Windows 8.1 Printer Not Showing Up
Microsoft may have jumped the barrel with Windows eleven, which launched with a slew of faults and flaws. Some of these were resolved in the later versions, simply others are withal present today–printer errors being one of them.
Even after months of tinkering by the Microsoft team, if this issue is keeping you from press of import documents, yous might want to await at this compilation of some tried and tested methods known to fix information technology.
1. Run the Printer Troubleshooter
When you have made sure the printer is well-plugged, in that location is paper in the printer tray and your printer has non run out of ink or toner cartridge, Troubleshooting is most likely to solve the full general software issues.
All yous have to do is open
Settings > Organization > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Here, you will find the
Printer
troubleshooter among the list of Windows troubleshooters. Click on the
Run
button side by side to it to activate it. If there are whatever problems impeding your press process, the troubleshooter will show yous how to fix it.
2. Update the Relevant Drivers
Running the troubleshooter should be your go-to footstep whenever an fault or upshot arises. However, it is highly rare for it to diagnose, let alone solve, the trouble. Every bit a result, the next first reasonable step is to
check for driver updates.
-
Right-click the
Get-go Menu
button and select
Device Manager
from the list. -
Whorl downwardly and expand the
Print Queues
bill of fare. -
Right-click on
Microsoft Impress to PDF
and select
Update driver. This prompt will open some other window.
Selecting
Search automatically for updated driver software
in Windows xi runs a check through your PC for updates. If information technology shows the all-time device driver already installed, yous can still give the manual option a try. To exercise this:
-
Correct-click
Microsoft Print to PDF
and select
Backdrop
from the drop-downwards carte du jour. -
Get to the
Details
panel. -
Select
Device example path
from the drop-down list under
Property
and and then re-create the
Value
that appears. -
Go to the
DriverPack database. - Paste the copied value in the search box, download a suitable driver and then install it.
iii. Restart the Print Spooler
Occasionally, printer issues are caused past unresponsive devices and driver settings, rather than by outdated drivers.
To solve this:
-
Press
Win + R
to launch the Run dialogue box. - Type “services.msc” and press enter.
-
In services, find
Print spooler
and double-click on information technology. -
Proceed by clicking on
Cease. -
Then follow the path
C:\Windows\system32\spoolsv.exe
and delete all the files nowadays in the folder. -
At present, all you take to do is go back to
Services
and manually showtime the print spooler service again. - Restart your PC.
4. Recheck Your Default Printer
Oft, improper printer and scanner setup is the leading cause of printing issues. The most common reason why you face printer issues is that y’all didn’t choose your PDF printer as your default printing device or that you configured information technology to the wrong port. It can simply exist solved past:
-
Open up
Command Console
through your Windows search menu -
Click
View devices and printers
under
Hardware and Audio. -
Nether the
Printers
panel, right-click on your PDF printer and select
Fix equally default. -
And so, head over to
Properties > Ports. - Curl through the list and select the port blazon that matches your connectedness.
-
Select
Configure Port > Apply > OK.
5. Disable the Firewall
If your problem is nonetheless not solved the most likely culprit is your Windows Defender Firewall. It’s possible that your firewall has been configured besides strict, preventing the printer from interacting properly. As a result, turning off the Firewall is a viable selection.
Y’all can fifty-fifty permanently disable your firewall and move to
another firewall culling.
-
Become to
Start > Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection. - Toggle off the Windows Defender Firewall.
-
Go dorsum, and repeat the same for
Private network
and
Public network.
six. Bank check for New Windows Updates
Sometimes a newly available Windows update can be the key to resolving your printer bug and errors on Windows 11. It is possible
yous weren’t notified about the latest Windows update, so information technology’s worth checking out if a new version is available manually.
-
Press the
Win
key and click on the
Settings
icon. -
Head over to
Windows Update -
Click on
Check for Updates.
Windows volition automatically search for updates and if any new version is available, it volition exist installed, thus resolving your printer mistake.
vii. Remove Your Terminal Windows 11 Update
Ironically, a new Windows update tin also invite bugs that return your printer useless. If you noticed your printer stopped working right after a recent Windows update, you volition need to delete the update from your reckoner.
For this, head over to
Settings > Windows Update > Update history.
Here, you should select
Uninstall updates
situated under
Related settings. This action will prompt open up a list of Windows updates where you must select the latest one and click on
Uninstall.
If the latest Windows 11 update was the culprit, reversing information technology should do the trick kickstart the printer once again.
8. Run System Restore
If the problem began every bit shortly equally you upgraded to Windows 11, and y’all’ve exhausted all other alternatives, there’s 1 final solution–the Windows System Restore. Using this method restores Windows to a previous restore betoken where you know your printer was functional without whatsoever mistake.
To go back to a restore betoken:
-
Press the
Windows
primal and type
Control Panel.
-
Click on its icon, search
Recovery
in the Command Console’s search box, and cull
O
pen System Restore
from the search results. -
The System Restore dialogue box will launch open up. Click on
Adjacent
to proceed frontwards. - Select the restore point to restore your computer back to when your printer was functioning without a hitch.
-
Again, click on
Next
and and then
Finish
to ostend your restore point. -
It will confirm one last time if yous wish to proceed with the organization restore process. Move your cursor to
Yes
and click.
Your PC will restart while information technology resets your Windows 11 to its final restore point.
Printer’s Fixed and Running—What’s Next?
Whether the printer’south malfunctioning due to troubles with your operating system or full general hardware problems, it can be a frustrating experience. Merely hopefully, now that your printer is up and running smoothly again with the aid of these fixes mentioned above, experience free to delve into how you can brand the most of your home and role printers.