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.
