How to find printers and scanners on this computer

Open printers and scanners settings

Printers and scanners settings are located in the main Windows system menu. Press the Win+I on your keyboard to open Settings ⚙️, click Bluetooth 🔷 & devices, and then click Printers & scanners to see a complete list of all printing and scanning hardware currently recognized by your computer.

Install a wired or local printer

Wired printers and local printers connect directly to your PC using a USB cable. Windows usually detects the device and installs the correct drivers automatically, but you can also add the printer manually through Settings if it does not appear right away.

1. Open Settings ⚙️.

   

2. Click Bluetooth 🔷 & devices.

   

3. Click Printers & scanners.

   

4. Click the Add device button next to “Add a printer or scanner”.

   

5. Wait for Windows to scan for your connected hardware.
6. Click Add device next to your printer model when it appears in the results.

Install a network or wireless printer

Make sure your computer and the printer connect to the exact same Wi-Fi 📶 network before you start the installation process in Windows.

1. Open Settings ⚙️.
2. Click Bluetooth 🔷 & devices.
3. Click Printers & scanners.
4. Click the Add device button.

   

5. Locate your network printer in the search 🔍 results and click Add device.
6. If Windows cannot find your network printer automatically, click the “Add manually” link that appears near the bottom of the section.
7. Select “The printer that I want isn’t listed” to open the legacy Add Printer wizard dialog box.
8. Choose your connection method, such as adding a printer using an IP address or hostname, and follow the remaining on-screen prompts to install the 💿 manufacturer-approved driver.

Install a Bluetooth printer

Bluetooth 🔷 printers pair directly with your PC using wireless radio signals. Turn on the printer and put it into pairing mode by holding its Bluetooth button before you search for and add the device in Windows Settings ⚙️.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click Bluetooth & devices.
3. Ensure the main Bluetooth toggle switch is turned on.
4. Click Add device at the top of the window.
5. Select Bluetooth from the "Add a device" selection window.
6. Choose your printer from the list of discovered Bluetooth peripherals to finish pairing and install the driver automatically.

Remove a printer

Removing a printer clears an offline or duplicate device from your active Windows device list. You can easily uninstall the printer through Bluetooth & devices settings to stop print jobs from routing to an invalid queue.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click Bluetooth & devices.
3. Click Printers & scanners.
4. Click the name of the printer you want to delete to open its individual properties and management page.
5. Click the Remove button located near the top right of the device properties screen.

   

6. Click Yes or Confirm on the confirmation prompt to permanently clear the printer from your system.

Check scanner status and imaging devices

Scanner status and imaging devices appear in the same hardware menu as your printers in Windows. You can check if your flatbed scanner, document scanner, or all-in-one printer is working properly by opening the Bluetooth & devices settings.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click Bluetooth & devices.
3. Click Printers & scanners.
4. Scroll down past your printer list to find your scanner model listed under the same hardware heading or check the "Connected devices" inventory.
5. Open the Windows Scan app from your Start menu to test the scanning mechanism and acquire digital copies of documents.

Troubleshoot undetected printers and scanners

Troubleshoot undetected printers and scanners by checking your physical cable connections and network settings. If Windows fails to discover your device, verify that both machines share the same Wi-Fi network and temporarily disable any third-party firewall blocking the connection.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click System.
3. Click Troubleshoot.
4. Click Other troubleshooters.
5. Click the Run button next to the Printer troubleshooter to let Windows automatically detect and repair print spooler errors, corrupted driver states, and network port issues.

What to do next

You should now see your connected hardware correctly listed on your system and be ready to print or scan documents. If your device continues to experience intermittent connectivity drops, you can proceed to update your motherboard and network adapter drivers or reinstall the official manufacturer software package.