Microsoft fixes VPN issues caused by September Windows updates

Microsoft has resolved a known issue that caused Always On VPN connection issues after installing the September 2026 Windows 11 security updates.

The Always On VPN remote access solution replaced the legacy DirectAccess technology and works with domain-joined, non-domain-joined, and Microsoft Entra ID–joined Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server devices.

Always On VPN runs in the background and automatically establishes a secure tunnel back to the corporate network whenever a device connects to the internet.

As Microsoft first acknowledged in a service alert sent to IT administrators in late September, the bug triggered Always On VPN failures if the initial connection fails (e.g., when using automatic protocol selection with IKEv2 and SSTP) on up-to-date systems running Windows 11 24H2 and later.