Universal Print Secure Release Moves to the Web: Is It for You?

If your office uses Microsoft 365 to hold print jobs until staff are standing at the printer, one piece of that routine changed last week. According to Microsoft's Universal Print documentation, starting Tuesday, August 18, the QR-code secure release experience in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app was retired and replaced by a browser-based Universal Print portal.

For many small offices, the bigger story is the one this change is a reminder of: if you pay for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, you already pay for Universal Print. Here's what changed, what the licence includes, and an honest look at when it's worth moving off a print server or direct IP printing.

What changed on August 18?

Per Microsoft, releasing a held job moved from an app to a web page. According to Microsoft's user guide and admin guide for the new portal, the QR-code release experience in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app was retired starting August 18, 2026, and replaced by a browser-based Universal Print portal. Staff no longer need the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to release jobs. The Microsoft 365 specialist blog topedia also covered the new portal, but Microsoft's own pages are the primary reference for the change.

If your staff already release jobs this way, tell them the release step now happens in their phone's web browser rather than in the app. One general caution: if your company's sign-in policies require managed devices, test releasing a job from a personal phone before you roll it out. And if you use a web filter, make sure it doesn't block the portal.

What is Universal Print?

Universal Print is Microsoft 365's cloud print service. It removes the need for on-premises print servers and for installing printer drivers on each user's device, according to Microsoft's service description and migration guide, and printer makers Canon and Konica Minolta describe it the same way.

In a typical small office, printing works one of two ways. Either each PC prints straight to the printer's network address with a driver installed on every PC (direct IP printing), or PCs print through a Windows print server that holds the drivers and queues. Universal Print moves that middle layer into Microsoft's cloud. One caveat: printers without built-in Universal Print support connect through Microsoft's Universal Print connector, software that runs on a Windows PC or server on your office network, according to Microsoft, TechTarget and Petri. Our network printer setup guide covers the direct IP approach, and our driver management guide covers the print-server side.

Is Universal Print included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium?

Yes. Universal Print is included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, as well as Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, according to Microsoft, TechTarget and Neowin. If your office is on a different plan, check with whoever manages your Microsoft 365 subscription before assuming you have it.

How many print jobs does Business Premium include?

Each Business Premium, E3 or E5 licence adds 100 print jobs a month to a pool shared by all licensed users in the organization, according to Microsoft's licensing page, TechTarget and Neowin. TechTarget's example: 50 licensed users give the organization 5,000 jobs a month.

The pool matters more than the per-person number. The partner who prints all day and the receptionist who rarely prints draw from the same allowance, so what counts is your office's total monthly volume, not anyone's individual habits. Before you switch, estimate how many jobs your office sends in a typical month and compare that with 100 times your number of licences. Microsoft's licensing page explains how jobs are counted.

How does secure release work?

Secure release holds a print job until the person who sent it is at the printer, and they release it by scanning the QR code on the printer with their phone. Administrators turn it on per printer, which generates the QR code, according to Microsoft, Petri and The Register. Since August 18, per Microsoft, that release happens in the browser-based portal.

The benefit is simple: confidential pages don't sit in the output tray for whoever walks by next. For offices printing client files, patient records or payroll, that's a meaningful control.

Universal Print also offers Universal Print anywhere, or "pull print": send a job to one queue, then release it at any compatible printer. It's generally available, according to Microsoft, Petri and Neowin. For an office with printers on two floors or in two suites, staff don't have to choose a printer before they hit Print.

Should you use Universal Print instead of a print server or direct IP printing?

It's worth a serious look if you already have Business Premium and want to retire a print server or add hold-and-release printing. It's less compelling if one printer already works fine or you depend on specialty printer features. Here's how the three approaches compare in general terms:

When Universal Print fits

• You already pay for Business Premium, E3 or E5, and your monthly print volume sits comfortably inside the pooled allowance.
• You have an aging print server you'd rather not replace, patch and back up.
• Your office prints confidential documents (legal, medical, accounting, HR), and hold-and-release keeps them off the tray.
• People move around: multiple floors or suites, or hybrid staff who print on the days they're in.
• Your printers support Universal Print natively, or you're comfortable running Microsoft's connector on an office PC or server for the ones that don't.

When it doesn't

• A one- or two-printer office where direct IP printing already works and nobody needs hold-and-release. Simple beats clever.
• You rely on features that may depend on the manufacturer's own driver, such as finishing options, check printing or label printers. Test those before switching.
• Your internet connection is unreliable, or printing has to keep working when it's down.
• Your print volume would strain the pooled allowance.
• Staff release from personal phones and your sign-in policies are strict. Test first.

If you stay with direct IP printing, our July post on Windows Ready Print explains what changed for new printer installs on Windows PCs.

What this means for San Fernando Valley offices

For a small office in Encino, North Hollywood or anywhere in the communities we serve, the first practical question is who manages your Microsoft 365 tenant. Often it's an outside IT provider, while the copier is looked after by a dealer. Universal Print touches both, so get them in the same conversation before anyone changes printer settings.

Moving printing to the cloud also doesn't secure the printers themselves. Each printer or copier still has its own admin page and settings, and many store an address book. Change default admin passwords, keep firmware current, and read our posts on pass-back attacks and on the Sharp and Toshiba Tec default-authentication flaw for why that still matters.

What to do now

1. Check your plan: confirm whether your licences are Business Premium, E3 or E5.
2. If staff already release jobs by QR code, tell them the release step now happens in their phone's browser, per Microsoft.
3. If your sign-in policies require managed devices, test releasing a job from a personal phone before rolling anything out.
4. Make sure your web filter doesn't block the portal.
5. Estimate your office's monthly print jobs and compare that with 100 times your number of licences.
6. Pilot Universal Print on one printer with one team for a few weeks, including any check, label or finishing jobs.
7. Keep a documented fallback, such as direct IP printing to one printer, for internet outages.
8. Keep securing the printers themselves: admin passwords, firmware and stored data.

Not sure whether Universal Print fits your office? Book a free virtual consultation and we'll look at your printers, licences and print volume with you.