Windows 11 installs a driver by itself — so why install another?
When you connect the printer, Windows Update quietly installs a generic class driver. Printing starts working immediately, which is where the confusion begins. That class driver is deliberately minimal.
It gives you basic printing and nothing else. Scanning does not work, ink levels are invisible, and features such as borderless photo printing and Wi-Fi Direct are missing. HP's full-feature package is what brings all of that back.
A note on Windows 11 24H2
After the 24H2 update, some users hit conflicts caused by older HP software still sitting on the system. If you have installed an HP driver before, remove it first: open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, uninstall every HP printer entry, then restart the PC before installing the new package. Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons an install appears to succeed but the printer never works.
If HP Smart says "driver unavailable"
This is a known complaint on Windows 11, and it usually means Windows has attached a generic Microsoft driver to the printer instead of HP's. The fix is to remove the printer from Settings, uninstall the HP software, restart, and then install the full-feature driver as an administrator. We cover this in detail in our dedicated troubleshooting guide.