Everything printed fine until Windows installed an update. Now the printer shows offline, jobs fail, pages come out blank or garbled, or a printer shared from another computer won't connect. Updates sometimes replace a driver, tighten print security or contain a bug that's fixed days later. This guide starts with checks that take a minute and works up to refreshing the driver and, only if nothing else helps, temporarily removing the update.
What you might be seeing
- Printing stopped right after an update and restart
- The printer shows offline or Driver is unavailable
- Blank, garbled or partly missing pages
- A shared printer won't connect or asks for an administrator password
Common causes
- Driver replaced or removed
- An update can swap the manufacturer's driver for another version or remove one it considers incompatible.
- Tighter print security
- Recent security updates restrict driver installs from shared printers, so standard users can be blocked.
- A bug in the update
- Occasionally an update ships with a printing bug that a later update fixes.
- Windows protected print mode
- An optional Windows 11 mode prints only through the built-in Windows driver, so printers that need their own driver stop working while it's on.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order and test a print after each one. Most people are done within the first few steps.
Security updates protect your computer. Treat removing one as a short-term workaround and let Windows reinstall it once a fixed update is available.
Restart again and run the printer troubleshooter
Some updates finish configuring only after a second restart, so use Start › Power › Restart once more. Then, on Windows 11, go to Settings › System › Troubleshoot › Other troubleshooters and select Run next to Printer; on Windows 10, use Settings › Update & Security › Troubleshoot › Additional troubleshooters › Printer. It checks the spooler, queue and connection and fixes simple faults.
Check for a follow-up update
Printing bugs introduced by an update are often fixed within days. Open Settings › Windows Update, click Check for updates, install anything offered and restart. Then open Update history and note the KB number of the update installed just before printing broke; searching it with the word printing shows whether others are affected and whether a fix is out.
Look for a newer printer driver
Large updates can leave a printer with a driver that no longer suits it, and a compatible one is often waiting in Windows Update. On Windows 11, check Settings › Windows Update › Advanced options › Optional updates › Driver updates; on Windows 10, click View optional updates on the Windows Update page. Install any printer driver listed, restart and print a test page.
Check Windows protected print mode
On Windows 11, open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners and scroll down to Windows protected print mode. When it's on, Windows prints only through its built-in driver. If your printer supports driverless printing, re-adding it with the mode left on usually works. If your workplace turned the mode on, ask whoever manages the PC before changing it, since it's a security setting.
Remove and re-add the printer
If the update swapped the driver, a fresh setup usually fixes it. In Printers & scanners, select the printer, choose Remove and restart, then use Add device on Windows 11 or Add a printer or scanner on Windows 10. Let Windows choose the driver and print a test page. If features are missing, install the current driver from the manufacturer's official website.
Fix connections to shared printers
When a printer shared from another computer stops working, tighter driver-install rules are usually why. On the computer you print from, sign in as an administrator and install the same driver locally, from Windows Update or the manufacturer's official website. Then connect to the shared printer again; Windows finds the driver already present and doesn't fetch one from the sharing computer. Avoid registry changes that switch these protections off.
Roll back the update as a temporary measure
If printing can't wait and nothing else works, remove the latest monthly update. On Windows 11, go to Settings › Windows Update › Update history › Uninstall updates; on Windows 10, Settings › Update & Security › Windows Update › View update history › Uninstall updates. Select the update you noted and choose Uninstall, then pause updates for a week or two and resume them once a fix is released.
How to keep it from happening again
- Restart after updates before printing anything important
- Check optional driver updates after large Windows upgrades
- Install drivers locally on every PC that uses a shared printer
- Keep the printer's firmware current
Common questions
Should I stop Windows updates to keep my printer working?
No. Updates close security holes, including several affecting printing. Pausing for a week or two while you wait for a fix is reasonable, but switching updates off long term leaves the computer exposed. Updating the printer's driver and firmware is the lasting fix, because it makes the printer compatible with the updated Windows.
Why does only one computer have the problem?
Computers update on slightly different schedules and may have different drivers. If one PC prints and another doesn't, compare their Windows versions under Settings › System › About and their drivers on the Advanced tab of Printer properties. Matching the working computer's setup is often the quickest fix.
My printer is listed twice after the update. Which one do I use?
Print a test page from each and keep the one that works, usually the newer entry. Remove the other from Printers & scanners so apps don't keep sending jobs to the broken copy, then set the working one as your default printer.
This guide is general information written for common home and office printers. Menus and button names vary between models, so check your printer’s manual where a step differs. Printer Problems Solved is independent and not affiliated with any printer manufacturer. See our disclaimer.