If your office still runs a print server, 2026 is the year to give it a hard look. Microsoft has spent several years quietly moving printing to the cloud, and it has now made the direction unmistakable: from January 2026 it stopped publishing legacy third-party printer drivers to Windows Update. The old model – a server running print queues, packaged drivers pushed out to every PC – is on the way out, and Microsoft Universal Print is the cloud answer it wants you to move to.
Here is what Universal Print actually is, what changed in 2026, the honest catches, and how to work out whether retiring your print server makes sense for your business.
What is Universal Print?
Universal Print is Microsoft's cloud printing service. It lives in Azure, comes as part of Microsoft 365, and does the job your on-site print server used to do – but without the server. There is no print queue running on a box in the comms room, no drivers to package and deploy to every machine, and no VPN gymnastics for remote staff. Printers are published to the cloud and made available to people through their Microsoft 365 sign-in, so office, hybrid and home workers all get the same experience, and IT manages the lot from one central place.
What changed in 2026 – and why it matters
This is not just Microsoft nudging you towards a preference. From 15 January 2026, it stopped publishing new third-party printer drivers to Windows Update without special approval, and Windows is shifting to its own built-in class driver for printing. As 2026 goes on, Windows increasingly favours that built-in driver over the manufacturer's own.
For most everyday printing that is fine – the built-in driver handles it. The thing to watch is advanced functionality: specialist finishing, department accounting codes and some security features have traditionally lived in the manufacturer's driver, and those are exactly the bits that may need rethinking. The wider message is clear though: the print-server-and-driver era is being wound down, and cloud printing is where things are heading.
What you gain by retiring the print server
Take the server out of the middle and several long-standing headaches go with it:
- No server to run, patch or replace. No print spooler falling over on a Monday morning, no server refresh cost every few years.
- No driver management. The single biggest time-sink in office printing – packaging, deploying and troubleshooting drivers across every PC – largely disappears.
- Hybrid and remote just work. Staff print to the office the same way whether they are at their desk or at home, with no VPN required.
- Central, identity-based control. Printers are assigned through Microsoft 365, so access follows the person, and management is one dashboard rather than one server per site.
The honest catches
Universal Print is genuinely good, but it is not a magic switch, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not deployed it. Three things to plan for:
- Licensing and volume. It is included with Microsoft 365 E3, E5 and Business Premium, so you may already own it. It uses a pooled allowance – each qualifying licence contributes a set number of print jobs a month (100 on those plans) to a shared pool, where a job is one send regardless of page count. Print-heavy offices need to check the pooled allowance covers them, and buy more volume if not.
- Printer compatibility. Universal Print-ready devices connect straight to the cloud. Older printers connect through the Universal Print connector, a small piece of software on a PC or server – so you may keep a minimal on-site footprint for a while, even though the full print-server role is gone.
- Advanced features. Full follow-me secure release, accounting codes and specialist finishing often need extra software from the manufacturer or a print-management partner. Plan for these before you move, not after.
Is it right for your business?
Universal Print is an excellent fit if you are already committed to Microsoft 365, you have hybrid or remote staff, and you are tired of maintaining print servers and drivers. It is more of a considered project – not a no – if you lean heavily on advanced finishing, department accounting or sophisticated secure release, because those need the right devices and add-ons alongside it. Either way, the move is very achievable with a bit of planning; the mistake is switching first and discovering the gaps afterwards.
It also pairs naturally with the wider shift to cloud printing for business, and the security questions it raises are the same ones covered in office printer security – worth reading before you move sensitive printing to the cloud.
Where Mastercopy fits
Retiring a print server is as much a printing decision as an IT one, which is exactly where we live. Mastercopy will assess whether Universal Print fits your setup, tell you which of your current fleet is Universal Print-ready and which needs the connector, supply the right cloud-ready managed print devices, and make sure the advanced features you actually rely on – secure release, finishing, cost control – keep working through the change. Because we combine it with managed print services, you get the simplicity of the cloud without losing the visibility and cost control a good print setup gives you. If you would like our IT and print teams to look at it together, our IT support team can join the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Microsoft Universal Print?
Universal Print is Microsoft's cloud printing service, hosted in Azure and part of Microsoft 365. It replaces the traditional on-premises print server: there is no print queue to run on a server, no drivers to package and deploy, and printers are made available to staff through their Microsoft 365 identity. Management happens centrally in the cloud, and it works the same for office, hybrid and remote staff.
Do I still need a print server with Universal Print?
That is the whole point – Universal Print is designed to remove the print server. If your printers are Universal Print-ready they connect straight to the service with nothing on-site. Older printers that are not natively supported connect through the Universal Print connector, a lightweight piece of software that runs on a PC or server, so you may keep a small footprint during transition, but you lose the full print-server role and its maintenance.
Is Universal Print free, or does it cost extra?
It is included with common Microsoft 365 plans such as E3, E5 and Business Premium, so many businesses already own it. It uses a pooled model: each qualifying licence adds a monthly allowance of print jobs (100 per licence on those plans) to a shared organisation pool, where a job is one send to a printer regardless of pages. High-volume environments can buy additional print volume if the pooled allowance is not enough.
Will my existing printers work with Universal Print?
Universal Print-ready devices work natively with no extra hardware. Printers that are not natively supported still work through the Universal Print connector, which bridges them to the cloud service. When choosing new devices it is worth specifying Universal Print-ready models so they connect directly, and we can advise on which of your current fleet needs the connector.
What changed with printer drivers in 2026?
From 15 January 2026 Microsoft stopped publishing new third-party printer drivers to Windows Update without special approval, and Windows is moving to its own built-in class driver for printing. Through 2026 Windows increasingly prioritises that built-in driver over manufacturer drivers. It is a clear signal that the old print-server-and-driver model is being wound down, and that cloud-based printing is the direction of travel.
Can I still do secure release and follow-me printing with Universal Print?
Basic secure printing is possible, but advanced features such as full follow-me release, department accounting codes and specialist finishing often rely on additional software from the printer manufacturer or a print-management partner. This is one of the main things to plan for before moving, and part of what a managed print provider helps you keep working through the transition.
Thinking about making the move?
Whether Universal Print is the right step depends on your fleet, your licences and the features you rely on – and that is exactly the kind of assessment we do every week. Mastercopy has helped businesses across Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees and the wider North East modernise their print for over 30 years, and we will give you a straight answer on whether retiring your print server is the right call.
To talk through Universal Print and cloud printing for your business, call the Mastercopy team on 01642 750404 or email sales@mastercopy.co.uk.