Microsoft admits that April 2018 Update causes freezes

Windows 10 April 2018 Update Bug story begins: severe Chrome and Cortana freezes

Shortly after Microsoft started rolling out the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, codenamed Redstone 4, Microsoft community on Reddit began a discussion about severe Chrome, and Cortana slowdowns. According to the community, right after the installation of Windows 10 version 1803, Chrome slows down significantly eventually ending up with a total Windows unresponsiveness. 

Although initially the problem seemed to be sporadic, it turns out that it's one of the first Windows 10 April 2018 Update bugs spotted on the wild. Microsoft was quick to respond to the current situation and admitted that the issue is real.

According to Neowin researchers, the problem starts right after the installation of the Windows 10 v1803 on PCs that were working fine before the update. Most of the devices encountering this issue run Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.

The issue emerges in phases. First of all, they notice a significant Google Chrome's slowdown while web browsing, which eventually outgrow to a complete Windows 10 freeze and unresponsiveness.

Microsoft official acknowledged the issue

Soon after new Windows 10 v1803 users started reported a severe bug, which slows down Chrome, Cortana, and other apps used on Windows most frequently, the company's support created a threat on Microsoft's discussion forum claiming:

Microsoft is aware that some devices running the Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803) may hang or freeze when using specific apps, such as “Hey Cortana” or Chrome. […]

Microsoft is working on a solution with the goal of including it in the next regular monthly update, currently targeted for a release date of May 8, 2018.

Until a patch for Windows 10 April 2018 update is released, you can try to endure the random slowdowns, roll back the update or try to fix the bug using Microsoft's recommendations.

Until patch rolls out, Microsoft recommends disabling hardware acceleration

Technically it's possible to release such significant updates as Windows 10 April 2018 Update without bugs, but practically it's not. Consider the variety of devices, their manufacturers, different assembly, software, hardware, and other aspects.

On the other side, the irritation expressed by Windows 10 is also comprehensible. Each new update brings about a variety of new bugs, which do not receive patch updates for a long time.

In this particular case, Microsoft responded the next day the problem was reported and provided a fix that may help until May 8, when the patch is expected to roll out. According to the company, Windows users should first if all try to wake the frozen screen by pressing Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B. If that did not help, try to turn off hardware acceleration in Chrome:

• Open Google Chrome and click Options;
• Select Settings and then pick Advanced settings;
• Find System section and remove the check mark from a box saying Use hardware acceleration when available;
• Finally, restart Chrome.

In case these fixes did not help, people can opt one of the two options, i.e., either wait until May 8 for Microsoft to release a patch to fix Windows 10 April Update freezes or roll back the update to the previous build.

Written by

Gabriel E. Hall

Malware Removal Expert

Malware removal Ransomware recovery Browser hijackers Spyware analysis Security tools testing

Gabriel E. Hall is a malware removal expert and cybersecurity researcher with over ten years of hands-on experience analysing threats and writing removal guides. She has documented hundreds of malware families — from browser hijackers and adware to ransomware and rootkits — providing step-by-step cleanup instructions tested against real infections. Gabriel's work combines deep technical analysis with clear, actionable language that readers without a security background can follow. Her guides consistently appear among the most-referenced resources for malware removal on Windows systems.

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