For decades, adding a printer to Windows meant finding, installing and maintaining the manufacturer's driver. Microsoft is changing that. Windows is moving to driverless printing built on open standards, and the transition is already under way. For IT teams it is a real chance to simplify the print estate, but only with a plan for every device, queue and workflow that depends on today's drivers.
What is changing
Microsoft has set out the timeline in its end of servicing plan for third-party printer drivers:
- Since January 15, 2026, no new third-party printer drivers are published to Windows Update for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025, apart from exceptions approved case by case.
- Since July 2026, Windows prefers its built-in driver, based on the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), when a printer is added. Microsoft now calls this approach Windows Ready Print, and new printers that support it use it by default. Administrators can allow or block it through Group Policy.
- From July 1, 2027, updates to third-party printer drivers will be limited to security fixes.
Existing drivers are not being switched off. Microsoft says they can still be installed, including from manufacturers' own installation packages, and that it has no plans to disable features of the legacy driver platform. This is a transition rather than a cutoff, but the direction is clear: new devices, new PCs and new Windows releases will increasingly assume driverless printing.
Why Microsoft is making the change
Printer drivers run deep inside Windows, and there are thousands of them, from many manufacturers, of varying age and quality. Microsoft has said there is no way to verify the security of all of them. The risk is not theoretical: in 2021, the PrintNightmare vulnerability in the Windows print spooler let attackers run code with full system privileges, and it was exploited in the wild. A single standards-based driver, maintained by Microsoft, removes a large and hard-to-audit part of that attack surface.
Windows is the last to make the move
Driverless printing is not new. Apple has used it for AirPrint since 2010, and Android phones and Chromebooks print through the same standards. On Linux, the CUPS printing system has supported the Printer Working Group's IPP Everywhere standard since 2016 and deprecated traditional printer drivers in 2019, so most Linux desktops now set up compatible network printers automatically, with no driver to install.
Windows is the last major platform to make the shift. That is good news: the standards are mature, many printers sold in recent years already support them, and estates that mix Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile devices can increasingly print the same way.
Windows Ready Print and protected print mode compared
The two are often confused, but they do different jobs. Windows Ready Print is the new default way of installing printers. Windows protected print mode is a stricter security setting built on top of it.
| Windows Ready Print | Windows protected print mode | |
| What it is | Printer installation using the built-in IPP driver, with no manufacturer driver | A security mode that allows only Windows Ready Print |
| Status today | Default for new printers that support it since July 2026 | Optional; Microsoft says it will be enabled by default at a future date |
| Manufacturer drivers | Still allowed alongside it | Removed from the PC and blocked |
| Printers supported | Printers that support IPP; others keep their existing drivers | Mopria certified printers only; others are uninstalled |
| Other effects | None beyond the driver used | XPS and fax removed; some scanners unavailable |
| How it is controlled | Windows Settings or Group Policy | Windows Settings, Group Policy or Intune; when set by policy, users cannot turn it off |
Mopria is the industry certification for standards-based printing and scanning, and checking it is the quickest way to tell which devices are ready.
What changes in practice
The built-in driver handles everyday printing well. The questions arise with features that have traditionally come from manufacturer drivers or vendor software:
| Feature | With the built-in IPP driver | What to do |
| Everyday options: duplex, color, paper size, trays | Available where the printer advertises them over IPP | Confirm on each device model during the pilot |
| Finishing: stapling, punching, folding | Common options are available when the printer reports them; advanced or vendor-specific options may not be | Check the manufacturer's print support app, delivered through the Microsoft Store |
| Account codes, PIN prompts and pop-ups at the PC | Driver-based prompts do not carry over | Move authentication and cost allocation to the print management platform, with release at the device |
| Watermarks and other driver features | Not available unless a print support app provides them | Decide which are still needed and how they will be delivered |
| Label, receipt and specialist printers | Often not IPP capable or Mopria certified | Plan exceptions; PCs that need these drivers cannot use protected print mode |
| Scanning from desktop applications | Works through standard protocols (WS-Scan or eSCL); vendor scan utilities may not, and some scanners are unavailable in protected print mode | Test scan workflows, and consider scanning at the device to approved destinations |
| Fax from the PC | Removed in protected print mode | Move to device fax or a fax service |
| USB printers | Need to support IPP over USB | Check each locally connected device |
| Citrix, Remote Desktop and virtual desktops | Session hosts have their own driver setups, which change as Windows releases are updated | Test session printing separately from physical PCs |
| Windows PCs with ARM processors | The built-in driver works; many legacy drivers have no ARM version | Use driverless or centrally managed queues for ARM devices |
Driverless is not the same as secure
Removing third-party drivers reduces one source of risk on the PC. It does not decide who is allowed to print, hold a confidential document until its owner is at the device, or record who printed, copied or scanned what. Those controls still have to come from your print management platform.
