Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization

Latest News! Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization. Microsoft always makes decisions for the best future in technology. We have heard that Microsoft will declare many depreciation features in the past months. Today, the latest news is the deprecation of WSUS driver synchronization.

You all know about WSUS Driver Synchronization, which helps automatically send driver updates to an organization’s devices. Drivers are essential for letting the operating system interact with the hardware. Do you know why we need to update the driver? It plays a leading role in the system’s stability, security, and performance.

Microsoft is changing Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), a tool that helps IT administrators manage and distribute updates for Microsoft products. They announced they will stop using WSUS for driver updates and switch to newer cloud-based services.

A recent survey proves that 34% of users use WSUS for driver updates. If you are still using WSUS driver updates, you must know about MS’s new cloud-based service. Also, you have to understand that many users change their minds and ṭhe prefer to switch to other solutions.

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Index
Microsoft Announce Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization
Preparing for WSUS Driver Synchronization Deprecation
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization- Table.1
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization-Fig.1
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization-Fig.1

What is WSUS Driver Synchronization?

Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization 1

WSUS Driver Synchronization is a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) feature that allows IT administrators to automate the distribution of driver updates within an organization.

Microsoft Announce Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization

Above, I mention many things related to the latest news of WSUS Driver Synchronization. Microsoft plans to continue the driver synchronization feature in WSUS on April 18, 2025, and move toward the cloud-based diver service.

Adaptiva
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization- Fig.2
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization- Fig.2
SCCM | ConfigMgr | WSUS
WSUS
Windows Update Service
Clients Scan against WSUS (CAB file)
Don’t send any Device ID to Windows Update
The client doesn’t send any information to Windows Update.
No Safeguards available
Content is downloaded with SCCM DP*
Policies are configured
More Granularity
No Out of Box Solution
No Out of Box Solution
Individual KB selection option is there
Software Center
Fully supported for Server operating systems
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization- Table.2

Preparing for WSUS Driver Synchronization Deprecation

After April 18, 2025, drivers will still be available on the Microsoft Update catalogue for on-premises use. However, the notable point is that it cannot be imported into WSUS.

  • Microsoft suggests the use of other methods, like Device Driver Packages.
  • Many users expressed concern about the changes to WSUS driver import functionalities.
  • The screenshot below is from our post on Intune Vs SCCM and WSUS Vs WUfB Patching Method Differences.

Note: Deprecation means a feature is no longer developed and may be removed in future updates.

See More: Intune Vs SCCM and WSUS Vs WUfB Patching Method Differences

NoWhy Microsoft Suggesting the Depreciation
1Lack of use is the main point, which is why Microsoft Suggested Depreciation.
2The MS survey declared that 34% of people use WSUS Driver Synchronization.
3Microsoft encourages users to use cloud-based diver for efficient driver management.
4Cloud services are better for the IT environment.
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization- Table.3
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization- Fig.3
Microsoft Announces Deprecation of WSUS Driver Synchronization- Fig.3

Reference

Deprecation of WSUS driver synchronization

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Author

Anoop C Nair is Microsoft MVP! He is a Device Management Admin with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. He writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc.

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