The next Windows update might make your old printer obsolete (as in, you'll need a new one)

Published Sep 28, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT Sydney Butler is a technology writer with over 20 years of experience as a freelance PC technician and system builder and over a decade as a professional writer. He's worked for more than a decade in user education. On How-To Geek, he writes commerce content, guides, opinions, and specializes in editing hardware and cutting edge technology articles. Sydney started working as a freelance computer technician around the age of 13, before which he was in charge of running the computer center for his school. (He also ran LAN gaming tournaments when the teachers weren't looking!) His interests include VR, PC, Mac, gaming, 3D printing, consumer electronics, the web, and privacy. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Research Psychology with a minor in media and technology studies. His masters dissertation examined the potential for social media to spread misinformation. Outside of How-To Geek, he hosts the Online Tech Tips YouTube Channel, and writes for Online Tech Tips, Switching to Mac, and Helpdesk Geek. Sydney also writes for Expert Reviews UK. He also has bylines at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Tom's Hardware, MakeTechEasier, and Laptop Mag. If you still have a printer, it's likely something you only use occasionally, so you haven't really been pressured to buy a new one for years now. And who could blame you? New printers are a hellscape of subscriptions and extremely overpriced consumables, so if you have a printer you like, actually own, and works to your satisfaction, you should hold on to it. Except, if you're a Windows user, there's a future update that could render your trusty old paper-slinger incompatible with the world's most popular operating system. Windows is getting rid of the printer driver system we’ve used for decades The Wild West is coming to an end For most of Windows' history, adding a printer has meant installing software supplied by the printer manufacturer. HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, and practically everyone else produced their own printer drivers, often with model-specific utilities bolted on top. So the world of printer hardware was (and still is) surprisingly noncohesive. This whole ecosystem, if you can call it that, is based on the V3 and V4 printer driver system on Windows. But for something like a printer, why have custom drivers at all? So Microsoft wants to standardize printer driver software with "Windows Ready Print." Network printers communicate with Windows using a standard IPP, or Internet Printing Protocol, which is designed to let you print over a local network or the internet. It already works fine there, so the idea is to just use this protocol everywhere. The new Windows system includes IPP, but isn't limited to just this technology. Microsoft's phase-out schedule is already happening as I write this. Since January 15, 2026, new printer drivers generally can't be published through Windows Update. Starting July 1, 2026, Windows began prioritizing its built-in IPP driver over third-party drivers when both are available. Microsoft plans to further restrict third-party printer-driver updates from July 1, 2027, although security fixes will still be permitted. Windows Protected Print Mode is where old printers can actually stop working Their time has come Credit: FabrikaSimf / Shutterstock None of this is going to immediately nuke your printer. If you already have Windows drivers for it that work, they'll continue to work under the legacy printing system. Existing drivers can still be installed, and Microsoft will continue allowing security fixes even after the broader servicing phase-out. No, what might spell real trouble is Windows Protected Print Mode (WPP). Once this (existing) feature is activated, no third-party drivers are allowed at all for printers. This is an option because of the very real threat of printer driver malware. Any printer that only has third-party drivers, and not drivers compliant with Microsoft's new ecosystem, won't work with WPP enabled. Even printers that do have new drivers available, but are still running on their old drivers, will just disappear as if they don't exist. Until you reinstall them using Windows ReadyPrint instead of the manufacturer's third-party driver. Right now, it’s optional, but Microsoft says that won’t last forever Going into default None of this is a big deal if it's just optional. However, if you're working in an organization, then the administrator can force WPP on, making your favorite old office printer a paperweight. Ironic, considering most of its weight is literally paper when its trays are all full. But you are the master of your own home computer, and so you don't have to turn on WPP. However, Microsoft doesn't exactly have a track record of trusting its users not to be cybersecurity boneheads, and has confirmed WPP will eventually become the Windows 11 default. What Microsoft hasn't said is when this is going to happen. So we can't say it's going to be on the next Patch Tuesday, but it could, in theory, totally happen then too. To be clear, you can still turn WPP off and go back to legacy drivers, but unless they're still getting security patches, that's a bad idea. I expect the move will happen in 2027 after the aforementioned timeline has run its course. The printers most at risk are older models that don't speak modern printing standards "Of course I can, sir. It's like a second language for me." If your printer supports IPP and Mopria, then it will likely work just fine with WPP. It's not a guarantee, but all hope is not lost. If you have an old USB-only printer that no longer gets driver updates, and isn't supported in any way by the OEM, then things are not looking good. Another wrinkle is that if you have an MFD, then the printer part might still work just fine, but you could lose access to scanning features in some cases. Of course, none of this affects internal functionality, such as the device's own copy function that doesn't need a connected computer at all. If you have niche printing devices, like label or CD printers that you still use in a small business or for your personal projects, I'd be worried about those too. You probably won't need to throw your old printer away — but you should check it now While we don't know when protected print mode will become the default for everyone, there's no reason to avoid checking if your current printer will comply or not. If it doesn't, you don't have to rush out and buy a new one. There may still be Linux drivers for it, as an example, and if it's a network printer, it might also still work without special third-party drivers. You can also turn a USB-only printer into a network printer by using a Raspberry Pi as a dedicated print server. So options remain on the table, including just turning the new default setting off.