Microsoft clarifies: Future updates for Win10/Win11 will not block V3/V4 printer drivers

IT House February 26 News, regarding the support discontinuation message for Windows 11, Microsoft has clarified that it has withdrawn the related announcement and explicitly stated that printers currently functioning properly on Windows 11 can continue to be used in the future.

IT House previously reported on February 8 that since the older V3 and V4 printer drivers were marked as deprecated in September 2023, Microsoft would fully stop supporting these drivers starting with non-security updates released on January 15, 2026.

Following this news, many users began to worry that their old printers would completely stop working after installing the latest Windows updates.

To ease user concerns, Microsoft quickly issued a new statement clarifying the situation. The official clarified that the initial announcement about the “full deactivation of V3 and V4 drivers” was inaccurate, and the related information has now been removed from the Windows roadmap website.

A Microsoft spokesperson emphasized that Windows systems have not ceased support for traditional printer drivers. As long as a user’s printer currently works properly on Windows 11, it can continue to be used in the future, and ordinary consumers do not need to take any action.

While regular users can rest assured, Microsoft has indeed imposed stricter requirements on hardware manufacturers and driver developers. From an industry perspective, traditional drivers will only be approved as “exceptions” in the future.

This means that any new traditional driver submitted to the Hardware Quality Lab (HQL) and prepared for release via Windows Update must undergo individual review and special approval by Microsoft, no longer enjoying the previous routine approval process.

The core purpose of this strategy is to accelerate the adoption of modern printing architecture. The company is gradually reducing reliance on V3 and V4 traditional drivers and actively promoting the Mopria printing standard. This standard significantly simplifies the compatibility and printing process across various printers on Windows systems, improving overall device connectivity efficiency.

Therefore, Microsoft is actively cleaning up underlying traditional driver code, but this is merely an iteration of technological upgrades and does not mean the company intends to force users to retire their old printers that have been in service for many years.