How To Uninstall And Reinstall Printer Windows 10

Update The Printer Drivers And Then Uninstall The Printer

Fix Printer Problems With an Uninstall and Reinstall in Windows 10

If youre using outdated or faulty printer drivers, that may be why you cant remove your printer from your PC. To deal with this, first update your printers drivers and then try to remove the printer.

Luckily, you can update your printers drivers automatically on both Windows 10 and 11 PCs:

Open Device Manager and find your printer in the Printers section.

Right-click your printer and choose Update driver from the menu.

Select Search automatically for drivers on the screen that follows.

Allow Windows to find and install the latest drivers for your printer.

Restart your PC when the drivers are installed.

Use the Settings app to remove the printer from your PC.

Uninstall Printer Using Control Panel

Open Control Panel by typing so on your computers search pane.
Go to the Hardware and Sound category.

Here, right-click on the printer you want to uninstall, and from the subsequent drop-down that will appear, click on Remove device.

You should follow the aforementioned steps regarding the uninstallation of any printer-related software if you choose to delink printers using this method too.

Remove The Printer Using Powershell

Some users have successfully managed to remove the stubborn printer that was refusing to go away on Windows 10 by using PowerShell. While this method will require you to get a little technical, its reportedly more efficient than the majority of methods that are done through a graphical interface.

Heres a quick guide on removing a printer via PowerShell:

Press Windows key + R to open up a Run box. Then, type PowerShell and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter and hit Yes at the User Account Control prompt to open an elevated Powershell window. Open PowerShell

In the Elevated PowerShell window, type or paste the following command and press Enter to get a list of all your active printers:

Get-Printer | Format-List Name

Open notepad and copy the exact name of the printer that you wish to remove. Youll need it briefly. Copy the Faulty Printer Name

In the same elevated Powershell window, type the command below and press Enter.

Remove-Printer -Name "Printer name"

Note: Be mindful that Printer name is just a placeholder for the actual name of your printer. Replace the placeholder with the name of the printer that you extracted at step 3. The result should end up looking like this:

Remove-Printer -Name "Canon IP1188 Inkjet Printer"

Once the command has been successfully registered, close the Elevated Powershell window and restart your system.

At the next startup, see whether the printer device is still present in the printers list. If it is, move down to the next method.

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How To Properly Remove A Printer On Windows 10

Although on Windows 10, the process to install printers has improved over the years, we’re quickly moving into a digital world that has significantly reduced the need to print content on paper.

If you’re also taking the paperless route, you simply no longer use a particular printer, or you’re troubleshooting problems, you can use the Settings app, Control Panel, Print Management, Command Prompt, or even PowerShell to remove the printing device from your computer.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through five different ways to properly remove a printer from your device.

Remove The Printer From The Printers Folder

The final method in which you can remove a printer from your list of devices is also one of the fastest and most effective ways to do it. Heres a quick guide on removing a printer via the Printers folder:

Open a new Run box by pressing the Windows key + R. Then, paste

explorer shell:::

in the Run box and press Enter to open the Printers folder.

Open Printer Folder

In the Printers folder, right-click on the printer that you wish to remove and choose Delete.

Click Yes to confirm the removal of the printer, then restart your computer to force the changes to take effect.

At the next startup, see whether the printer has been removed from your computer.

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Remove Printer Driver From Print Server

Press the Windows + R key together to open the run box.

In Run box, type services.msc and click OK to open the services page.

In Services, find Print Spooler and then select it and click on Stop the Service to stop it.

Come back to the desktop, and again press the Windows + R key together to open the run box.

Type the printmanagement.msc command in the run box and press OK button.

Click on Print Server from the right side pane.

Click on the computer name which is under the print server.

Click on Drivers.

Now look at the right-side pane and right-click on the printer model number you want to remove and click on Remove Driver package.. I would suggest you to remove all the unused printer drivers from there. It is good practice to avoid driver conflict.

Now go back to the left side pane and click on printers under print server and look at the right side pane and right click on your printer name which you want to remove and click on Delete. Dont delete the default printer from here.

Go back to Print Management and then click on Custom Filter.

Click on All Printers. Then look at the right-side pane and do right-click on the printer name you want to delete and click on the delete option.

Again, go back to Custom Filters and click on All Drivers

Now, look at the right side pane and do right-click on the driver you want to delete and click on Remove Driver package.

Thats it.

Delete The Driver As Every User

If you have multiple users on your PC, you might not be able to remove the printer since the driver is in use.

In order to fix this problem, you need to log in to each user account that has the printer connected and delete the device. After that, log in to the administrator account and delete the driver package.

