How To Force Remove a Printer in Windows 10

How To Force Remove a Printer in Windows 10.

Are you having an issue that prevents you from uninstalling the printer from your Windows 10 or 11 PC? There is most likely something wrong with your system configuration. Luckily, you can tweak a few settings and remove the faulty printer from your computer.

Read :How To Remove Default Microsoft Apps in Windows 10

You can complete all of these procedures yourself without the help of a technician.

Use Settings to Remove a Printer on Windows 10/11

If you use a method other than settings to delete the printer, use the Settings app and you should be able to get rid of the printer from your device.

This method works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers.

On Windows 10:

Open the Settings app by pressing Windows + I at the same time. Select Devices from the Settings window.

In the left sidebar, select Printers & Scanners.

Find and select your printer in the panel on the right. Select “Remove device” under your printer to remove it.

Select Yes in the prompt that opens to begin deleting the selected printer.

On Windows 11:

Open the Settings app by pressing Windows + I at the same time. In the left sidebar, from the Settings menu, select Bluetooth & Devices. In the right pane, select Printers & Scanners.

Select your printer from the list of devices. Select Delete in the upper right corner of your printer’s page.

When prompted to remove the printer, select Yes.

Use the Print Server Properties Window to Remove a Printer

If the settings do not remove your printer, another way to get rid of installed printers is to use the Print Server Properties window. This window lists all of your printers and you can select the one you want to remove from your system.

On Windows 10 and 11:

Open the Start menu, search for Control Panel and select Control Panel from the search results.

Select View Devices and Printers from the Control Panel window.

Find and select your printer. Select Print Server Properties at the top of the screen.

Click the Drivers tab, select your printer from the list and click Uninstall at the bottom.

Select “Remove driver and driver package” and click “OK” in the prompt that opens.

Restart your computer and your printer should be removed.

Uninstall Printer Software to Remove the Printer

The printer software installed on your computer may be interfering with the process of uninstalling your printer. In this case, first get rid of the printer software and then try uninstalling the printer itself.

Launch the Settings application by pressing Windows + I. Select Applications from the Settings window.

Find your printer software in the list and select it. Click the Uninstall button for your software.

At the prompt to uninstall the software, select Uninstall.

Use the Settings application as described above to remove the printer from your computer.

Stop Print Spooler and Then Remove the Printer

To make sure that the Print Spooler service is not interfering with the process of removing your printer, stop this service and see if you can successfully remove the printer.

After removing the printer, you can restart the print spooler service.

Press the Windows key + R keys at the same time to open the Run window. Type the following in the Run box and press Enter: services.msc

Find the Print Spooler service in the Services window. Right-click on the Print Spooler service and select Stop from the menu.

Do not close the Services window. Use the Settings application to remove the printer from your computer. When the printer is removed, return to the Services window. Then right-click on the Print Spooler service and select Start from the menu.

Clear the Print Jobs and Then Remove the Printer

A possible reason why you are unable to remove the printer from your Windows 10 or 11 PC is because there are still unfinished print jobs on your printer. You must clear these print tasks before removing the printer.

To do this:

Open Control Panel and select “View Devices and Printers”.

Right-click the printer and choose View What’s Printing from the menu.

In the window that opens, cancel all print jobs.

Delete the printer using the Settings application as described above.

Use Device Manager to Delete a Printer

You can remove almost any device from your computer, including printers, using Device Manager. Here’s how to use this utility to remove your outdated printer:

Open the Start menu, search for Device Manager and select this tool in the search results.

In the Device Manager window, choose View> Show Hidden Devices. This will ensure that your printer appears on the list.

Find your printer under Printers, right-click it and select Uninstall Device.

Enable the option “Uninstall the driver software for this device” and select “Uninstall”.

Restart your computer and your printer will be removed.

Update the Printer Drivers and Then Uninstall the Printer

If you are using outdated or faulty printer drivers, this may be why you cannot remove the printer from your computer. To fix this problem, first update your printer drivers and then try uninstalling it.

Fortunately, you can automatically update your printer drivers on Windows 10 and 11 PCs:

Open Device Manager and find your printer under Printers. Right-click your printer and choose Update Driver Software from the menu.

On the next screen, select “Search automatically for drivers”.

Let Windows find and install the latest drivers for your printer. Restart your computer when the drivers are installed. Use the Settings app to remove the printer from your PC.

Fix It When You Canâ€™t Remove a Printer on Windows 10/11

Your computer will not allow you to remove the printer for many reasons. After fixing these basic issues, you should have no problem removing printers from your computer. We hope this guide will help you.