- Microsoft is changing the way some older printers are supported in Windows 11
- However, this does not mean that those devices will no longer work on the operating system.
- A poorly worded statement on a roadmap gave this impression, but Microsoft has clarified that these printers will continue to work fine and driver updates can be applied to them, but not through Windows Update.
There is currently some confusion about older printers and Windows 11, so it’s worth making it clear that, despite what you may read elsewhere, due to a poorly worded support update from Microsoft, those printers are not going to stop working with the operating system.
As Windows Latest reports, this is due to an update to the Windows 11 roadmap in which Microsoft noted that: “Starting in January 2026, Windows will no longer support V3 and V4 printer drivers. These older driver models were announced as deprecated in September 2023.
“Most customers are using newer printer drivers or modern printing solutions, which continue to work and are recommended. If your printer depends on a V3 or V4 driver, it may stop installing or working after support ends.”
The last sentence obviously sounds like bad news, as it suggests that any printer running with these older drivers could stop working after the latest Windows 11 update. Fortunately, however, this is not the case, as Microsoft clarified to Windows Latest.
In fact, the cited statement is no longer present in the Windows 11 roadmap, so Microsoft apparently removed it, perhaps due to the confusion it is now causing.
In a support document on its Learn portal, Microsoft provides frequently asked questions that clarify the situation a lot. These are the key questions and answers to keep in mind:
Q: Will Windows prevent new printer drivers from being installed? [for these older third-party printers]?
TO: Windows will continue to allow vendor-provided printer drivers to be installed using separate installation packages.
Q: Will Microsoft-signed printer drivers already released be prevented from being installed on Windows?
TO: Existing printer drivers can be installed on Windows PCs even after the service ends.
What does this mean if you own one of these printers?
If you have an affected printer, one that is not a Mopria-compatible device (which is covered by Microsoft’s IPP class driver), in the future you will have to install new drivers yourself and obtain them from the manufacturer. (Note that all modern printers have moved away from these V3 and V4 drivers and in fact we are looking at devices that are probably over a decade old.)
In other words, starting with the latest (rather problematic) January update, Windows 11 will not provide any new drivers from the device manufacturer; You will have to get them directly from the source. However, you will still be able to install those drivers in Windows 11 and your printer won’t suddenly stop working. In fact, Microsoft clarifies that it has no plans to disable any existing printer features that are supported by the V3 and V4 printer drivers (not to mention the printers themselves).
In practical terms, if you have one of the affected V3 or V4 driver printers, your device will still work fine with its current driver. If you want to stay up to date with the latest drivers, you’ll need to monitor them yourself through the manufacturer’s website (in the support or downloads section, wherever new drivers are offered, and that could also be through the vendor’s partner software).
If you’re most concerned about security, and that’s understandable, it’s worth noting that Microsoft will continue to roll out any “critical” security fixes for these printers through Windows Update. And if your printer works fine as is, that’s all you need in the future, really.
In short, then, there’s nothing to worry about here, despite some of the scary headlines you’ve seen. That said, it is true that the Microsoft text in the quote above does not sound worrying, but it’s clearly misleading (and has apparently been removed as a result).
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