s color rendering pipeline, potentially related to how the system handles HDR (High Dynamic Range) adjustments. When attempting to fine-tune colors and boost brightness for HDR content, something in the code appears to have gone awry, resulting in this scarlet-tinged viewing experience.
The Fix is in, sort of
For those desperately seeking relief from their red-washed screens, Microsoft has released a remedy in the form of another optional update: KB5067036. This patch not only addresses the color issue but also brings along some additional perks, including a freshly redesigned Start menu for those interested in aesthetic updates.
The company has also announced plans to roll out a comprehensive fix during the upcoming Patch Tuesday in November 2025, which should automatically resolve the problem for all users who haven’t yet installed the optional update.
But wait, there’s more
As if the red tint weren’t enough, Windows 11 has been dealing with other quirks in recent updates. Another confirmed bug affects screen refresh behavior when multiple applications are running. Users have noticed that when a full-screen app or game is operating in the background, only portions of their active window update properly. This becomes particularly apparent during scrolling, where content appears to refresh in patches rather than smoothly updating the entire display—creating a disjointed, almost stuttering visual experience.
The KB5067036 update tackles this issue as well, though it’s not without its own baggage. Some users have reported that Task Manager refuses to close properly after installing this patch, adding yet another minor annoyance to the growing list of Windows 11 quirks.
To update or not to update?
The situation presents Windows 11 users with a familiar dilemma: install the optional fix now and potentially encounter new issues, or wait for the mandatory update cycle and live with current problems a bit longer. For those not particularly bothered by the red tint or the partial screen refresh issue—and who aren’t eager to see the redesigned Start menu—patience might be the wisest course. The next mandatory update will arrive soon enough, hopefully with these issues resolved and fewer new complications introduced.
In the meantime, affected users can at least take comfort in knowing their systems aren’t experiencing hardware failure—it’s just Windows being Windows, one update at a time.