Printers are hugely popular PC accessories but also the most prone to problems after an upgrade to Windows 10. Here are our tips to get things working again.
Windows 10 is a pretty solid operating system, especailly when many of us upgraded to it for free during the first year. But of course, nothing is perfect.
One common problem with such upgrades, however, is printer support. Windows 10 should have warned you if it wasn’t going to support your printer before you installed it, but even supported models may not work smoothly after an upgrade. New operating systems don’t always include drivers for old printers and manufacturers don’t always provide updated drivers in a timely fashion.
So if your printer suddenly stopped working after the switch to Windows 10, here are some tips to get it working again.
For more information check out our dedicated Windows 10 section which is packed with useful guides. Check out the video above to discover how to fix common Windows 10 problems.
Step 1: Open the Printers control panel
The first step in troubleshooting a printer problem is to use Windows 10’s own troubleshooting tools. Search for printers in the Windows 10 Search box and select Devices and Printers from the list of results. This will open the Devices and Printers Control Panel pane.
Step 2: Troubleshoot a connected printer
Look in the window for your printer — it might be listed under Printers or Unspecified, If it’s there, right-click it and choose Troubleshoot from the menu that appears. Follow the on-screen instructions for troubleshooting the printer, but be prepared for this to not work — it won’t always.
Step 3: Check if your printer is installed
If Windows 10 troubleshooting doesn’t work, or if Windows 10 hasn’t detected your printer, the next step is to check whether or not it’s been installed. Click Start and go to Settings - Devices - Printers & scanners.
If you don’t see your printer listed in the main window, click the Add a printer or scanner option and wait while Windows tries to detect your printer — make sure it’s connected to your PC and switched on.
Step 4: Tell Windows 10 to search for an older printer
If your printer is detected, just follow any on-screen instructions to install it — Windows will download and install any necessary drivers automatically. If it isn’t listed, click the The printer I that I want isn’t listed option.
You’ll then see five different options, four of which are four adding a printer that’s shared over a network. If you need to do this, we’ll assume you know how to continue from this point, since setting up network sharing in the first place is the trickiest part of this process.
Windows 10 is a pretty solid operating system, especailly when many of us upgraded to it for free during the first year. But of course, nothing is perfect.
One common problem with such upgrades, however, is printer support. Windows 10 should have warned you if it wasn’t going to support your printer before you installed it, but even supported models may not work smoothly after an upgrade. New operating systems don’t always include drivers for old printers and manufacturers don’t always provide updated drivers in a timely fashion. Read more............
