Microsoft seems to have a subscription to printer problems. As soon as Windows 11 was released, users noticed problems with printers from different manufacturers.
Windows 11 seems to cause problems with some printer models. The manufacturer Brother, among others, has published a support notice stating that there are problems with printers connected via USB interface under Windows 11. But there are also reports of problems with printer models from other companies.
USB connection problems
The printer manufacturer Brother has in its support document Please note that Brother printers may not be recognized in Windows 11 if they are connected directly to the Windows 11 computer with a USB cable. Furthermore, changing the settings of a Brother machine under Windows 11 does not work if several Brother printers are connected to the system via USB interface. The manufacturer lists around 90 of its inkjet printers and laser printers having problems with Windows 11.
Brother is currently investigating the cause of these problems with its devices, but has not yet provided a solution. Some people report that unplugging the printer from the USB port and removing all printer drivers from Device Manager can help. After a Windows 11 restart, the Brother printer that was reconnected via USB interface was recognized and the required driver could be installed. After that, the printer also worked on the USB port.
Possibly also scan problems
However, the approach of reinstalling the Brother printer driver fixes it not necessarily the problem that the settings cannot be changed when several USB printers are connected. In addition, Brother also checks the compatibility of the “Presto! PageManager”, “Presto! ImageFolio”, “PaperPort” and the “BookScan & WhiteBoard Suite” under Windows 11. Problems are therefore to be expected when scanning under Windows 11 using multifunction devices.
The manufacturer recommends updating the computer to Windows 11 only when printing via USB is supported. If printing via USB is not possible, Brother recommends temporarily using a different connection method (e.g. network cable or WiFi).
Other printer manufacturers are also affected
Users of other printer manufacturers report similar problems. According to one user, OKI printers have the problem that they are not recognized. A firmware update of the printer can help with some OKI models.
In a Dr.Windows forum thread, problems are also reported with printers from HP, Epson or Canon. Printer problems were reported in Microsoft’s Techcommunity as well as in the Windows 11 Feedback Hub before the Windows 11 release, without apparently being fixed yet.
