Microsoft Universal Print now in public preview, easing printer management for IT departments

Universal Print
Universal Print (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft's Universal Print is available in public preview.
  • The feature makes it easier for IT departments to manage printers through the cloud.
  • The feature launched in private preview in March and is now available in public preview.

Microsoft's Universal Print is now available in public preview. The feature allows IT departments to move Windows Server print functionality to the cloud. With Universal Print, IT departments can view and manage printers through the cloud, which makes it easier to manage printers within an organization. Microsoft announced that Universal Print was in private preview in March this year, but it is now available in public preview.

When Microsoft initially announced the feature in private preview, the company highlighted that there's no learning curve for people to print, stating people "can continue to print from their Windows devices or Office as they always have."

Microsoft states that printer manufacturers are working on native for support for Universal Print. The feature does work with a Universal Print proxy application, but the best experience for the feature will come on devices that natively support it.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.