- Windows 11 March Update Has Annoying Bug
- It breaks some apps that use a Microsoft account login, including OneDrive, Edge, and the free version of Teams.
- Microsoft has a workaround, but doesn’t seem entirely confident – although luckily a fix is already in the works and should arrive soon.
The latest Windows 11 update suffers from a bug that broke some apps using a Microsoft account login.
Bleeping Computer reports that the March update released last week (known as KB5079473) disrupted Microsoft account logins for OneDrive and the Edge browser, as well as the free version of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot, as well as Microsoft Word and Excel.
Microsoft explains: “Due to this issue, connection attempts will display an error message with text similar to ‘You will need the Internet for this.’ It doesn’t look like you’re connected to the internet.” This appears even if the device is connected to the Internet.
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As for what can be done here, Microsoft’s advice is: “This issue occurs when the device enters a specific network connectivity state and may resolve on its own. If you experience this issue, restart the device while keeping it connected to the Internet. This should repair the device’s connectivity state and prevent the issue from occurring.”
This is a bug that affects consumers more, as it is Microsoft accounts that are causing the problem. Microsoft clarifies that businesses using Entra ID will not be affected, and it is only Microsoft Teams Free that has an issue (via Microsoft account logins which are prevalent with this free version).
That said, Windows 11 Enterprise versions encountered other bugs with the March Update for which Microsoft was forced to release emergency fixes. This includes an issue where Bluetooth devices are not visible, so you cannot connect them to the PC.
Analysis: The workaround seems a bit random, but luckily a fix is imminent
If you’ve been having issues with Edge or OneDrive connections, or even any of the other software mentioned, since installing last week’s Windows 11 update, you now know the problem. And this could be quite unpleasant to encounter, as people might very well assume that there is something wrong with their internet connection and could end up having a frustrating time trying to fix a problem that doesn’t actually exist.
As for the workaround provided by Microsoft, it’s basically that old standby: turn it off, turn it back on. However, it’s not very encouraging to read that Microsoft believes this “should fix” the Internet connection, which doesn’t seem as definitive as I would like. Fingers crossed, basically.
Microsoft says it’s working on a fix for the bug and it should be fixed in the “coming days,” so the good news is that at least this network-related gremlin shouldn’t hang around for long.
Note that the February preview update – the optional version just before the March patch – also had a very nasty bug for Samsung laptops where access to the system drive (C:) was lost. This was the fault of the Samsung Galaxy Connect app, not Windows 11, but if you were unlucky enough to be affected, here’s how to get out of this particular mess.
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