Windows Ready Print Explained: How Driverless Printing Works in Windows

Printers have long been one of the more confusing and frustrating parts of working Windows. Manufacturers might not keep their driver versions up to date, which can lead to a printer that’s been working fine just stopping after a few Windows updates. Microsoft’s answer to this is Windows Ready Print (WRP). Instead of using third-party drivers, WRP lets Windows “talk” to compatible printers directly and send them print jobs without an intermediary. Here’s what it actually changes, which printers support it, and how to turn it on or off.

What Is Windows Ready Print?

Microsoft Windows Ready Print uses the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) for printing and eSCL for scanning. This is basically how printers work when you’re using a phone to connect to the printer (since phones don’t install printer drivers). It removes the need to install a separate driver package for every printer model. Instead, the OS will use the same method to send print and scan jobs regardless of printer manufacturer.

There are three main benefits here:

• Security, because there are thousands of third-party drivers in circulation, which is a hassle to check for safety
• Compatibility, because it will work the same way regardless of the PC’s actual architecture (x86 or ARM), as well as those of printers
• Reliability, because a driver can stop working correctly after a Windows update, but this is a built-in protocol

Which Devices Have Windows Ready Print?

Windows Ready Print works around Mopria-certified printers. Since many printers already sold today meet that standard, if you’re using a relatively new printer, it should be good for the feature out-of-the-box. In general, if it supported printing over the web, it will work with WRP.

On the Windows version side, the feature has been rolling out gradually through Insider builds, but Microsoft has suggested that eligible Windows 11 devices will use Windows Ready Print as the default option for newly installed printers already in July 2026.

Notably, this change is not retroactive. If you already have a printer set up and working, it will continue to use whatever driver or connection method it currently uses.

For enterprise systems and managed devices, IT administrators can control the rollout through Group Policy rather than waiting for the default behavior.

How to Turn On Microsoft Windows Ready Print

On a regular Windows 11 PC, Windows Ready Print is controlled by a single toggle in “Settings.”

Step 1. Hit “Win + I” to open Settings.

Step 2. Go to “Bluetooth & devices” from the left sidebar.

Step 3. Click “Printers & scanners” on the right.

Step 4. Scroll down to the “Printer preferences” section and toggle on “Default install printers using Windows Ready Print.”

If that toggle is grayed out, your PC is most likely managed by a workplace or school, and an administrator has set the behavior through Group Policy. In that case, you’ll need to contact whoever manages the device to change it. If you’re the administrator, here’s what to do:

Step 1. Open the Group Policy Editor (“gpedit.msc”).

Step 2. Navigate to “Local Computer Policy > Administrative Templates > Printers.”

Step 3. Open “Configure Windows Ready Print driver ranking.”

Step 4. Set it to “Enabled” to allow Windows Ready Print driver selection, or “Disabled” to continue with traditional printer installation.