Enabling Windows protected print mode can remove existing printer installations. Treat it as a change to the office printing setup, with time to restore required functions, rather than a switch to try immediately before an urgent print job.

Inventory the devices and jobs used by this Windows 11 PC. Include scanning, label applications and software printers as well as ordinary documents. Record the exact models and keep access to their official setup instructions.

Check compatibility before confirming the change

Microsoft documents support for Mopria-certified printers. A multifunction device’s scanner needs its own compatible certification; working printing does not establish that scanning will remain available.

Open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners. Under Printer preferences, Windows protected print mode offers Set up. Read the confirmation’s affected-device list before proceeding. Postpone the change if an essential function has no confirmed route.

Printers using third-party drivers are uninstalled and those drivers are removed from the driver store. Compatible printers can be reinstalled using Windows Ready Print. Printers already using that stack are retained.

Plan a quiet period for the transition. If several people depend on this computer’s printing workflow, give them a clear point at which jobs can resume after validation.

Verify the jobs that matter

After the agreed change and any required reinstall, print one representative document from each essential application. Check the intended printer, paper choice and required finishing options. Test scanning separately and open the resulting file.

Record any missing capability precisely. A successful Windows test page does not verify a label template, an accounting printout or the scanner’s usable output.

Disabling protected print mode permits third-party drivers again, but printers already on Windows Ready Print keep using it unless removed and reinstalled with the mode off. If policy controls the setting, contact the administrator.

Keep the compatibility list and test results with the computer’s setup notes. This provides a practical basis for keeping the change or planning a controlled return to the previous printing arrangement.

Sources: Microsoft protected print mode.