Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: Windows on ARM/11/10, Printers, IPP Everywhere, Universal Print, Print Servers

Printing on Windows ARM — IPP class drivers, Mopria, Universal Print and driverless options

Technician

Hey! Let’s get your Windows on ARM device printing even though the manufacturer only ships x64 drivers.
Quick details so I can pick the right workaround: What device are you on (Surface Pro/X, Snapdragon laptop, other ARM64)? What printer brand/model (HP, Brother, Canon, Epson, etc.) and is it on Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or USB? Finally, does the printer support AirPrint / IPP Everywhere / Mopria / Wi-Fi Direct or cloud features like Microsoft Universal Print?

Customer

I’ve got a Windows 11 ARM laptop. The printer is an older USB/Wi-Fi HP laser. The download page only has Windows 10/11 x64 EXE installers; they fail on ARM. No clear “ARM64 driver” option and Windows Update doesn’t find anything useful.

Technician

Got it. Here’s what’s happening:
• Windows on ARM can emulate a lot of x64 apps, but it cannot use kernel-mode x64 print drivers that vendors bundle in those big EXEs.
• The fix is to avoid legacy installers and use driverless printing paths: Microsoft IPP Class Driver, IPP Everywhere, Mopria, AirPrint-compatible queues, or Universal Print connectors.
Plan tailored to your case:
1) Check if the printer speaks IPP/IPPS or Mopria over the network.
2) Add it using Microsoft IPP Class Driver or a generic PCL/PS class driver that works on ARM64.
3) If it’s too old, we use a network print server / shared queue that has the vendor driver and expose a standards-based queue to the ARM device.
4) As a last resort, we use cloud print via Universal Print or a lightweight print server box.
I’ll walk you through each option so you aren’t stuck waiting on an ARM driver that will never ship.

Customer

How do I check if it supports IPP or Mopria? It’s currently on my Wi-Fi, and phones can print to it.

Technician

Good sign that phones can print — that usually means AirPrint / IPP Everywhere / Mopria is enabled.
Step 1 — Confirm driverless support
1) On the printer’s web page (enter its IP in a browser), look for AirPrint, IPP, IPPS, or Mopria options and make sure they’re turned on.
2) On Windows ARM: go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add device and wait a bit.
3) If your printer appears, click it but when Windows offers “Get the app” or some bloated installer, choose “Add manually” → “Add a printer using an IP address or hostname” → set type to IPP and select Microsoft IPP Class Driver (or a suitable Generic IPP / PCL driver).
That creates a driverless IPP queue that runs natively on ARM64 without vendor x64 binaries.

Customer

I tried “Add device” before but Windows didn’t pick a working driver; pages were blank. Can we force the right one for Windows ARM?

Technician

Yes — the key is not to accept whatever Windows guesses.
Step 2 — Manually bind a compatible class driver
• When adding via IP address, pick:
  – Microsoft IPP Class Driver for most modern IPP/Mopria printers.
  – Generic PCL6 / Generic PostScript driver for older business lasers.
• Avoid vendor-specific “full solution” packages that assume x64.
• Make sure the port is http(s)://printer-ip/ipp/print or whatever its IPP path is, not RAW-only if the device can’t speak IPP.
This keeps everything ARM64-safe and usually restores basic features: simplex/duplex, correct page size, and reliable spooling.

Customer

What if the printer is too old and only has that x64 USB driver? I’ve got a small office with several Windows ARM laptops, and replacing the printer right now is tough.

Technician

That’s where an intermediate print server saves the day:
Step 3 — Use a bridge that can run the vendor driver
• Install the official x64 driver on a Windows x64 PC or server and share the printer.
• On the Windows ARM clients, don’t install the vendor package; instead connect via:
  – Universal Print (if you have Microsoft 365 Business) with the on-premises connector.
  – Or a standards-based queue exposed from your NAS/print server box that talks IPP/PCL to ARM clients.
• This way the complex driver lives on the bridge, and your ARM devices use lightweight class drivers over the network.
If you’d like, an expert can map this out for your exact SOHO setup in chat, step by step.

