How to Add a Wi-Fi Printer to Windows 11

What You Need Before You Start

Check these three things first. They’re behind most “Windows can’t find my printer” problems:

• The printer must already be joined to your Wi-Fi network, not just powered on near your router. Most printers show a Wi-Fi icon on their control panel screen once they’re connected. You can also print a network status page from the printer’s setup menu.
• Your PC and the printer need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. If your router broadcasts separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks (two frequency bands that use different names), both devices must be on the same one.
• If the printer is plugged into your PC by USB, Windows may keep using that connection even after the printer joins Wi-Fi. Unplug the USB cable before adding the printer wirelessly if you want to confirm the wireless connection works.

If your PC is on a 5GHz network and the printer is on 2.4GHz, they may be on different networks even though your router shows one Wi-Fi name. Check the printer’s spec sheet or its network settings screen to see which band it joined.

Connect the Printer to Your Wi-Fi Network

The simplest route is often the manufacturer’s phone app. Many manufacturers offer one, such as HP Smart, Epson Smart Panel and Canon PRINT. These apps can set up the printer’s Wi-Fi from your phone, which is usually easier than typing a password on a tiny printer screen. Install the app, follow its setup prompts, and skip to the Windows steps below once the printer shows as connected.

If you’d rather set it up on the printer itself, use its control panel (the screen and buttons on the printer, not your PC):

1. Find the wireless setup option on the printer’s screen. It’s usually under a Settings, Network or Wireless Setup Wizard menu. The exact wording varies by manufacturer, so check the manual if you don’t see it.
2. Select your Wi-Fi 📶 network name from the list the printer displays.
3. Enter your Wi-Fi 📶 password using the printer’s keypad or touchscreen. Passwords are case-sensitive, so check capital letters.
4. Wait for the printer to show a connected status. This is usually a solid Wi-Fi 📶 icon or a confirmation message, and it can take up to a minute.

Some printers support WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup, which lets you connect without typing your password). Press the WPS button on your router, then the WPS button on the printer within two minutes. Not all routers have WPS enabled by default. If nothing happens after a minute, use the manual network selection method above instead.

Add the Printer in 🪟 Windows 11 Settings

Once the printer is on your Wi-Fi network, add it to Windows:

1. Press Win+I to open Settings.

   

2. Click Bluetooth 🔷 & devices in the left-hand menu.

   

3. Click Printers & scanners. You’ll see a list of any printers already installed on your PC.

   

4. Click Add device next to “Add a printer or scanner.” Windows searches the network for a few seconds, and your printer’s name should appear in the list below.

   

5. Click Add device next to your printer’s name once it shows up. Windows installs a driver automatically, which usually takes under a minute on a normal connection.

After this finishes, your printer appears in the Printers & scanners list and is ready to use from any app’s print dialog. No restart is needed for a printer installed this way.

Recent Windows 11 versions use the built-in Microsoft IPP Class Driver by default for network printers that support it. This is a generic driver, so basic printing works without downloading anything from the manufacturer. Some extras, such as advanced finishing options or scanner features, may need the manufacturer’s own driver or app.

Windows 11 also has an optional setting called Windows Protected Print Mode. When it’s turned on, Windows only works with Mopria-certified printers. Some older printers aren’t certified and may not work with it enabled. It’s optional, but if you or your organisation turned it on and an older printer won’t install, this is a likely cause.

If Windows Can’t Find Your Printer

If nothing shows up after the search in the Add device step above, the most common cause is network discovery being turned off. Network discovery lets your PC see other devices on the same network, including printers.

1. Open File Explorer 📁 and click Network in the left-hand pane.

   

2. Look for a yellow information bar near the top of the window saying network discovery and file sharing are turned off. Click it.
3. Select Turn on network discovery and file sharing from the menu that appears.

   

4. Go back to Settings › Bluetooth 🔷 & devices › Printers & scanners and click Add device again. Your printer should now appear in the list.

If the yellow bar doesn’t appear, discovery may already be on, so move on to the checks below.

If your printer still doesn’t appear, check the band issue mentioned earlier. Use your router’s app or admin page to see whether your PC and printer are on the same band, not just the same network name. On networks with separate band names (for example “HomeNetwork” and “HomeNetwork_5G”), temporarily connect your PC to the same band your printer uses to test.

A firewall (software that blocks unauthorised network connections) can also stop your PC from seeing the printer. Microsoft Defender Firewall normally prompts you to allow network communication the first time you search for a printer. If you clicked Don’t allow on that prompt, Windows may not be able to see the printer until you fix it. You can check this under Windows Security › Firewall & network protection › Allow an app through firewall. If you’re on a managed work or school PC, you may need an administrator to change this.

