Microsoft Universal Print Download and Setup Guide
Cloud print service in Microsoft 365, replacing on-premises print servers
Representative photo — Nik
Universal Print is Microsoft's cloud printing service, built into Microsoft 365. It removes the need for on-premises print servers by registering printers directly with the cloud, where administrators publish them and assign access through Entra ID groups. Users see the published printers appear automatically on their Windows devices. Native support requires a Universal Print ready printer; older printers are supported through a connector installed on a Windows machine. The licensing detail that catches organisations out is the pooled monthly job allowance.
Version and licence: Included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Premium, F3 and several other plans, with pooled job volumes: 100 jobs per user per month on E3, E5 and Business Premium, and 5 on F3. Add-on packs are available, at 500 jobs for 25 US dollars a month and 10,000 jobs for 300 US dollars a month.
Download Microsoft Universal Print
What it does
- Cloud print service with no on-premises print servers
- Printers published and assigned through Entra ID groups
- Printers appear automatically on users' Windows devices
- Universal Print connector for printers without native support
- Usage reporting and administrative control from the Azure portal
- Pull printing and secure release through partner integrations
- Included in several Microsoft 365 plans with pooled job volumes
How to install it
Step 1
Confirm your Microsoft 365 licences include Universal Print and check the pooled job allowance for your plan.
Step 2
Check whether your printers are Universal Print ready; if not, plan to install the Universal Print connector on a Windows machine.
Step 3
For a native printer, register it with Universal Print from the printer's own settings, signing in with an administrator account.
Step 4
For other printers, install the connector on a Windows machine that can reach them and register the printers through it.
Step 5
In the Azure portal or Microsoft 365 admin centre, share each printer and assign access to the relevant Entra ID groups.
Step 6
Set a location and defaults so users can find the right printer.
Step 7
On a user device, open Settings, Printers and scanners and confirm the shared printers appear automatically.
Step 8
Print a test job and check it appears in the usage reporting.
Which printers it supports
Universal Print ready printers from major manufacturers, plus almost any network printer through the Universal Print connector running on a Windows machine.
When Microsoft Universal Print will not work
Job volumes are pooled monthly per tenant, at 100 per user on E3, E5 and Business Premium and 5 on F3. Buy an add-on pack, at 500 jobs for 25 US dollars a month or 10,000 for 300 US dollars a month, or reduce printing volume.
Check the printer is shared in Universal Print and that the user is in an assigned Entra ID group. The device must also be Entra joined or registered, and the user signed in with a work account.
Install the Universal Print connector on a Windows machine that can reach the printer, and register it through the connector. That machine must stay on for printing to work.
It is. Run the connector on a server-class machine that stays on, or move to natively supported printers, which register with the cloud directly and need no connector.
Jobs travel to the cloud and back, so large documents take longer than on a local print server. Reduce resolution for drafts, and consider natively supported printers, which shorten the path.
Frequently asked questions
Is Universal Print included in my licence?
It is included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Premium and F3 among others, with pooled monthly job volumes of 100 per user on E3, E5 and Business Premium and 5 on F3.
What happens when the job allowance runs out?
Printing stops until the next month unless you buy an add-on pack, which are sold at 500 jobs for 25 US dollars a month and 10,000 jobs for 300 US dollars a month.
Do I need new printers?
Not necessarily. Universal Print ready printers register directly, and older printers work through the connector installed on a Windows machine.
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