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Remove Printer Using Settings

To remove a printer from Windows 10, use these steps:

Open Settings on Windows 10.

Click on Devices.

Under the Printers & scanners section, select the printer that you want to remove.

Click the Remove device button.

Settings remove printer

Click the Yes button.

Once you complete the steps, you can proceed to delete the driver from your computer. Alternatively, if the device uses Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, you can uninstall the printer from Control Panel> Hardware and Sound> Devices and Printers, right-clicking the printer and selecting the Remove device option.

Use Kyocera Deleter Tool

Uninstall HP Printer Software in Windows 10, 11 | HP Printers | HP

If you cant remove the printer because the driver is in use, you might want to try using the Kyocera Deleter tool from .

Users reported that this tool will delete your printer without any problem but be sure to run this tool as the administrator since it requires administrator privileges to remove your printer.

If you are the owner of a Kyocera printer, you might also be interested in consulting our comprehensive guide on how to download and use Kyocera printer drivers for Windows 10.

Uninstall Printer Driver In Windows 10

How to Uninstall a Printer Driver in Windows 10remove a printerWindows 10administratorCONTENTS:

Option One: Uninstall Printer Driver in Print Management
Option Two: Uninstall Printer Driver in Print Server Properties
Option Three: Uninstall Printer Driver in Settings
Option Four: Uninstall Printer Driver in Control Panel
Option Five: Uninstall Printer Driver in Printers folder

Delete Old Printers Via Registry Editor

If you open the Add a printer page and find old printers still listed there, edit the registry to remove leftover entries. To do this, start by creating a system restore point, and then follow the steps below.

Right-click Start> Run.
Type regedit.exe and click OK to open the Registry Editor.

Find the registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Printers\Roamed

Right-click the printer from the right pane, and select Delete.
Check printer entries and delete unwanted items by going to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Printers\Connections

Next, go to this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers

Click to expand the key, right-click your printer and select Delete.

Some subkeys may still have references to your old printer, so you can clear the following as well:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Drivers\Version-3   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Drivers\Version-4

Once this is done, exit the Registry Editor.

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What Can I Do To Troubleshoot The Print Spooler Service

Before reinstalling the print spooler service you must try to troubleshoot the print spooler service.

Here are the Print Spooler Service Troubleshooting Steps for windows 10:

Then select Settings.
Under Windows Update, select Check for updates. If updates are available, click Install updates.
Once installed, restart your computer if prompted.

This should fix the issue with the Print Spooler service.

If not, you may try to uninstall the print spooler service.

Delete Hidden Printers From Device Manager

How to Reinstall Printer Driver in Windows 10

Press Windows Key + X to open the Power User Menu.

Select Device Manager from the list.

When Device Manager opens, select View and select Show hidden devices.

Delete your printer from Print queues and Printers sections.

After youre done, restart your PC.

Sometimes hidden devices can cause problems with printers, therefore youll need to remove them. To do that, follow the steps above.

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Stop Print Spooler And Then Remove The Printer

To ensure isnt interfering with your printer removal process, stop that service and see if you can successfully remove the printer.

Once youve removed the printer, you can then restart the print spooler service.

Press Windows + R keys at the same time to open the Run box.

Type the following in the Run box and press Enter: services.msc

Find the Print Spooler service on the Services window.

Right-click the Print Spooler service and choose Stop from the menu.

Keep the Services window open.

Use the Settings app to remove the printer from your PC.

When your printer is removed, come back to the Services window. Then, right-click the Print Spooler service and choose Start from the menu.

Use Command Prompt To Remove Printer

To delete a printer using the Command Prompt, follow the steps below.

Open the Command Prompt as admin. You can do that by searching for it in the Start menu, right-click on the result, and selecting the Run as administrator option.

In the Command Prompt window, the first thing we need to do is get the printer name. Use the below command to get the printer names.

wmic printer get name

Select the name of the printer you want to remove and copy it. You can copy the selected text with right-click.

Next, execute the below command while replacing the dummy printer name with the actual printer name.

printui.exe /dl /n “Dummy-Printer-Name”

As soon as you execute the command, the printer is removed from your system.

How Do I Uninstall And Reinstall A Printer On Windows 10

Then follow these steps to remove and reinstall the printer.

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners .

Under Printers & scanners, find the printer, select it, and then select Remove device.

After removing your printer, add it back by selecting Add a printer or scanner.

What Do I Do If My Printer Is Not Detected

How To Uninstall A Printer On Windows 10

If the printer is not responding even after youve plugged it in, you can try a few things:

Restart the printer and try again.

Unplug the printer from an outlet. You can plug it back in again to see if it works this time.

Check if the printer is properly set up or connected to your computers system.

