Printer Not Printing After a Windows Update

What could be causing it?

Print Spooler stuck

A service restart can clear failed jobs.

Driver ranking changed

Windows 11+ now prefers the inbox IPP class driver in more add-printer situations.

Protected Print mode

Some third-party driver printers may disappear while the mode is active.

Check what changed before changing more

An update can coincide with a queue or driver change. It can also happen on the same day as an unrelated printer fault. A printer-side page or a print from another device helps you separate the two.

Work through these checks

1. Record the Windows version, update date and exact printer message.
2. Confirm the printer itself can print a status page or copy without the PC.
3. Check the selected Windows printer and queue, then try a small plain-text document.
4. Run the Windows printer troubleshooter. If you need to add the printer again, save its settings and test the new queue before removing a working one.
5. For missing scan, tray or finishing features, check the manufacturer’s exact-model Windows support page rather than a driver-download advert.

What the result tells you

If the printer works from another device, keep the investigation on Windows. If the printer itself reports a hardware or service condition, a driver reinstall will not clear it.

The sections below explain the current Windows driver paths and their limits. Change one thing at a time so you can tell what helped.

Choose the safest driver path first

For many home and small-office printers, the lowest-risk reinstall path is Windows Settings first: remove the stale printer entry, restart, and let Windows add the printer again. Since Microsoft's July 1, 2026 driver-ranking milestone for Windows 11+ prefers the Windows IPP inbox class driver, this path may create a simpler queue than an older manufacturer package.

Use the manufacturer driver only when Windows cannot install a working queue, the printer needs model-specific features, scanning is missing, or the manufacturer explicitly says its package is required for your Windows version. Avoid download portals, driver updater ads, and old packages unless official support says that is the supported path.

• If the device is Mopria/IPP-capable, try the Windows add-printer flow before hunting for a driver package.
• On supported Windows 11 builds, check Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print when deciding how a new queue should be installed.
• If a July 2026 or later reinstall prints but loses duplex, tray, color, label, photo, or scan features, compare IPP and official manufacturer paths before buying hardware.
• If the PC is ARM-based, treat manufacturer installer failure as a driver-architecture clue before assuming the printer is broken.
• If Windows Protected Print is on, confirm scanner support before assuming the printer is broken.
• If a manufacturer package is needed, get it from the printer maker's support page for the exact model and Windows version.

If this is a Windows on Arm PC

ARM-based Windows PCs can expose a different printer problem: the printer may be fine, but an older manufacturer installer may not run or may not include an ARM-compatible driver path. Microsoft points ARM PC users toward Windows Settings, Windows Update, and Mopria-capable printers as the safer first checks.

Before buying a cable, replacing the printer, or installing a driver from a mirror, confirm whether the printer is Mopria certified, whether Windows can add it through Settings, and whether the printer maker lists an ARM-compatible package or Print Support App for the exact model.

• Use the Windows add-printer flow before running an old x64 installer.
• Check Mopria certification for network printers and multifunction devices.
• Expect some advanced features to need official manufacturer support.
• On work or school devices, ask IT for the supported ARM print path.

If the PC is still on Windows 10

After Windows 10 support ended, treat new printer trouble as both a normal queue or driver problem and a support-status problem. A printer that worked before may still print, but future driver, scanner, security, and manufacturer-support paths deserve closer checking.

If you enroll in Microsoft's consumer Extended Security Updates, that does not make old printer utilities safer or guarantee new manufacturer support. Keep troubleshooting narrow: re-add the printer, use official manufacturer pages for the exact model, and avoid driver mirrors or reset utilities.

• Check whether Windows 10 version 22H2 is the final supported Windows 10 branch for your PC.
• Confirm whether the printer maker still lists a current Windows 10 package for your exact model.
• Plan a Windows 11 or replacement-PC path if printer access matters for work, school, billing, or medical paperwork.

If printing works but scanning disappeared

Treat a missing scanner as a driver, protocol, or Protected Print compatibility problem first, not as proof that the printer hardware failed. Many multifunction printers expose print and scan through different Windows paths.

Check whether Windows Protected Print is enabled, whether the printer is Mopria certified for scanner support, and whether the manufacturer still offers a current scanner utility for your exact model.

• Test a simple print job and a standalone copy from the printer before changing drivers.
• Remove and re-add the printer or scanner entry from Windows Settings before installing extra utilities.
• Use the printer maker's official support page if the built-in Windows path restores printing but not scanning.

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