Windows 10 Proxy Bug Breaking Down the Internet, Microsoft Says Fix on Its Way

Microsoft has recently acknowledged a bug in Windows 10 that causes the operating system to display a limited or no Internet connection status in the notification area on devices with a manual or auto-configured proxy.

The issue, which Microsoft confirmed today, dates back to the February 27 cumulative update KB4535996 and affects all the latest versions of Windows 10, beginning with Windows 10 version 1709 and newer.

Windows 10 version 1909, the latest stable feature update for the operating system, is also impacted.

Fix coming in early April

“Devices using a manual or auto-configured proxy, especially with a virtual private network (VPN), might show limited or no internet connection status in the Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) in the notification area,” Microsoft explains.

“This might happen when connected or disconnected to a VPN or after changing state between the two. Devices with this issue, might also have issues reaching the internet using applications that use WinHTTP or WinInet. Examples of apps that might be affected on devices in this state are as follows but not limited to Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Office, Office365, Outlook, Internet Explorer 11, and some version of Microsoft Edge.”

The good news is that Microsoft says a fix is already on its way to Windows 10 users, but the bad news is that it should take a few more days until it lands. Microsoft explains that an out-of-band patch will be published on the Microsoft Catalog in early April, so further information will be published at a later date.

In the meantime, what you can do is restart your device, as Microsoft says that in some cases, this helps mitigate the issue. Most likely, this is just a temporary fix, but since no other solutions are available, it’s very well worth a try anyway.