Windows

How to Share a Local Printer in Windows 11

Written by

Richard

Feb 4, 2026 Updated Sep 15, 2026 3 min read

How to Share a Local Printer in Windows 11

Printer sharing in Windows 11 lets up to 20 other devices on your home or office network print through your main computer. This setup connects a wired USB printer to a host PC so everyone else can use it without needing a direct cable connection.

You need administrator rights on the host computer and “File and Printer Sharing” turned on in your network settings to make this work. Keep in mind that the host computer must stay turned on and connected to the network whenever anyone else wants to print.

⚡ Quick Answer

Share your printer through Settings Bluetooth & devices Printers & scanners. Select your printer, then click Printer properties and the Sharing tab. Check “Share this printer” and click OK. The host computer must remain powered on and accessible.

Share printer Windows 11 settings by opening the main Settings app to let other computers on your network use your connected printer. This method uses the modern Windows interface to turn on sharing without needing older control panels. Open Settings by clicking the Start menu and choosing Settings, or press Win+I on your keyboard.

Open Settings by clicking the Start menu and choosing Settings, or press Windows key + I on your keyboard.
Click Bluetooth & devices on the left side.
On the right, click Printers & scanners.

Windows 11 Bluetooth and devices settings page

Click on the printer you want to share.
Click Printer properties.

Select the Sharing tab in the new window.
Click the Change Sharing Options button.

Check the box that says Share this printer.
Give it a share name if you want—this is what others will see when they look for your printer.
Click OK to save your settings.

Your local printer is now successfully shared across your network. This means that any other computer connected to the same network can discover and print documents using your printer. Sharing a printer makes it easy for multiple users in a home or small office to access a single printing device without needing individual printers.

Share printer Windows 11 devices and printers through the classic Control Panel window if you prefer the traditional interface. This method makes your connected printer available to other computers on your home network using older system settings. Open Devices and Printers from the Control Panel or Start menu to begin.

Open Open Devices and Printers from the Control Panel or Start menu.
Right-click the printer you want to share and select Printer properties.

Printer properties from Devices and Printers

Go to the Sharing tab.
Click Change Sharing Options.
Check the box Share this printer.
Click OK to save.

Share printer Windows 11 PowerShell commands if you want to set up network sharing using the command line instead of the graphical interface. This advanced method requires administrator rights to configure your printer for other network users. Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator to run the required sharing commands.

⚠️ Requires admin privileges: Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator.
Type this command to see all printers on your PC:
⬛PowerShell
```
Get-Printer | Format-List Name,ShareName,Shared
```
Find the exact name of the printer you want to share. Then run this command:
⬛PowerShell
```
Set-Printer -Name "Your Printer Name" -Shared $True
```
Replace Your Printer Name with your printer's actual name.
If you want to set a custom share name, use this command instead:
⬛PowerShell
```
Set-Printer -Name "Your Printer Name" -Shared $True -ShareName "New Share Name"
```

Your printer will now be shared on the network!

Summary

Sharing your printer in Windows 11 lets everyone on your network print without needing separate devices. To do this, ensure your PC is on, you have admin rights, and file and printer sharing is enabled, then use Settings, Devices and Printers, or PowerShell.

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Tags: #Windows 11

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About the Author

Richard

Tech Writer, IT Professional

Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.

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