Microsoft's security patches break printers again. It's tradition.

Microsoft has issued a service alert warning that its November 2026 security updates are causing printing failures. The bug affects Windows 10, 11, and Server 2016 or newer, specifically when users try to print documents containing complex formatting, such as images with zero height or width used for invisible watermarks or layout anchoring. Printing via the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) is primarily impacted, particularly in Microsoft Word, but other applications could also fail.

For IT administrators and end-users, this means another round of 'patch and pray' where applying critical security fixes risks breaking a fundamental business function. Microsoft is investigating, but this continues a recurring pattern of Windows updates—including issues in March, July, and August of 2025 and 2026—disrupting printing, PDF creation, and now even Windows activation and SQL Server performance. The takeaway: Microsoft's monthly security ritual increasingly feels like a game of whack-a-mole where the moles are your own essential office tools.