Quick Links
Summary
If you don’t use a printer anymore and wish to remove it, or you want to uninstall and reinstall a printer to fix its problems, both Windows 11 and Windows 10 make it super easy to uninstall printers. We’ll show you how to do that using two graphical and one command line method.
Three Ways to Uninstall a Printer
There are three different ways to remove a printer from a Windows PC.
Uninstall the Printer Using the Settings App
If you’re on a Windows 11 PC, head into Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners. On Windows 10, navigate to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners.
Find and select the printer to remove. On Windows 11, choose “Remove.” On Windows 10, select “Remove Device” and click “Yes.”
Windows has removed the selected printer.
Uninstall a Printer Using Device Manager
To remove a Printer with Device Manager, firstopen Device Managerby right-clicking the Start Menu icon and selecting “Device Manager.”
Select “View” in the menu bar, then enable “Show Hidden Devices” to ensure your printer appears even if it’s hidden.
In the same window, expand “Printers” and find your printer. If you can’t find your printer, expand “Print Queues” and look for it there. Once you’ve located it, right-click the printer’s name and select “Uninstall Device.”
In the “Uninstall Device” window, enable the “Attempt to Remove the Driver for This Device” (Windows 11) or “Delete the Driver Software for This Device” (Windows 10) option. Then, click “Uninstall.”
Wait while Device Manager uninstalls the selected printer. Then, bring the changes into effect byrestarting your Windows 11orWindows 10PC.
Use PowerShell to Remove a Printer
Open the Start Menu, search forPowerShell, and select “Run as Administrator.”
In the User Account Control (UAC) prompt, select “Yes.”
In PowerShell, list the available printers by typing the following command and pressing Enter:
From the listed printers, note the name of the printer you want to remove. Then, type the following command, replacing “PrinterName” with the noted name, and press Enter. verify the printer’s name is enclosed in double quotes.
PowerShell has removed the specified printer. you may runGet-Printeragain to confirm that it has been removed.
Delete the Printer’s Installed Apps
Most printers (if not all) install their own manufacturer apps when you add a printer to your PC. If you’ve gotten rid of your printer for good, you should remove these installed apps as well. Here’s how to do that.
On Windows 11
Open Settings using Windows+i and navigate to Apps > Installed apps.
Find your printer’s app on the list. Next to the app, click the three dots and choose “Uninstall.”
On Windows 10
Launch Settings using Windows+i and select “Apps.”
Find and select your printer app on the list. Choose “Uninstall” and select “Uninstall.”
Clean Up the Print Spooler and Leftover Registry Keys
After removing the printer,clean up any pending print jobsand leftover registry keys. This ensures all traces of your printer are gone from your PC.
Clean Up the Print Spooler
Open Run by pressing Windows+R, type the following command, and press Enter:
Find the service named Print Spooler. Right-click it and select “Stop.” Keep the Services window open.
Open Run again (using Windows+R), type the following path, and press Enter:
Enable hidden items in File Explorer. On Windows 11, from the top bar, select View > Show and click “Hidden Items.” On Windows 10, open the “View” tab and enable “Hidden Items.” Select all files in the folder by pressing Ctrl+A, right-click a selected file, and choose the trash can icon (or “Delete” on Windows 10).
Return to the Services window we opened previously, right-click “Print Spooler” again, and select “Start.”
Remove the Deleted Printer’s Leftover Registry Keys
Be cautious of deleting things in the Windows Registry, and follow our instructions carefully. Deleting or modifying the wrong key can cause issues with your PC.
Open the Start Menu, search forRegistry Editor, and launch the utility.
In the User Account Control prompt, select “Yes.”
Navigate to the following path in Registry Editor or paste it into the address bar:
In the left sidebar, find the folder for your printer. It should have your printer’s name. Right-click the folder and select “Delete.”
Quit Registry Editor andrestart your computer. And you’ve successfully removed a printer from your Windows machine.
