- Admins have been given a 60-day reminder about this driver deprecation
- WSUS itself has also been given a limited lifespan
- Microsoft is pushing for cloud-based alternatives
Microsoft has issued a 60-day reminder that Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) driver synchronization will be deprecated from April 18, 2025.
The two-month warning serves as a reminder for admins to transition to alternative solutions, but the reality is that they’ve had even longer than that to prepare – Microsoft first announced the change back in June 2024.
After deprecation, importing drivers into WSUS will no longer be possible, but on-prem drivers will still be available via the Microsoft Update Catalog, the company confirms.
WSUS driver synchronization will end in two months
“You’ll need to use any of the available alternative solutions, such as Device Driver Packages, or transition to cloud-based driver services for your organization, such as Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopatch,” the company said.
Back in June 2024, when we were first made aware of the change, Microsoft Senior Program Manager Paul Reed confirmed only one in three (34%) used the tool to synchronize drivers, and most were already in the process of implementing alternative systems.
However, Reed said the company was committed to helping the remaining 8% who expressed concerns over the deprecation’s effects.
Reed wrote: “For on-premises contexts, drivers will be available on the Microsoft Update catalog, but you will not be able to import them into WSUS. You’ll need to use other means, such as Device Driver Packages, to distribute the drivers within your network,” adding that Microsoft was planning to enact deprecation on April 18 – a date it has stuck by.
More broadly, it was revealed in September 2024 that WSUS itself is set for depreciation (via The Register), with the company pushing cloud-based alternatives like Intune.
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