Microsoft purges Windows 11 printer drivers, putting millions of devices on borrowed time — legacy printers face extinction as Microsoft stops distributing V3 and V4 drivers

Microsoft is preparing a major change to how printers are supported in Windows 11, pulling the plug on drivers that primarily support older hardware. Beginning with a non-security update that was released on January 15, Microsoft will no longer support legacy V3 and V4 printer drivers, which were announced as deprecated in September 2023.

The policy is part of broader plans to modernize the Windows print platform following the release of Windows 10 21H2, which removed the need for print device manufacturers to provide their own installers. Under these plans, users on Windows 11 or Windows Server 2025 and later will no longer be able to install new printer drivers via Windows Update.

Microsoft says existing drivers on Windows Update can still be updated, but only on a case-by-case basis. As of January 15, new print driver submissions are being blocked by default and routed through a manual review workflow that requires explicit justification for why a legacy driver should still be serviced.

You may like

Now that support has officially ended, users of printers that rely on V3 or V4 drivers may find that their printers fail to install or stop working altogether. Microsoft, however, notes that most users will be unaffected because most newer printers use driver architectures. For those who do run into problems, Microsoft recommends that users contact their printer manufacturer and update to a supported driver or upgrade to a more modern printing solution.

This is ultimately a servicing and security decision. The traditional Windows print driver ecosystem has long since been a thorn in the side of Microsoft, with issues such as the print spooler vulnerability ‘PrintNightmare’ and the burden of supporting thousands of vendor-specific drivers making the entire ecosystem increasingly difficult to maintain. By narrowing what can be distributed via Windows Update, Microsoft is putting responsibility for legacy hardware support back in the hands of manufacturers.

From July 1, 2026, Windows will change its internal driver ranking order rules to “prefer” the built-in Microsoft IPP class driver when multiple options are available. A year later, on July 1, 2027, third-party printer driver updates delivered via Windows Update will be restricted to security-related fixes only.

With these changes, Microsoft also appears to be laying the groundwork for a harder lean on Windows Protected Print Mode, which was introduced with recent Windows 11 24H2 releases. When enabled, it removes third-party printer drivers entirely and restricts printing to Microsoft’s class drivers. While this is an optional feature for now, it hints at where Microsoft intends for the platform to go in the future.

Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.

Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.