That platform now matters more, not less. Ringdale's Global Imaging & Printing Threat Landscape 2026 found that since the last Windows print spooler addition in April 2024, every print-related addition to the US government's catalog of actively exploited vulnerabilities has been in print management software. As drivers leave the PC, attackers look at the systems that manage print instead. Choose a platform that is independently certified, patched promptly and open about how it handles vulnerabilities, and include it in your security audits. Read Why Print and Scan Belong in Every Information Security Audit for what to check.
Which path fits your environment
There is no single route to driverless printing. The right approach depends on how print is delivered today:
- On-premises print servers. Keep central queues and move them to driverless printing one device model at a time, piloting protected print mode with client groups whose devices are all compatible.
- Branch offices and remote sites. Driverless printing reduces the need for local drivers and servers at each site. Central print management keeps policy and release consistent across every location.
- Citrix, Remote Desktop and virtual desktops. Treat session printing as its own workstream, with print managed at the server level so that users get the same secure release as on physical PCs.
- Cloud-first with Microsoft Universal Print. Universal Print removes the need for print servers and fits naturally with driverless printing. Pair it with print management for authentication, secure release and auditing.
Most organizations run more than one of these, which is why a platform that covers all of them matters.
A practical plan for the transition
- Inventory the fleet. Record each device's model, Mopria certification, current driver, and the queues and workflows that use it.
- Pilot Windows Ready Print. Test printing, finishing, scanning and secure release on each device model with a small group of users before rolling out more widely.
- Decide on protected print mode. Plan when to enable it, starting with groups whose devices are all compatible.
- Plan device replacement. Prioritize devices that are neither Mopria certified nor supported by their manufacturer, and make certification a requirement for new purchases.
- Keep central control. Manage drivers, queues and policies from one place, so changes can be tested and staged without touching every desktop.
How FollowMe helps
FollowMe is ready for this shift today. It supports Windows protected print mode, so jobs from protected PCs are still held securely and released only when the user authenticates at the device. It supports Windows PCs with ARM processors, and printing from Mac and Linux computers and from business systems such as SAP, so one set of controls covers the whole organization rather than Windows alone.
Because FollowMe works at the print server level and with Microsoft Universal Print, it covers every path above: on-premises servers, branch offices, Citrix, Remote Desktop and virtual desktops, and the cloud. Authentication, secure release and auditing are applied centrally across every brand of device, and administrators manage queues and policies from one console, so the transition can be staged and tested rather than rolled out desktop by desktop.
For the wider benefits of central print management, read How Print Management Software Saves IT Time and Cost.
Frequently asked questions
Will my existing printers stop working?
No. Existing drivers can still be installed and used, and Microsoft has no plans to disable the legacy driver platform. From July 1, 2027, third-party driver updates will be limited to security fixes, and printers that are not Mopria certified will not work on PCs in protected print mode.
Is Windows protected print mode on by default?
Not yet. It is optional today. Microsoft says it will be enabled by default at a future date, but has not said when.
What is the difference between Windows Ready Print and protected print mode?
Windows Ready Print installs printers with the built-in IPP driver but still allows manufacturer drivers. Protected print mode allows only Windows Ready Print and removes manufacturer drivers from the PC.
Does driverless printing support secure release?
Windows does not hold jobs until the user is at the device. Secure release comes from print management software, and FollowMe provides it for PCs in protected print mode as well as for PCs that still use manufacturer drivers.
Do we still need print servers?
Not necessarily. Universal Print and cloud print management can replace them, but many organizations keep servers for Citrix and Remote Desktop, sites with limited connectivity, or central control. FollowMe supports both approaches.
Plan the move, not just the deadline
Microsoft's changes will reach every Windows estate. Organizations that inventory their devices now, test early and keep central control of print will gain simpler, more secure printing on their own timetable. Those that wait will find out which devices and workflows break when the next PC or Windows update arrives.
Not sure where your estate stands? Ringdale's Consultancy & Advice team offers a driverless readiness assessment: an inventory of your devices, drivers, queues and workflows, with a staged plan for Windows Ready Print and protected print mode. Contact us to arrange yours.
Key sources: Microsoft, End of servicing plan for third-party printer drivers on Windows; Microsoft, Introducing Windows Ready Print and modernized driver selection; Microsoft, Windows protected print mode; Ringdale, Global Imaging & Printing Threat Landscape 2026.