Customer

I’m also worried about buying a new printer that might not support Windows ARM. What should I look for so it “just works” with future ARM laptops?

Technician

Great question — this is where Windows on ARM compatibility is all about open standards.
For a future-proof home or small office printer, look for:
• Official support for AirPrint, IPP Everywhere, Mopria or “driverless printing”.
• Phrases like “Works with Microsoft IPP Class Driver” or support for Universal Print.
• Network connectivity (Ethernet/Wi-Fi) rather than USB-only, so your ARM devices can use IPP/IPPS over the LAN.
• For multi-function models, support for standard scan protocols too (not proprietary x64-only apps).
Any printer that’s fully IPP/Mopria-capable will generally work with Windows ARM, macOS, iOS, Android, and x64 PCs using the same queue.

Customer

Sometimes the installer starts on ARM but crashes halfway. Does that mean parts of the driver are incompatible?

Technician

Exactly. Many vendor bundles mix user-mode apps (which ARM can emulate) with kernel-mode x64 drivers (which it cannot). The result: half-installed software, broken queues, and random errors.
Best practice on Windows ARM:
• Do not run legacy x64 printer “full solution” EXEs.
• Use Windows Update and Store print support apps when offered — these are packaged with ARM64 in mind.
• Build the queue manually with IPP Class / Generic drivers as we outlined.
If your system is already cluttered with failed installs, we can clean the leftovers and rebuild a stable, ARM-safe configuration for you.

Customer

How do I confirm my new setup is actually using a supported class driver and won’t randomly break?

Technician

Final checks for a reliable Windows ARM printing setup:
• In Settings → Printers & scanners → your printer → Printer properties → Advanced, confirm the driver name is something like Microsoft IPP Class Driver, Generic PCL, or another class / v4 driver, not an old vendor-only x64 kernel driver.
• Print a test page and a PDF; verify duplex, grayscale, and basic color work correctly.
• Make sure the printer has a static IP or DHCP reservation so your IPP queue doesn’t break.
• Optional: if you’re in a SOHO environment, we can layer Universal Print on top so all devices (ARM & x64) hit the same cloud-managed queue.
Need a quick sanity check on your exact driver name or port settings? Open the chat and I’ll review screenshots with you.

Customer

That clears it up — using the IPP Class Driver works on my Windows ARM laptop and prints fine. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: When vendors don’t ship x64/ARM64 printer drivers for Windows on ARM, skip the legacy EXEs and:
• Use IPP Everywhere / Microsoft IPP Class Driver / Mopria for driverless printing.
• Prefer network/IP connections with a stable IP rather than USB-only installs.
• Bridge truly old devices via a print server or Universal Print connector.
These paths keep your ARM device supported, secure, and printing reliably. Not sure which option fits your printer? Chat with an expert now.

Quick answer: the accepted fix for Windows ARM printing

Accepted fix when Windows ARM can’t use vendor x64 drivers: enable IPP/Mopria/AirPrint on the printer, add it via IP using the Microsoft IPP Class Driver or another class/v4 driver, or route through a print server / Universal Print queue. Avoid legacy EXE installers — use driverless printing for stable, secure output.

FAQ

Step-by-step: get a legacy-friendly printer working on Windows ARM

1. Give the printer a static IP or DHCP reservation.
2. Enable IPP/IPPS, AirPrint, Mopria in the printer’s web interface if available.
3. In Windows ARM, go to Printers & scanners → Add device → Add manually, choose IPP with the printer’s IP/URL.
4. Select Microsoft IPP Class Driver or a suitable Generic PCL/PS class driver.
5. Print test pages; if incompatible, move to a print server / Universal Print connector approach.

Note for mixed environments (ARM + macOS + x64)

1. Standardize on IPP Everywhere / driverless queues so macOS, iOS, Android, Windows x64, and Windows ARM share the same path.
2. Avoid vendor-locked USB-only setups; use a network printer or a small print server instead.

Sources

• Microsoft — Windows on ARM overview & app/driver compatibility
• Microsoft — Microsoft IPP Class Driver documentation
• Mopria Alliance — IPP/Mopria standards for driverless printing

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