Add the Printer Manually by IP Address

When automatic detection fails, add the printer using its IP address instead. This tends to happen on larger networks, networks using VPNs, or networks with client isolation enabled (a router setting that stops devices on the Wi-Fi from talking to each other).

1. Find the printer’s IP address from its own control panel 🎛️, usually under Network Settings, or print a network configuration report from the printer’s menu. It looks like four numbers separated by dots, for example 192.168.1.50.
2. On your PC, open Settings › Bluetooth 🔷 & devices › Printers & scanners and click Add device.
3. Wait for the scan to finish, then click Add manually if it appears below the search 🔍 results. It sits next to the “The printer that I want isn’t listed” message. The Add Printer window opens.
4. Select Add a printer using an IP address or hostname, then click Next.
5. Choose TCP/IP Device from the device type menu.
6. Type the printer’s IP address into the Hostname or IP address field, then click Next. Windows contacts the printer, which can take a moment.
7. Follow the remaining prompts to finish the driver installation. Windows either detects the correct driver automatically or asks you to pick the printer manufacturer and model from a list. If your model isn’t listed, download the ⬇️ driver from the manufacturer’s website and use the Have Disk option to point Windows at it.

Printers can be given a new IP address by your router after a restart. If a printer added this way stops working later, check its current IP address. To avoid this, set a DHCP reservation for the printer in your router settings so it always gets the same address.

If the printer’s IP address changes later — which happens if your router reassigns addresses — Windows will show the printer as offline even though it’s working fine. Setting a static IP or a DHCP reservation for the printer in your router’s settings avoids this, though the steps for that vary by router and aren’t a Windows 11 setting.

Install the Manufacturer’s Full Driver

Windows often installs a generic or basic driver automatically. This driver handles printing but may not support scanning, ink or toner level reporting, or duplex (two-sided) printing options. If you notice the Printers & scanners page shows your printer but no scanning option appears when you search for “scan” in the Start menu, this is usually why.

To fix it, go to the manufacturer’s support site (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, and so on), search for your exact printer model, and download the full driver and software package for Windows 11. Installing this package requires administrator privileges — Windows shows a User Account Control prompt during setup, and you’ll need to click Yes to continue.

Set the Printer as Your Default

By default, Windows 11 automatically manages which printer is used as default, switching based on which one you used most recently at your current location. If you’d rather always print to one specific printer:

1. Open Settings › Bluetooth 🔷 & devices › Printers & scanners.
2. Turn off the toggle next to Let Windows manage my default printer.
3. Click your Wi-Fi 📶 printer’s name in the list, then click Set as default.

You can turn the toggle back on at any time if you’d rather let Windows switch automatically again.

Remove a Wi-Fi Printer

If you need to start over — say the printer was added incorrectly or you’re replacing it — remove it first rather than trying to fix a broken entry:

1. Go to Settings › Bluetooth 🔷 & devices › Printers & scanners.
2. Click the printer’s name to expand its details.
3. Click Remove, then confirm by clicking Yes when prompted.

This removes the printer entry from the PC; the driver package may remain installed. Add it again from scratch using the steps earlier in this article.

Common Problems After Setup

Printer shows as "Offline" even though it's on: this almost always means the printer's IP address changed, or it disconnected from Wi-Fi and reconnected with a new address. Remove it and add it again, or set up a DHCP reservation on your router so its address never changes.

**Printer disappears after a restart:** this points to a sleep or power-saving setting on the printer itself that takes it off the network when idle. Check the printer's power or energy-saving settings and increase the sleep timeout, or disable Wi-Fi sleep mode if the printer offers that option.

Print jobs sit in the queue and never print: open the print queue by double-clicking the printer in Printers & scanners, and check whether a stuck earlier job is blocking the rest. Right-click the stuck job, click Cancel, and try printing again.

What to Do Next

Once your printer is added and working, set up scanning if your printer supports it by searching for "Windows Scan" in the Start menu and selecting your printer there. If you manage printers for several PCs on the same network or want to control which devices appear during network discovery, check your network's sharing and discovery settings on each PC individually — Windows 11 applies these per device, not network-wide.

Once the printer is installed, right-click it in the Printers & scanners list or open its page, and print a test page to confirm it works. If you added the wrong printer or driver, select the printer in the list and click Remove, then repeat the steps above.