How to Fix Printer Problems in Windows 10?

Most of individual users don’t use printer due to limited need. But for small companies, groups and many other users need to have a printer connected to their computer all times. It’s very common to have printer problems when you are working with them all the time. The problems could be due to many reasons like old drivers, hardware issues, etc. Windows 10 provides many ways to fix the issues with printers. We believe after reading this guide, you would be able to fix your issues.

Related: Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows 10.

Fix Printer Problems in Windows 10

Let’s jump into Windows 10 and see what’s wrong with your printer.

Hardware Check

The hardware problem can always arise when the printer is in heavy use. You must check the points given below:

• Check whether or not the cables are broken or damaged at some point. Make sure it is properly connected with your PC.
• Check if the printer requires a manual start or not. Modern printers have signs which show their warnings and issues.
• Make sure that it’s clean, sometimes dust may affect the printer’s working.
• If the printer is on shared network, then make sure they are connected and the routers are working or not.
• If the printer is wireless, then make sure every wireless option which is required for the successful connection is turned on. Check the user manual book of your printer or their website instructions.

Troubleshooting

A troubleshoot in Windows can help you a lot while fixing things. Similarly, you can run a troubleshoot for your printer too.

• Download and run this ‘Troubleshooter from Microsoft‘. A new window will open up to run troubleshoot for printer problems.
• Click on the ‘Printer’ option and choose the ‘Next’ option.

• It will start detecting problems and when it finds them, you can click on ‘Apply this fix’ option.

Add Printer Again

Sometimes, adding up the printer again can help in fixing the issue also. Follow the step to add a printer:

• Press ‘Win + I’ keys to open Windows Settings and navigate to the path ‘Devices > Printers & Scanners’.
• Click on the previously added printer and choose ‘Remove Device’.
• Unplug and then plug back the printer in the USB port.
• Click on ‘Add a printer or scanner’ and let it find your device again. Click on your device and add it.

Related: Fix audio problems in Windows 10.

Update the Drivers Manually

Sometimes, outdated drivers of the printer device may create problems. Follow the below steps to update the printer driver:

• Go to ‘Start’ and search for ‘Device Manager’ and hit ‘Enter’ key.
• Look for the ‘Printers’, click on the little icon at left-hand side to drop-down the list of printers.
• Select your printer and right-click on it, then choose ‘Update Driver Software’.

• Click on the ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ option. It will start looking for latest drivers on the internet and ask you to install them.

• If you select ‘Browse my computer for driver software’, it will start looking for the driver on your PC. This is because when you install a new device, it may have self-installing drivers. If the drivers are not self-installing then they need to be installed manually.

If updating a driver software didn’t work, then try removing the driver completely and reinstalling them again. Follow these steps:

• Go to ‘Windows Settings’ app and then navigate to ‘Devices > Printers & Scanners’.
• Find your printer, click on it to expand options and click on ‘Remove device’ button.
• Go to the ‘Start’ menu, type ‘Print Management’ and press ‘Enter’ key.
• Select all the printers, right-click on it and ‘Delete’ all of them.
• Restart your PC, plug back the printer’s cable and start installing the drivers again.

You can also manage drivers from ‘Print Management’ window.

Clear and Reset the Print Spooler Files

If the above options didn’t work out then you should clear the ‘Print Spooler’ file. It is the file that takes care of the printing process and manages them. To reset this file:

• Go to ‘Start Menu’ and search for ‘Services’ and hit ‘Enter’ key.
• Click inside the list of the services and hit ‘P’ key to jump to the names starting with ‘P’. You’ll see the ‘Print Spooler’ file right there.
• Right-click on it and choose ‘Stop’.

• Now, go to the taskbar and copy-paste this line %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers in the search box and hit ‘Enter’ key to open it.

• Delete all the files of this folder and go to the ‘Services’ again. Find the ‘Print Spooler’, right-click on it and choose ‘Start’.

Related: Fix Wi-Fi connection problems in Windows 10.

Set Default Printer

Sometimes Windows 10 could not manage the default printer when you have multiple printers connected or using network printers. In this case, it is a good idea to manually make a specific printer as a default device. This will help to print the documents in default printer.

• Go to ‘Control Panel’ and change the view to large icons.
• Search for ‘Devices and Printers’ option.
• Click on any of the connected printer and choose ‘Set as default printer’ option.

You will see a prompt indicating that Windos will not manage the default printer for you. Click on ‘OK’ to confirm.

Test Printing

Follow the below instructions to print a test page and check whether your connected printer is working.

• Go to ‘Printers & scanners’ settings.
• Click on the printer you want to test and choose ‘Manage’.

• On the next screen click on ‘Print a test page’ to test whether you can print a test document.

You can also run the troubleshooter from this screen.

Conclusion

You have successfully connected to a printer, when you can print a test page. If none of the above mentioned points resolves your problem then you should get in touch with your printer support company. Sometimes it may also turns out to be a problem in your computer that you may need to reset your Windows 10 if necessary.