In summary:
- PCWorld reports that Microsoft will stop distributing V3/V4 printer drivers through Windows Update starting January 2026, affecting printers up to 12 years old.
- Existing older printers will continue functioning normally with current drivers, and users can still manually install vendor-supplied drivers when needed.
- This change primarily impacts new driver distribution rather than printer functionality, with no immediate need to replace older devices.
Microsoft has decided to stop sending out new drivers for old printers via Windows Update. The drivers in question are for V3 or V4 printers, which means printers that could be up to 12 years old.
According to an update to the Windows Roadmap (spotted by Windows Latest) that’s no longer accessible:
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 use 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.
To be clear, this means that legacy V3 or V4 printers will continue to work as normal, but won’t receive new drivers via Windows Update. Furthermore, Microsoft says users can still install vendor-supplied drivers via other installation methods (outside Windows Update). So, if you have a V3 or V4 printer, rest easy that it won’t die overnight.
If you want to install printer drivers manually, you can navigate to Windows Settings > Bluetooth and devices > Printers and scanners.
In short, there’s no rush to recycle your old printer just yet. That said, you might want to get a replacement soon if yours is on the verge of its life. Check out our tips for buying a printer that doesn’t suck.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC för Alla and was translated and localized from Swedish.
Author: Mikael Markander, Contributor, PCWorld
Mikael writes news across all our consumer tech categories. He has previously worked with Macworld, but today mainly writes for our sister sites PC för Alla and M3. Mikael has a firm grasp on which gadgets are released, and what is happening with the streaming services and the latest AI tools.