Share this article

Improve this guide

Windows 10 Can’t Find Printer: 7 Methods That You Can Use

Check the best solutions on the web for quick resolution

6 min. read

Updated onApril 29, 2024

updated onApril 29, 2024

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

Windows 10 has been present for a long time, with many users ditching the latest iteration for the previous one, primarily due to more stability. But it has a few bugs and flaws. One that seems to affect many is when Windows 10 can’t find a printer.

Printers have, of late, become mainstream, and there are severaldependable printersavailable for both home and office use. So, the inability to find and connect to one presents a major problem. Let’s learn about it and the solutions that worked for others.

Why can’t I find my printer in Windows 10?

Here are a few reasons Windows 10 can’t find your printer even though it’s turned on:

What can I do if Windows 10 can’t find a printer?

Before we head to the slightly complex fixes, here are a few quick ones you can try:

If none of the work, move to the ones listed next.

1. Run the troubleshooter

If you can’t find a wireless printer in Windows 10, the primary approach should be to run the built-in troubleshooters. We recommend running both thePrinterandHardware and Devicestroubleshooter to identify and eliminate the underlying cause effectively.

2. Reinstall printer drivers

You can skip the restart the computer step and download & install an updated driver from the manufacturer’s website. To know how, check out thisDymo LabelWriter driver installation guide, for example.

3. Update printer drivers

When Windows 10 can’t find printer,updating the drivermay do the trick. TheDevice Managermethod works as an offline update, so you might have tomanually install the driverfrom the manufacturer’s website.

Another dependable procedure for updating your printer drivers is usingspecialized driver updating programs, that automatically obtain the correct and newest versions from its database.

4. Uninstall recent Windows Update

If Windows 10 can’t find a printer after an update, it could be a bug in the current version or an introduced incompatibility to blame. So, the best option here is to uninstall the update until the issue is resolved by Microsoft in the subsequent versions of the OS.

5. Clear files

6. Disable the firewall

Several users also found that theirfirewall blocked the printer, so Windows 10 couldn’t find the printer. We don’t recommend disabling the firewall for long since it puts your PC at high risk.

So, if this method works, either install areliable antivirus with online securityor go with aneffective firewall.

7. Modify the Registry

One of the solutions here should have helped when Windows 10 can’t find a printer, and if the problem reappears, you know where to look.

This issue can lead to other problems, such asWindows not connecting to the printer, but we covered that in another guide.

Also, find some quick tips and tricks toboost a Windows PC performance.

Tell us which fix worked for you in the comments section below.

Windows 10 Can’t Find Printer: 7 Methods That You Can Use#

What can I do if Windows 10 can’t find a printer?#

1. Run the troubleshooter#

2. Reinstall printer drivers#

3. Update printer drivers#

4. Uninstall recent Windows Update#

5. Clear files#

6. Disable the firewall#

7. Modify the Registry#