Many times you may get fed up with your printer like you are trying to use it, but due to one or another reason, it runs into issues and you have to carry your printer and went shop to shop to ask the shopkeeper how to fix my printer that specific issue. It frustrates you more when you are in a hurry and your printer is not working in a proper way.
No doubt, the printers are one of the most important accessories of your PC, especially when you are using it for business purpose. Like other hardware, printer too is more prone to problems due to several reasons, usually when you are working with it all the time.
The printer issues can arise due to a poor connection, old drivers, hardware issues, etc., Windows 10 provides a number of ways to get rid of issues with your printer.
In this blog, we will discuss some of the common printer issues as well as the solutions to make things working in your favor.
Let’s see what’s wrong with your printer and fix it using the given steps.
Table of Contents
Hardware Issues
As we have already told you that the printer is at high risk when it is in heavy use, so you must check for hardware issues as the first step.
- Check the cables properly to confirm whether they are broken or damaged at any point or not. Also, make sure that all cables should be connected properly with your Windows 10 PC.
- Check if it requires manual start because many modern printers come with warnings and issues signs in this regard.
- Sometimes, too much dust or dirt on the printer may also affect its working, so check for it.
- If it is on a shared network, then check whether routers are working properly or not.
- For the wireless printer, check if all wireless options for proper connection are turned on.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshoot plays a great role in fixing several issues in Windows 10. So, when you are facing issue in your printer, running a troubleshooter can be a solution to fix printer issue in Windows 10.
- Download and run printer troubleshooter. It helps in fixing issues with installing and connecting a printer.
- Simply click it and follow the steps given in the troubleshooter.
If your printer is still not working, go the next step.
Add printer
Sometimes, adding a printer again works great in fixing an issue which was troubling you from the time. Simply follow these steps to add your printer.
- Press Windows key + I to open Windows Settings.
- Select Devices and then click Printers & Scanners.
- Select and click your previous printer and choose the option ‘Remove Device’.
- After this step, unplug the printer and plug it back in the USB port.
- Go to ‘Printers & Scanners’, and click the button ‘Add a printer or scanner’.
- Search for your printer again, and add it.
Manual update the drivers
Outdated drivers of the printer can also be a reason of arising issue in its proper functioning. Follow these steps to update your printer’s driver.
- Open the Device Manager and search for ‘Printers’.
- Click on an icon at the left side and you will get the list of printers in drop-down menu.
- Select your printer and right click it to choose the option ‘Update Driver Software’.
Now, click ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’, it will look for the latest drivers on the web. - If you choose the second option ‘Browse my computer for driver software’, it will look for the driver on your computer.
If driver update does not work, then remove it completely and install it again by following these steps.
- Go to Windows Settings and click Devices to select ‘Printers & Scanners’.
- Find your printer and click it to get ‘Remove device’ button.
- Next, open Start menu, type ‘Print Management’ and click Ok.
- Now, select the complete list of printers, right-click it and click ‘Delete’ option to delete all printers from your PC.
- Restart your PC, unplug and plug the cable of your printer.
- Install the drivers again, where they can be managed from ‘Print Management’ window.
If this step does not work, then go for the next step.
Clear and reset Print spooler file
Clearing and resetting print spooler files can be another solution to fix printer issues in Windows 10. Print spooler file manages the printing process. Follow these steps to reset this file.
- Search ‘Services’ at the Start menu and click ok.
- Now, find the ‘Print spooler’ file in the list of services.
- Simply right-click it and click stop.
- Now, copy-paste %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers from the taskbar in the search box and click ok to open it.
- Delete all files in the folder and go back to the ‘Services’ section.
- Find print spooler, right-click it and choose option Start.
Set default printer
When you have more than one printer connected to your PC or using printers on the network, Windows 10 can sometimes find it difficult to manage the default printer. So, in such case, making a particular printer as a default device can become the solution of an issue.
- Press Windows key + R and type ‘Control Panel’.
- Now, select ‘Devices and Printers’ option from the list of items in the Control Panel window.
- Select any of the printers connected to your PC and choose ‘Set as default printer’ option.
- Click ok at the end.
Conclusion
You can fix printer issues in your Windows 10 PC through any of the above solutions. But still, your issue is not resolved; you should contact your printer support company or any technical expert.
Sometimes, there may come out an issue in your PC that prevents the proper working of printer that may require resetting your Windows 10. To confirm the right issue, the best way is to take help of an expert.
