Old printers have been disabled by Microsoft programmers in Windows 11 "for security reasons." Thus, users are offered to spend money on new printers or abandon them altogether.
Microsoft has stopped supporting certain printer models in Windows 11. This was noted by the publication HotHardware.
The company emphasized that support for V3 and V4 drivers for office equipment has been discontinued for security reasons. Journalists from the media highlighted that many older model printers typically operate with these drivers and urged users to check the compatibility of their devices with the new software.
The article states that many users are dissatisfied with this decision. At the same time, Microsoft announced the discontinuation of V3 and V4 support back in September 2023. The company noted that "most customers use newer printer drivers or modern printing solutions."
"We hope that users affected by this will understand why their devices have stopped working and will be able to maintain their functionality as soon as possible," the journalists stated. According to them, as a last resort, users can switch to Windows 10 — in this operating system, support for V3 and V4 remains.
Previously, authors from PCWorld advised users to switch to Windows 10. The main reason for abandoning Windows 11 they cited was privacy risks due to artificial intelligence.
