How to remove and reinstall a printer

Remove and reinstall the printer

1. 1

   Check that a reinstall is the right fix

   Confirm the printer is turned on and connected before removing anything. If the printer is offline, unreachable on the network, or missing from the list entirely, reinstalling will reproduce the same failure — fix discovery first. A reinstall is for a printer your computer can see but will not print to.

   Source: Microsoft Support — Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows
2. 2

   Remove the printer on Windows

   On Windows 11, select Start, Settings, Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners. Select the printer you want to remove, then select Remove. On Windows 10, the path is Start, Settings, Devices, Printers & scanners, then the Remove device button. Remove every duplicate entry for the same machine, not only the one you have been printing to.

   Source: Microsoft Support — Add or install a printer in Windows
3. 3

   Or remove the printer on a Mac

   Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then click Printers & Scanners in the sidebar. Control-click the printer in the list on the right, choose Remove printer, then confirm with Remove Printer. If you removed your default printer, macOS selects another one automatically — set the one you want from the Default printer pop-up menu afterwards.

   Source: Apple Support — Remove a printer from your printer list when you don’t use it on Mac
4. 4

   Clear the stuck print queue behind it (Windows)

   A job jammed in the spooler survives removing the printer and will stall the reinstalled one too. In the taskbar search box type services, open Services, and double-click Print Spooler. Select Stop, then OK. Open %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers and delete all files inside. Then double-click Print Spooler again, select Start, set Startup type to Automatic, and select OK.

   Source: Microsoft Support — Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows
5. 5

   Add the printer back

   With the printer turned on and connected, go to Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners and select Add device, or Refresh if the button offers it. On a Mac use System Settings, Printers & Scanners, then Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax. Wait for the search to finish before assuming it has failed.

   Source: Microsoft Support — Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows
6. 6

   Let Windows Update supply the driver

   After the printer installs, check Windows Update for updated drivers rather than reinstalling an old driver package downloaded earlier. A stale driver is a common reason the same fault returns after a reinstall.

   Source: Microsoft Support — Add or install a printer in Windows
7. 7

   Print a test page

   Open the reinstalled printer in your device's printer settings and print a one-page test. This confirms the queue, the driver, and the connection together — the printer appearing in the list again does not on its own mean printing works.

   Source: Microsoft Support — Add or install a printer in Windows

If it did not work

Choose the symptom that best matches what happened. These links lead to the existing diagnostic pages rather than repeating generic setup steps.

• Printer is not foundUse this instead if the printer no longer appears at all.
• Install a printer driverHandle a driver that Windows Update does not supply.
• Add a printer in WindowsThe standard first-time installation path.
• Search by model or errorFind verified model pages and exact error-code guidance.