Tired of Buggy, Bloated Windows Printer Software? So Is Microsoft

pcmag.com:

Microsoft is set to make third-party printer drivers and utilities a thing of the past for Windows users.

As Betanews reports, Microsoft announced that it's going to phase out support for third-party printer drivers over the next four years.

The process starts this month with the end of servicing for third-party legacy printer drivers. In 2025, no new printer drivers will be published to Windows Update, but existing drivers will continue to be updated. By 2026, the Windows drivers for printers will "always be preferred," and then in 2027 third-party drivers won't be allowed anymore "except for security-related fixes."

Microsoft is able to do this because the Windows 10 21H2 update offers support for all Mopria-certified printers using the built-in Windows drivers (Microsoft IPP Class Driver). In other words, Windows can handle all print, scan, and fax functionality without the user needing to use third-party installers, drivers, or utilities.

This should be music to the ears of anyone who has ever had to setup and use printer drivers and software in Windows. The software is usually bloated, buggy, and hardly ever works first time (in my experience).

Microsoft is doing this over a four-year period because it's classed as "an impactful change" and printer vendors need time to adjust and ensure their devices both continue to work, and conform to the new rules. Those rules being: all printers need to be Mopria certified and work faultlessly with Microsoft's own drivers.

If your computer starts acting up unexpectedly, there's a good chance it's driver-related. In Windows, the best solution is usually to go through the process of updating your drivers before trying anything more drastic to solve the problem. And what about