What Is Windows Ready Print?
Windows Ready Print is Microsoft’s updated printing model for Windows that replaces legacy, driver-heavy workflows with a modern, standards-based approach built around IPP and the inbox Windows IPP driver, aiming to make printing more reliable, secure, and easier to manage for users and IT administrators across different devices and environments. It is the evolution of the Modern Print Platform, but with a sharper focus on clarity and everyday usability. Microsoft describes Windows Ready Print as a way to align printers with current communication standards like Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), eSCL scanning, and Universal Print, while still keeping support for existing devices. Older OEM drivers continue to work, but new installations will move toward the new model. According to Microsoft’s Windows IT Pro Blog, this shift is designed to deliver a “streamlined, dependable printing experience built for modern Windows environments.”
How Windows Ready Print Improves on Legacy Printing
Traditional Windows printing has long depended on third-party OEM drivers, which often created a mix of different experiences, complex updates, and troubleshooting headaches. Windows Ready Print tackles this by centering printing on standards-based communication using the Windows inbox IPP printer driver wherever supported. This reduces the need to hunt for drivers, download vendor packages, or worry about compatibility after an update. Microsoft’s new model also extends beyond protocols: it is meant to clean up printing workflows, from installation through management. Support for technologies like IPP and eSCL scanning makes it easier to handle both printing and scanning in a consistent way. Legacy drivers are not removed, but they become the fallback, not the first choice. The result is a clearer baseline: if a printer supports modern standards, Windows uses a single, maintained driver instead of scattered vendor software.
Modern Driver Selection Controls in Windows Ready Print
A key part of Windows printing modernization is the new driver selection control that decides whether Windows uses Windows Ready Print or an OEM driver for new printers. Starting in July 2026, supported printers will default to Windows Ready Print during installation, but users and admins can change this behavior. In Windows 11, the setting appears under Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners as “Default install printers using Windows Ready Print.” When enabled, Windows favors the inbox IPP driver; when disabled, it falls back to the traditional driver ranking logic. Importantly, this configuration affects only new printer installs and does not change existing devices. IT admins can also manage this centrally through Group Policy using the “Configure Windows Ready Print driver ranking” policy, which makes it easier to standardize driver selection across many PCs.
Windows Protected Print Mode and Security Implications
Windows Ready Print ties directly into Microsoft’s push for safer, more predictable printing with features like Windows Protected Print Mode. When Windows Protected Print Mode is turned on, printers must be installed through Windows Ready Print, and devices that do not support it cannot be installed at all. This locks environments into IPP-based, inbox-driver workflows and blocks unknown or legacy drivers that could increase risk or maintenance overhead. If Protected Print Mode is active, the “Default install printers using Windows Ready Print” option cannot be turned off, ensuring consistent enforcement. For IT teams, this brings clearer control: they can decide whether their environment should prefer modern drivers or require them. For users, it means fewer confusing prompts and a more consistent print dialog, as every supported printer behaves in a similar way when added to Windows.
What It Means for Everyday Users and IT Admins
For everyday users, Windows Ready Print promises simpler plug-and-print behavior: when you connect a supported printer, Windows uses the inbox IPP driver and avoids extra software where possible. Printing and scanning should feel more consistent across different brands, with less guesswork about which driver to pick. For IT admins, the impact is bigger. Driver selection controls and Group Policy integration help standardize printing across fleets of devices, reduce driver sprawl, and make deployments more predictable. Existing printers continue to work with their current drivers, but new installs gradually shift to the modern model. Windows Ready Print also gives a clearer transition path: environments can start by preferring Windows Ready Print, then move to Windows Protected Print Mode once compatibility is confirmed. Overall, Windows printing modernization is about turning a historically fragile system into a managed, standards-based platform.
