Citrix UPM deletes printer profiles — persistent config

Joe B.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: Citrix / RDS, User Profile Management (UPM), WEM, Group Policy, Print servers & session printers

Keep printer profiles persistent — Citrix UPM exclusions, default printer persistence, HKCU mappings, session printers

Technician

Hey! We’ll stop Citrix UPM deleting printer profiles and make your default printer persist across logons. I’ll check how printers are deployed (Citrix Session Printers, Auto-created client printers, or GPO/GPP connections), whether WEM or logon scripts are used, and what UPM policy set you have (profile streaming, registry/file inclusions, deletions at logoff). This helps us choose between persist the HKCU keys vs reapply at logon.

Customer

CVAD 2308, UPM with Profile Streaming. Printers are deployed via GPP (per-user shared printers from a Windows print server). Users pick a default, but after logoff the default printer resets and some mappings disappear. Event logs show UPM removing parts of HKCU during logoff.

Technician

Classic. By default, UPM roams much of HKCU but not all printer-related keys. Also some teams use GPP with Action: Replace which wipes connections at each logon. When UPM excludes the registry paths that store printer mappings, the user hive (NTUSER.DAT) is saved without them, so printers don’t persist. We’ll add UPM “Registry to synchronize” entries for printers and set GPP to Update, then control the default printer persistence.

Customer

Which registry keys are required for persistent printer config?

Technician

Step 1 — UPM: roam the printer keys
In Studio or ADMX, add to Profile Management → Registry → Registry to synchronize:
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows (value Device = default printer)
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PrinterPorts
• HKCU\Printers\Connections (per-user shared/network printers)
• Optional for app prefs: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Printer
Also ensure these paths are not in “Exclusion list — registry”. This makes printer profiles persistent even with Profile Streaming.

Customer

We’re using GPP to map \\PRINT01\* per OU. Could policy settings be wiping them?

Technician

Step 2 — Deploy printers without removals
In GPP → User Configuration → Preferences → Control Panel Settings → Printers:
• Use Action: Update (not Replace) so the connection persists and user choices (default) survive.
• Tick “Run in logged-on user’s security context”.
• If you must remove stale connections, target-specific ones; avoid “Delete all shared connections”.
For Citrix-native options, use Session Printers or WEM Printers with Do not delete existing enabled.

Customer

Default printer keeps changing. Sometimes Windows makes the last used printer default.

Technician

Step 3 — Lock the default printer
• In Windows 10/11 user policy, disable “Let Windows manage my default printer”.
• In Citrix policy, set Default printer = Set default to the main client printer or a specific session printer (depending on your design).
• With UPM keys from Step 1, the default is saved in HKCU\...\Windows (Device) and will persist after logoff.

Customer

Any known conflicts with v4 print drivers or client redirection that could cause deletions?

Technician

A few:
• If you use Auto-created client printers, Citrix creates them at logon and removes at logoff by design — that’s not UPM. Prefer Session Printers or GPP/WEM for persistence.
• Mixed v3/v4 drivers can re-enumerate ports and alter Devices/PrinterPorts. Standardize drivers on the print server and map via share (\\SERVER\PRN).
• Always restart Print Spooler only during maintenance; killing it at logoff can prevent UPM writing final hive changes.

Customer

We also run WEM. Should we move printers to WEM, or keep GPP?

Technician

Either works. WEM Printers are faster at logon and have built-in conditions (OU, IP range, AD group). If you switch, keep the same logic: Add/Update printers, do not remove user-added connections, and let UPM persist HKCU. Start with a pilot OU before migrating all GPP items.

Customer

After adding your UPM inclusions and changing GPP to Update, mappings persist. Any final checks?

Technician

Final checks:
• UPM policy “Delete locally cached profiles on logoff” is fine; the keys still roam if included.
• Verify no conflicting logoff scripts remove HKCU\Printers\Connections.
• In Event Viewer → Applications and Services Logs → Citrix Profile Management, confirm registry paths are synchronized.
• Document a persistent printer config runbook so helpdesk follows the same pattern for new OUs.

Customer

Perfect — default printers now stick between sessions and users keep their mappings. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: When Citrix UPM deletes printer profiles or your default printer doesn’t persist, roam the right HKCU printer keys, deploy printers with Update (GPP/WEM) and disable Windows’ auto-default. That combination keeps printer profiles persistent across logons. Need help applying this to multiple OUs? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix for Citrix UPM deletes printer profiles: include HKCU\...\Windows (Device), Devices, PrinterPorts, and HKCU\Printers\Connections in UPM Registry to synchronize; deploy printers with GPP/WEM Action: Update; disable “Let Windows manage my default printer”; standardize drivers. This makes printer settings persistent.

FAQ

Step-by-step (Citrix UPM + GPP/WEM)

1. Add UPM “Registry to synchronize” entries for HKCU\...\Windows, Devices, PrinterPorts, Printers\Connections.
2. Ensure these keys aren’t in UPM exclusions; keep Profile Streaming enabled if desired.
3. Deploy printers via GPP/WEM with Action: Update; don’t delete user connections.
4. Disable Windows “Let Windows manage my default printer” and apply a Citrix default-printer policy.

Note for mixed environments (macOS clients)

1. When redirecting client printers from macOS, prefer network session printers over auto-created devices for persistence.
2. Keep server-side drivers consistent; avoid per-session re-enumeration that overwrites HKCU.

Sources

• Citrix UPM — Registry to synchronize
• Microsoft — Printer registry entries
• Citrix WEM — Printers

Matt ● replies in < 1 min

Technician Expert

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trusted by 27,000+ customers

Alex · Expert's Assistant

Start Chat

5 Tech Support Specialists are online right now.