How to Turn Off Automatic Printer Updates (and Why It Matters for Compatible Cartridges)

If a printer that's been working fine suddenly stops recognising your ink or toner cartridge, a firmware update is one of the most common causes, and it's usually one you never asked for.

Most modern printers connect to Wi-Fi and check in with the manufacturer's servers from time to time. When they do, they can silently download and install firmware updates in the background, sometimes overnight, without any action from you. Most of these updates are harmless: bug fixes, security patches, minor feature changes. But some manufacturers, HP in particular, have shipped updates that specifically add or tighten checks on whether a cartridge is "genuine," which can cause a compatible, remanufactured or refilled cartridge that was printing perfectly the day before to suddenly be rejected or flagged as an error.

This isn't a fault with the cartridge itself. It's a change made to the printer after you bought it, sometimes months or years after. Turning off automatic updates doesn't fix a cartridge that's already been blocked, but it stops your printer's behaviour from changing again without your knowledge, which is the best way to avoid running into this in the first place.

Why this happens

Printer manufacturers make far more margin on original cartridges than on the printers themselves, so there's a commercial incentive to steer customers away from cheaper compatible options. Some firmware updates do this directly. HP has been the most publicly documented example of this, having faced customer complaints and legal scrutiny over "Dynamic Security" updates that blocked non-HP cartridges in some printer models. Other manufacturers are generally less aggressive about it, but no printer brand is entirely immune to pushing a firmware change that alters cartridge compatibility behaviour.

How to turn off automatic updates, by brand

Menu wording and exact navigation can vary a little depending on your specific printer model and firmware version, so treat the steps below as a general guide. If you can't find the exact option described, your printer's manual or the manufacturer's support site will have the current path for your model.

What if it's already too late?

If your printer has already stopped accepting a cartridge that was working fine, that's usually reversible with a firmware rollback or a specific fix for your printer model, not something you're stuck with permanently. Contact us with your printer model and we can point you in the right direction.