Optional Windows 11 update fixes USB printers spitting out nonsense

On Tuesday, Microsoft released the KB5053657 update for Windows 11 that fixes the unusual error where certain USB printers connected to a Windows 11 computer were printing out random text. This patch is only for Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2. No equivalent update is currently available for Windows 11 24H2 users.

This is an optional preview update, which Microsoft intends to roll out to all Windows 11 users as part of Patch Tuesday in April. However, if you want to install it now, you can do so manually through Windows Update or by downloading the update via Microsoft’s Update Catalog.

The USB printer problem was first caused by an update from January 2025. You can read the details in our coverage of printers spitting out nonsense after a borked Windows update. The problem specifically affected these operating systems with the following patches:

• Windows 11 24H2: KB5050009, KB5050094, KB5051987, KB5052093, KB5053598.
• Windows 11 23H2: KB5050092, KB5051989, KB5052094, KB5053602.

In the update notes, Microsoft writes: “Fixed: USB connected dual-mode printers that support both US Print [sic] and IPP Over USB protocols, might unexpectedly output incorrect or unwanted text.”

RDP issues reverted in Windows 11 24H2

Separately, Microsoft has also acknowledged that Windows 11 24H2’s January update caused a corruption in Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections. Microsoft describes the problem as follows:

“After installing the January 2025 Windows preview update (KB5050094) and later updates, users might experience unexpected disconnections with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) sessions, including Remote Desktop Services (RDS). We’ve observed a significant increase in reports of this issue following the release of the March 2025 Windows security update (KB5053598).

Users might notice their RDP sessions unexpectedly disconnecting after 65 seconds when establishing UDP-based connections from Windows 11, version 24H2 devices to RDS deployments running versions Windows Server 2016 or earlier. Resulting from this issue, users might experience frequent disconnections from their Remote Desktop and RDS sessions.”

While Microsoft’s initial fix attempt failed, they’ve now provided a resolution in the form of a Known Issue Rollback. This means affected devices will automatically receive a rollback update that reverts the issue. You’ll need to restart your PC to apply the rollback when you get it.

Microsoft is working on a permanent fix, which will be released as part of a future Windows 11 24H2 update.