Troubleshooting Guide For Printing On Windows

Struggling to print from your Windows machine? Here’s a guide to get your printer up and working again.

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There is nothing more frustrating than that moment when you need to use the printer, but for some inexplicable reason it apparently has an issue and won’t print. Although we live in a time when most files and documents are digital, that doesn’t mean we’re getting rid of printers anytime soon.

Newer versions of Windows such as Windows 11 are much more stable than they once were, and modern PCs and laptops are typically able to resolve software conflicts with printers by themselves. Despite this fact, if you’re still facing a very real printer issue right now, we’ve put together this handy guide to help you identify and fix the problem. Let’s cut through the confusion and get your printer back to work!

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Common issues faced while printing

Printers are strange machines. They seem a bit out of sync with technological advancements, because how is it possible that we have driverless cars but yet printing a simple page can be such a difficult task? The reason that your printer isn’t working could be ridiculously simple, and not as much of a tech issue as one might imagine. Here are some examples of why your printer might not be working:

• You’re trying to connect with the wrong printer in the selection field.
• Your printer is switched off or unplugged from the network.
• The printer isn’t connected to Wi-Fi.
• If your printer has a wired connection, there’s an issue with the connection or power cable.
• If it’s a workplace printer, someone may have changed the settings for the printer and you may need to add it back to your computer’s printer list again.
• There may not be paper in the tray or adequate ink.

It could be any of the above issues, or possibly even something a bit more complex. Let’s go through a sequence of troubleshooting steps that will help resolve your technical printer problems.

How to update your printer drivers in Windows

It’s not uncommon for printer drivers to cause trouble out of the blue, so updating your drivers is always a good idea. There are three different ways to update your printer drivers. There are a few differences between Windows 10 and Windows 11, but the process is still fairly simple.

How to update your printer drivers in Windows settings

1. To start, you should open your PC’s Settings menu.
2. If you are using Windows 11, you can open the Updates & Security tab. (If you’re using Windows 10, then you can skip this step.)
3. Click on the Windows Update tab.
4. From here you should click on Check for updatesand Download and install. If there are any additional or optional driver updates, then download these as well.

How to update your printer drivers in Device Manager

1. Type “device manager” into the search box in the taskbar.
2. When it opens, look for your printer under the Printers section.
3. If you see a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark, you can right-click it and choose Update driver.

   

How to remove and re-add your printer on Windows

Windows 11

1. Go to Settings> Bluetooth & Devices> Printers & scanners.
2. Click on your printer, and hit the Remove button.
3. Once it disappears, completely disconnect your printer, wait a minute, and connect it again.
4. Click on the Add printer button, wait for the printer to be detected, and then click Add device.

Windows 10

If you’re using Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings and then choose Devices> Printers & scanners.
2. Here, click on your printer and then select Remove.
3. Once the printer icon disappears, disconnect the printer, reboot it, and then connect it to your computer again.
4. Now click on Add a printer or scannerand follow the on-screen instructions to set it up.

If re-adding the printer does not work, it’s time to move on to the next suspect — your print spooler.

Power cycle your devices and check connections

Nothing quite like a restart to resolve issues! Here’s how to go about it.

1. Press the power button on your printer to power it off. Also, pull its power cable out of the wall socket.
2. Wait 30 seconds. As you wait, also restart your computer.
3. Now plug the printer back in and power it on.
4. Check if all cables are properly connected. If you see any frayed cables, replace them.
5. Once the printer is back up (and all the lights are on), check to see if your computer detects it.
6. On Windows 10, you can view your printer by going to Settings> Devices> Printers & scanners. On Windows 11, that’s Settings> Bluetooth & devices> Printers & scanners.
7. If you see your printer listed here, try printing a test page.

If the power cycle doesn’t help, let’s move on to the software side of things.

How to run the Windows printer troubleshooter:

1. Type Troubleshoot settings in the Windows search bar. Open the top option.
2. Look for Additional troubleshooters or Other troubleshooters at the bottom.
3. Click on the Printer section, and then click on Run (Windows 11) or Run the troubleshooter (Windows 10).
4. You can follow the on-screen instructions until the troubleshooter diagnoses your issue.

Fix the print spooler

The print spooler is the software component of your machine’s operating system that manages print jobs in a queue. Here’s how you can fix any print spooler issues on Windows:

1. In the Windows taskbar, click on the search box, search for “services.msc,” then click on the top result.
2. You will now see the Services app. In the right pane, scroll until you see Print Spooler and click on it.
3. On the left pane, click on Stop the service.
4. Now, open a new File Explorer window and go to “C:WindowsSystem32spoolprinters.” If you have installed Windows on a different drive, change the ‘C’ to the correct drive name. You can also open the printer folder by pressing the Win + R keys simultaneously to open the run box, then type the above path into the text field.
5. In this folder, select all the files you see and delete them.
6. Next, switch back to the Services window.
7. You should see an option in the left pane: Start the service. Click on it.

   

Now try printing a test page.

Additional steps that can resolve printer issues on Windows

We’ve also made a practical checklist of sorts that you can go through, to help you get your printer up and working again in case any of these may be applicable.

• Check if the printer cartridge has ink.
• Check your Printer Queue. You can do this by searching for Device Manager in the Windows Search bar. Click on the Device Manager to open it, and then click on Print Queues. Here, you can delete any pending print jobs so that you can start fresh again.
• Check for paper jams in the printer; also pull the cartridge out of the printhead, check if the printhead is clean, and put the cartridge back in.
• Check if any lights are blinking on the printer — these indicators will tell you about any paper, hardware, or network issues that the printer is facing.
• If you’re using a shared printer, verify that you’re sending the print command to the right printer. If necessary, use someone else’s laptop to test it.
• Visit your printer manufacturer’s website (like Epson, Canon, Brother, or Lexmark) and scroll through the help section.
• If all else fails, reach out to your printer OEM’s tech support team.

That should fix the problem, but if not…

If you’re facing a specific issue printing on Windows, the best first step would be to Google the issue followed by your printer brand and model. Chances are pretty high that other users are facing the same issue. There might be specific steps to resolve your particular problem, which can be found on forums or your manufacturer’s support pages.