Protected Print Mode is a new feature on Windows 11 that makes using printers much more safe and easy. Once enabled, printers just work as soon as you connect them to your computer. There is no need for extra drivers or third-party software installations. Since printers are no longer dependent on drivers with low-level access, they are much more safe and resistant to most of the traditional vulnerabilities. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to enable the protected print mode and how to check if your printer is supported to use this feature. Let’s get started.
Note: To enable and use this new feature, your Windows 11 build should be 26016 or higher. If you don’t know your current build number, press ‘Windows key + R,’ enter ‘winver,’ and click ‘OK.’ If shows your current version and build number.
Note: As of now, only Windows 11 Pro users can enable this feature.
Printer support: As of now, only Mopria-certified printers are designed to work with the Protected Print Mode feature. While most major brands like HP, Canon, Epson, etc., support the new mode, some older printer models might not. To verify if your printer is Mopria certified, head over to the linked web page. It shows a list of all the supported printers. You can also use the options at the top to filter the results.
Steps to Enable Protected Print Mode
Start by opening the Start menu by clicking on the Windows logo on the taskbar. Next, search for Edit Group Policy and click on the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.
In the Group Policy window, navigate to the Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers folder.
In the Printers folder, find and double-click on the Configure Windows protected print policy. This action will open the policy properties window.
In the properties window, select Enabled and then click OK.
Close the Group Policy window and restart your computer.
Once the system has been restarted, disconnect the printer from your computer physically and reconnect it. Doing this will ensure that the printer is running in the new mode.
If you want to learn more about the bits and bobs of the Protected Print Mode feature, head over to this web page. It has a detailed writing on how it works and everything you need to know.
And there you have it! It’s that simple to turn on and use the Protected Print Mode.