Read Also: How Come My Printer Won’t Print

Using The Classic Control Panel

The classic Control Panel is another way to remove a printer driver in Windows 11. Here is how:

Open the Start menu and select All apps.

Scroll down the list of apps and open Windows Tools.

Open Print Management in the Windows Tools window.

Expand the Custom Filters option and click All Drivers.

Right-click the driver you want to uninstall at the center of the window.

Click Remove Driver Package and confirm the action.

Done!

Tip: You can directly open the Print Management snap-in using the Win + R shortcut keys and the printmanagement.msc command in the Run dialog. You can find more such commands here.

And that is how you delete a printer driver in Windows 11. It is also worth noting that you better restart your computer before reinstalling the driver you have just removed.

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Powershell Command To Remove A Printer

To delete a printer using PowerShell, follow the below steps.

Right-click on the Start menu and select the Windows PowerShell option to open PowerShell with admin rights.

Get the printer name using the following command.

Get-Printer | Format-List Name

Copy the name of the printer you want to remove.

Next, use the below command to remove the target printer. Dont forget to replace the dummy printer name with the actual printer name.

Remove-Printer -Name “Dummy-Printer-Name”

After executing the command successfully, you can close the PowerShell window.

That is it. It is that simple to remove a printer in Windows operating system.

I hope that helps.

If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.

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Try To Delete The Printer Quickly After Restarting The Print Spooler Service

A few users reported that you can fix this problem by trying to remove the printer after restarting the Print Spooler service.

We already explained how to restart this service in one of our previous solutions, so we advise you to check it out.

This process requires speed, therefore be sure to remove the printer as soon as you restart the Print Spooler service.

According to users, you only have a few seconds to remove the printer, so be sure to do it as fast as you can. If Print Spooler doesnt work, we have a helpful guide on how to solve its issues.

Use Print Management To Remove Old Printers

How to Reinstall Printer Drivers on Windows 10, 8 & 7

Ideally, if you used the Print Server properties method above, it should remove and uninstall the printer driver. However, you can use the Print Management console to completely remove printers you no longer use, and their drivers.

The Print Management dialog shows you the printers and current print jobs on your device. Before you delete the old printer driver though, make sure its not being used by any other printer.

Open Control Panel> System and Security.

Click Administrative Tools.

Double-click the Print Management shortcut.

Under Custom Filters, select All Printers.
Right-click the printer you want to remove.

Click Delete and Yes to confirm the action.

Open Settings> Apps> Apps & Features and click the printer software you want removed.
Click Uninstall and follow on-screen instructions to completely remove the printer driver.

Remove Printer Using Windows Settings

You can remove a printer from the Settings app in Windows 10. Here is how.

Right-click on the Start menu.

Select Settings from the menu.

Go to the Devices > Printers & scanners page.

Press the Yes button in the confirmation pop-up.

The printer is removed instantly.

Close the Settings app.

Detailed steps:

Open the Settings app with the Start key + I shortcut. After opening it, go to the Devices > Printers and scanners page. This is where you will see all the printers added to your computer. Click on the printer you want to remove and press the Remove device button.

With that, you have deleted a printer in Windows using the Settings app.

Remove Your Printer Using The Print Management

Press Windows Key + S and enter print management. Select Print Management from the menu.

Once the Print Management window opens, go to Custom Filters and select All Printers.

Locate the printer you want to remove, right-click it and choose Delete from the menu.

According to users, if you cant remove a certain printer in Windows 10, you might want to try removing it by using the Print Management tool.

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Does Windows 10 Install Drivers Automatically

Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs drivers for your devices when you first connect them. Even though Microsoft has a vast amount of drivers in their catalog, they are not always the latest version, and many drivers for specific devices are not found. If necessary, you can also install the drivers yourself.

Clear The Print Jobs Queue

How to Uninstall a Printer Driver in Windows

As quite a few users have reported, a stuck can also be responsible for preventing the printer from being removed. Some affected users were finally able to remove the stubborn printer by clearing the folder responsible for holding the print jobs.

Heres a quick guide on how to clear the print jobs queue folder:

Press Windows key + R to open up a Run box. Then, paste

C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

in the Run box and hit Enter to open the folder holding the printing jobs.

Open C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

Hit Yes at the UAC prompt to get permissions to edit the PRINTERS folder.

If the PRINTERS folder is not empty, delete everything there to free up the printing queue.

Once the PRINTERS folder is empty, try to remove the printer again, then restart your computer.

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How To Uninstall A Printer Using Powershell

If you prefer to use PowerShell, you can use these steps to remove a printer from Windows 10:

Open Start.

Search for Windows PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to queue a list of printers on your device and press Enter: