Microsoft lifts printer-related safeguard hold blocking some Windows 11 upgrades

Around two months after acknowledging an issue with some printer drivers and Windows 11 2022 Update, Microsoft has addressed the problem and lifted the safeguard hold it had put in place.

The safeguard hold meant that people with printers using Microsoft IPP Class Driver or Universal Print Class Driver were blocked from upgrading to Windows 11 22H2. But in removing the block, Microsoft has opened up the latest version of Windows 11 to more people.

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While the company had previously provided details of a workaround (simply uninstalling the offending printer before upgrading Windows 11), the fact that there is now an official fix means that fewer people will hit an upgrade obstacle when trying to install Windows 11 2022 Update.

Microsoft has updated its original post in the Known issues and notifications section of Windows Health to indicate that the safeguard hold has now been lifted. In fact, the company says that the hold was lifted back on November 10, but the issue was only marked as being resolved in the last few days.

Microsoft says:

Any printer still affected by this issue should now get resolved automatically during upgrade to Windows 11, version 22H2.

The company points out that -- assuming there are no other safeguard holds standing in the way -- people who still find themselves unable to upgrade should try restarting their computer before checking for updates once again.