The Printer not showing up in Devices and Printers error usually appears when users upgrade their computer to Windows 10 from a previous version or install Windows 10 update. Follow the solutions given below to fix this error.
Table of Contents
How To Fix Printer Not Showing Up In Devices And Printers on Windows 10
Re-enable the Print Spooler service
Step 1: First, press the Windows + R key combination to activate the Run dialog box. Then enter services.msc in the blank box and then click the OK button.
Step 2: In the Services window displayed, find and right-click the Print Spooler => Restart service in the right pane.
Step 3: Wait a few seconds for Print Spooler to restart. Finally, restart the computer for the change to take effect.
Manually add printers to Devices and Printers
Step 1: Visit the printer manufacturer’s website, find and download the latest driver version corresponding to the Windows 10 operating system version (32-bit or 36-bit). Here are some website addresses where you can download drivers of popular printer manufacturers:
- Drivers for HP printers are available here.
- Drivers for Brother printers are available here.
- Drivers for Canon printers can be accessed here.
Step 2: After downloading the printer driver to your computer, extract the downloaded printer driver to any folder.
Step 3: Connect the printer to the computer. Then right-click the Start menu => Device Manager.
In the Device Manager window displayed, click on Other devices, in the drop-down menu, you will see the printer’s name connected to the computer displayed directly below.
Step 4: Right-click on the printer name and select Update Driver.
Step 5: Click the option Browse my computer for driver software in the new window displayed.
Step 6: Next, click the Browse… button to the right of the Search for drivers in the location section and then browse to the folder containing the printer driver you just downloaded in step 2. Click the folder => OK => Next.
Step 7: Windows 10 will automatically scan, find and install the correct printer driver you downloaded. If Windows still cannot recognize the printer, you must have chosen the wrong driver version in step 1, in this case, you need to find and download the correct driver for the machine.
When you return to the Devices and Printers window at the end of the installation process, you will see the printer name displayed.
See more: Top 3 Ways To Update Drivers On Windows 10 Without Software
Run the Printer Troubleshooter
If the printer icon doesn’t show up in the Devices & Printers screen, try running the Troubleshooter.
Step 1: Go to Start menu => Settings => Update & Security => Troubleshoot in the left pane.
Step 2: Click the Printer option in the right pane and then click the Run the troubleshooter button.
Step 3: Allow Windows to find and fix the problem with the printer on your computer. After the scan is finished, find and fix the problem.
Update Printer Driver
If the printer driver is old, corrupted or damaged, the Printer Not Showing Up In Devices And Printers. The treatment is as follows:
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu => Device Manager.
Step 2: In the Device Manager window that appears, click the Printers category to expand the options.
Step 3: Right-click the printer name in the list and select Update Driver.
Step 4: Go to the next window, select Search automatically for updated driver software.
Next Windows 10 will automatically search for the latest driver updates and install them automatically. Note that for this option to work, the computer must be connected to the Internet.
Step 5: Once the update is done, restart your computer and see if the printer icon shows up.
Enable Bluetooth Service
The problem can also be caused by the Bluetooth Support service being disabled on the computer.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu => Run.
Step 2: In the Run dialog box displayed, enter Services.msc and click the OK button.
Step 3: On the Services screen displayed, right-click the Bluetooth Support Service item in the right pane and select Start or Restart.
Step 4: Restart the computer and check the Devices & Printers screen to see if the printer is displayed or not.
Enable Device Install Service
In many cases, the problem is usually caused by the Device Install Service or device-related services being disabled.
Step 1: Activate the Run dialog box and access the Services window as above. Then double-click the Device Install Service service (if the service is Disabled).
Step 2: In the new window displayed, select the General tab, in the Startup type section at the bottom, click the Manual option. Finally, click Apply > OK.
Next, make sure that the following device-related services have the Windows default startup type.
- Device Association Service – Manual (Trigger Start)
- Device Management Enrollment Service – Manual
- Device Setup Manager – Manual (Trigger Start)
- DevQuery Background Discovery Broker – Manual (Trigger Start).
Edit Registry
not help, creating a new Registry key for the printer on the Desktop and Control Panel can help fix the problem.
Note: Before editing the Registry, you need to back up the Registry or create a System Restore restore point before continuing.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu => Run.
Step 2: In the Run dialog box displayed, enter regedit and click the OK button.
Step 3: In the Registry Editor window that appears, navigate to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpaceStep 4: Right-click on the folder NameSpace => New => Key.
Step 5: Name the newly created key {2227a280-3aea-1069-a2de-08002b30309d}.
Step 6: Click on the new key in the left pane. In the right pane, double-click the Default key and change the default value.
Step 7: Close Registry Editor and restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
Hopefully, with the above solutions that we have just been guided, you will fix the error that The Printer not showing up in Devices and Printers on Windows 10.
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