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

Source: Tom’s Hardware

Image credit: Brochure scanned by Swtpc6800

Microsoft’s printer driver policy change

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 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 (Microsoft documentation). Following the release of Windows 10 21H2, manufacturers no longer needed to provide their own installers. Under the new plan, users on Windows 11 or Windows Server 2025 and later will no longer be able to install new printer drivers via Windows Update.

Rationale

This is ultimately a servicing and security decision. The traditional Windows print driver ecosystem has long been a thorn in Microsoft’s side, with issues such as the PrintNightmare vulnerability (details) and the burden of supporting thousands of vendor‑specific drivers. By narrowing what can be distributed via Windows Update, Microsoft is shifting responsibility for legacy hardware support back to manufacturers.

Timeline

• July 1 2026 – Windows will change its internal driver ranking order to prefer the built‑in Microsoft IPP class driver when multiple options are available.
• July 1 2027 – Third‑party printer driver updates delivered via Windows Update will be restricted to security‑related fixes only.

Future outlook

These changes also lay the groundwork for a harder lean on Windows Protected Print Mode, introduced with recent Windows 11 24H2 releases (announcement). When enabled, Protected Print Mode removes third‑party printer drivers entirely and restricts printing to Microsoft’s class drivers. While optional for now, it hints at the direction Microsoft intends for the printing platform.