Microsoft stopped implementing WSUS driver synchronization

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), a service that helps system administrators manage and distribute updates for Microsoft products within their organizations, is receiving some important changes related to driver synchronization policy (driver).

Before making this decision, Microsoft conducted a survey to gather community opinions. As a result, only 34% of participants reported using WSUS for driver synchronization. Furthermore, most of that 34% are in the process of transitioning to another solution. Of course, some customers (about 8%) are still using WSUS for driver synchronization, so Microsoft will not 'pull the plug' on this service immediately.

Microsoft stopped implementing WSUS driver synchronization Picture 1

Specifically, the WSUS driver synchronization feature will no longer be deployed after April 18, 2025. Additionally, deprecated features often persist for a period of time and continue to function until when completely removed in future updates.

'Our plan is to stop rolling out WSUS driver synchronization on April 18, 2025. Drivers will be available on the Microsoft Update catalog but you won't be able to import them into WSUS. You will need to use other means, such as Device Driver Packages, to distribute driver packages across your network'.

System administrators who want to prepare for the change can learn about other driver services, such as Windows Driver update management in Microsoft Intune, Windows Update for Business service, etc. It is important to note that this is an issue. For system administrators, WSUS is not something the average user needs to worry about.

Kareem Winters

Update 01 July 2024