Still battling the HP Smart App issue? It's time to put it to rest with the new Microsoft troubleshooter

Back in December, Windows 10, and Windows 11 devices were affected by an annoying bug, which caused Microsoft Store to automatically download and install the HP Smart App without the users’ consent.

The bug appeared after installing the latest Windows updates, and for a couple of weeks, the only viable solution was to uninstall the app. The bug was not caused by HP, but instead, it was caused by a conflict present in the latest Windows updates, as Microsoft stated.

Our investigations indicate that this issue is not caused by an HP update. In most cases, it should be possible to use the printer as expected, including queueing printing jobs, as well as other features such as copy, scan, or fax. Printers on the device will continue to use the expected drivers for printer operations. However, this issue might affect associations with other manufacturer-supplied printer apps used to extend basic printer capabilities. If this is the case, some or all of those extended functions might not work.

Microsoft

Even though not all the Windows 10, and Windows 11 devices were affected, the Redmond-based tech giant quickly worked on a solution, and the company released a troubleshooter for the bug before the holiday season.

However, for those of you who still battle this annoying bug, Microsoft just released the Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool January 2024, which effectively deals with this issue once and for all.

Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool January 2024: How to get it?

1. Head over to the troubleshooter’s official webpage.
2. Select your language, and then click on the Download button.
3. The troubleshooter should download. Once downloaded, run the version that is suitable for your Windows.

According to Microsoft, the troubleshooter should be fixing the issue permanently, in just a few clicks. Here’s what the Redmond-based tech giant has to say about it:

This tool is intended to help users and administrators address the known issue: Printer names and icons might be changed and HP Smart app automatically installs(See Related Links for more information on this issue)

• This tool will review your printer information. It will restore any previously downloaded model information and icons and will remove “HP LaserJet M101-M106” model information, icons, and application associations from printers that do not match this name and model.
• This tool will uninstall the HP Smart application if incorrect metadata was found, there are no HP printers or HP printer drivers installed, and the application was installed after Nov 25th, 2023.

Microsoft

Let us know if the troubleshooter worked for you.