Fix a Printer Showing Offline After a Windows 11 24H2 Update
Printer stuck offline since the Windows 11 24H2 update? A driver change (IPP / Protected Print) is usually the cause. Reinstall the right driver — here's how.
If your printer went offline right after the Windows 11 24H2 update and it worked before, the cause is usually a driver change: 24H2 pushes printers onto Microsoft’s IPP class driver and can drop older manufacturer drivers, which breaks some USB multifunction printers. Reinstalling the maker’s current 24H2 driver, or turning off Protected Print, gets it back.
Quick checks first
Before touching drivers, confirm the basics: the printer is on and connected, and it is not just paused. Open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, open the printer, and make sure “Use Printer Offline” is not ticked and the queue is not paused. Restart the Print Spooler service (services.msc, Print Spooler, Restart) to clear a stuck state.
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| 24H2 forced the IPP class driver | Install the maker’s 24H2 driver |
| Protected Print Mode is on | Turn it off, then reconnect |
| Print Spooler stuck | Restart the Print Spooler service |
| A recent KB broke IPP-over-USB | Uninstall that update |
Reinstall the manufacturer’s driver
24H2’s move to universal print drivers breaks some printers that need the vendor’s own software. Remove the printer (Printers & scanners, the printer, Remove), download the current Windows 11 driver from the manufacturer, install it, and add the printer again. If Windows keeps forcing its own driver, turn off Windows Protected Print Mode in Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, so the manufacturer driver is used.
If a specific update broke it
Some 24H2 updates specifically broke IPP-over-USB multifunction printers. If the trouble started with a named update and no driver fixes it, remove that update — see uninstalling a Windows update — and pause updates until the maker ships a compatible driver. For a printer that is offline for reasons unrelated to an update, a printer showing offline in Windows has the full checklist, and driver-install trouble is in a driver that won’t install.
Common questions
Why did my printer go offline only after the 24H2 update?
24H2 moved printing to Microsoft’s IPP class driver and can remove older manufacturer drivers, which some printers — especially USB multifunction models — need. Reinstalling the maker’s 24H2 driver restores them.
What is Protected Print Mode and should I turn it off?
It forces Windows to use its own universal print driver for security. If your printer needs the manufacturer’s driver to work, turning Protected Print off in Printers & scanners lets that driver take over again.
I reinstalled the driver and it’s still offline — what next?
Restart the Print Spooler service, remove and re-add the printer, and confirm “Use Printer Offline” is not ticked. If a specific update caused it, uninstalling that update is the fallback.
Does this affect network printers too?
It mostly hits USB multifunction printers that relied on legacy drivers, but a network printer using an old driver can also drop; the same fix — install the current 24H2 driver from the maker — applies.