Microsoft fixes Windows 10 printer issues with out-of-band update

Microsoft quickly rolled out a fix for the latest printer issue to hit Windows 10.

What you need to know

• Microsoft released an out-of-band update for Windows 10 to address a printer issue.
• The issue prevents some printers, scanners, and multifunction devices from working.
• Only devices with smart card authentication that do not comply with certain specifications are affected by the issue.

Microsoft released an out-of-band Windows 10 update today to address a recently discovered printer issue. The update is labeled KB5005394, and it fixes an issue that prevents some printers, scanners, and multifunction devices from working.

Only a small number of printers are affected by the issue that this update addresses. Devices that use smart card authentication and that fail to meet certain specifications are the only devices affected. Microsoft outlines which devices are affected in a support doc:

After installing updates released July 13, 2021 on domain controllers (DCs) in your environment, printers, scanners, and multifunction devices which are not compliant with section 3.2.1 of RFC 4556 spec, might fail to print when using smart-card (PIV) authentication.

The issue appeared following the July 2021 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 10. Microsoft confirmed the issue on July 23, when it said that it would work on a way to mitigate it.

Microsoft explains the fix in its support document:

Updates an issue that might prevent printers, scanners, and multifunction devices from working. This issue occurs on devices that do not comply with a certain specification and use smart card authentication.

While the issue only affects a small subset of printers, Microsoft worked to fix it quickly.

The update is not available through Windows Update, Microsoft Update or Windows Update for Business. Instead, people will have to grab it through the Microsoft Update Catalog.