Printers on Windows have historically required individual drivers on Windows, which causes security vulnerabilities, limited hardware upgrades, and reliability problems.Now, Microsoft wants to replace that with “a fundamentally modern approach,” which includes a slow phaseout for legacy printer drivers.Printers have a long-running reputation for being awful, and it’s not entirely because of HP’s overpriced ink cartridges.
On Windows, each printer often required its own hardware driver, or at least a shared driver across several similar models.Newer versions of Windows could potentially break those drivers, and if the manufacturer didn’t provide an updated driver for newer CPU architectures, you had to stay on an older PC or get a new printer.For example, some Windows 11 PCs now have ARM-based chipsets, but those can’t run x86-only hardware drivers.
Microsoft has been trying to fix that in Windows PCs with a few different projects.Modern versions of Windows (starting with Windows 10 21H2) have a built-in universal printer driver, compatible with any printers that use the Mopria industry standard.That driver has continued to improve with subsequent updates to Windows 10 and 11, and printers using Mopria are widespread.
For businesses and other organizations, Microsoft’s Universal Print cloud service is designed to dot replace legacy printer servers.In January 2026, Microsoft stopped allowing new legacy printer drivers in Windows Update for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2005.That was incorrectly reported by some tech news outlets (including and ) as Windows 11 ending all support for legacy printers, but that’s not happening anytime soon.
Microsoft just isn’t allowing drivers that are built with the legacy driver model.If you have an old printer that needs a special driver, installed through Windows Update or elsewhere, Windows 11 won’t block that.Starting in July 2026, Windows 11 will start to use the universal driver (IPP) instead of legacy drivers, if both options exist for the same printer.
In July 2027, Windows Update will stop releasing updates for legacy printer drivers, except for security fixes.There’s currently no timeline for cutting off old printers and their drivers entirely—that’s years away, at least.Microsoft explained in a blog post today, “Modernizing an industry as broad and diverse as Windows print is a large undertaking, but the progress is real and the momentum is accelerating.
With the modern print platform, we’re building a future where the print experience just works, no matter the device, no matter the architecture, and no matter how complex the environment behind it.” Subscribe to the newsletter for Windows printing changes Get broader context when you subscribe to the newsletter: clear, practical coverage of Windows' move to universal printer drivers and related platform shifts, helping you assess compatibility, migration choices, and hardware impacts across home and enterprise environments.Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.
As printers in homes and offices are gradually replaced with models using the Mopria industry standard, the legacy printer drivers that frequently cause headaches on Windows can be slowly phased out.You don’t have to worry about Windows breaking your current printer anytime soon, though.Source: Windows IT Pro Blog, Windows Drivers documentation
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