If your USB printer is printing random text after installing Windows 11 KB5050092, there's a fix

Last year in November, Microsoft stopped Windows 24H2 updates because the OS wouldn’t recognize some printers and scanners. Now, after a recent Windows 11 update, KB5050092, owners of USB-connected printers discovered a new issue.

Microsoft has acknowledged that the update, released in January 2025, can lead to printers producing random text and data, including network commands and unusual characters. This issue primarily affects dual-mode printers that support both USB Print and IPP Over USB protocols.

The problem tends to occur when printers are powered on or reconnected after being unplugged. Users have reported that the printed text often begins with the header POST /ipp/print HTTP/1.1, followed by other Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) headers.

To address this, Microsoft has provided a temporary solution through its Known Issue Rollback (KIR) feature. IT administrators can deploy a special Group Policy to reverse the problematic update. The Group Policy can be found under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates, and the group policy name. Here are the downloads you need, as listed by Microsoft:

Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name:

• ​Download for Windows 11, version 23H2 and 22H2 – Windows 11 22H2 KB5050092 250131_150523 Known Issue Rollback
• ​Download for Windows 10, version 22H2 – Windows 10 22H2, 21H1, 21H2 and 22H2 KB5050081 250131_082569 Known Issue Rollback

The administrators must restart affected devices to apply the changes. Microsoft has assured users that a permanent fix will be included in a future Windows update. So, you can either apply this workaround or wait until Microsoft rolls out a fix for this bug.