Microsoft is planning changes to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), a tool used by IT administrators to manage and distribute updates for Microsoft products within organizations. According to a recent blog post on the Tech Community website, Microsoft will phase out WSUS driver synchronization in favor of newer cloud-based driver services.
Before making this decision, Microsoft conducted a survey and found that only 34% of participants use WSUS for driver synchronization and most of these users are already in the process of transitioning to other solutions. However, since some customers still rely on WSUS for this purpose, Microsoft is not ending the service immediately.
The official date for deprecating WSUS driver synchronization is April 18, 2025. Even after this date, the feature will continue to function for a while before being completely removed in future updates.
IT administrators are encouraged to explore alternative driver management services such as Windows Driver update management in Microsoft Intune and the Windows Update for Business deployment service to prepare for the change. Although WSUS is primarily used by organizations, Microsoft has also deprecated several features that impact regular consumers.