- Windows 11’s March update has an annoying bug
- It breaks some apps which use a Microsoft account login, including OneDrive, Edge and the free version of Teams
- Microsoft has a workaround, but doesn’t sound fully confident in it – though fortunately a patch is already underway and should arrive soon
Windows 11‘s latest update suffers from a bug which has broken some apps that use a Microsoft account login.
Bleeping Computer reports that the March update released last week (known as KB5079473) has messed up the Microsoft account sign-ins for OneDrive and the Edge browser, as well as the free version of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot, along with Microsoft Word and Excel.
Microsoft explains: “As a result of this issue, sign in attempts will display an error message with text similar to ‘You’ll 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 to 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 encounter this issue, restart the device while keeping it connected to the internet. This should repair the device connectivity state and prevent the issue from occurring.”
This is a bug that hits consumers more, as it’s Microsoft accounts which are causing the problem. Microsoft clarifies that businesses using Entra ID won’t be affected, and this is just Microsoft Teams Free which has a problem (via Microsoft account sign-ins which are prevalent with that freebie version).
That said, Windows 11 Enterprise versions have encountered other bugs with the March update which Microsoft has been forced to release emergency patches for. This includes a problem whereby Bluetooth devices aren’t visible, so you can’t connect them to the PC.
Analysis: workaround sounds a little hit-or-miss, but thankfully a patch is imminent
If you’ve had trouble with Edge or OneDrive logins, or indeed one of the other mentioned pieces of software, since installing last week’s Windows 11 update, now you know the problem. And it might be quite a nasty one to come across, as folks could well assume there’s something wrong with their internet connection, and may end up having a frustrating time of trying to troubleshoot an issue that doesn’t actually exist.
As for the supplied workaround from Microsoft, it is effectively that old standby: turn it off, turn it on again. However, it’s not too heartening to read that Microsoft believes this ‘should repair’ the internet connection, which doesn’t sound as definitive as I’d like. Keep your fingers crossed, basically.
Microsoft says it’s working on a resolution for the bug and it should be patched in the “next few days”, so the good news is that at least this particular network-related gremlin shouldn’t be hanging around for long.
Note that the February preview update – the optional release just before the March patch – also carried a very nasty bug for Samsung laptops where access to the system (C:) drive was lost. This was the fault of the Samsung Galaxy Connect app, mind, and not Windows 11, but if you were unfortunate enough to be affected, here’s how to extract yourself from that particular mess.
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