Why cant I install printer driver on Windows 10?

There are many instances where you are unable to install the correct driver for your printer into your computer. This error message pops up when Windows is unsuccessful in installing the required printer drivers. There can be many reasons for this issue which we have covered in the article below.

First of all, we would like to cover on how you can add a printer to your computer. Press Windows + S to launch the search bar and type “Printer” in the search bar.

Once you have opened the Printer settings, click on “Add a printer or scanner”. Now windows will automatically start searching for connected printers either through a cable or in the network. Make sure that your printer is connected properly before going through the detection.

Solution 1: Running the Printer Troubleshooter

Windows has an inbuilt collection of troubleshooters meant to troubleshoot problems in various categories. We can run the printer troubleshooter and check if it detects any problems and fixes them.

1. Press Windows + R, type “control panel” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Type “troubleshoot” in the search bar of the control panel at the top right side of the window.

1. Select “Troubleshooting” heading off the list of results returned.

1. Once in the troubleshooting menu, click “View all” present on the navigation pane at the left side of the window. Now Windows will populate all the troubleshooters available on your computer.

1. Navigate through the options until you find “Printer”. Click it.

1. Check both the options “Run as administrator” and “Apply repairs automatically”. These options will ensure that you find maximum problems and the repairs are applied fast as well.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions and wait for the troubleshooting to complete.

Solution 2: Stopping the Spooler Service, Deleting Printer Files, and Restarting Service

We can try stopping the Spooler Service from the services window, deleting temporary internet files and restarting the service. It is possible that the drivers couldn’t function properly due to any discrepancy, and restarting the service might fix it.

1. Press Windows + R to launch the Run application. Type “services.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Locate the service “Print Spooler” present in the list of services. Double-click it to open its properties. Click the “Stop” button present underneath system status and press “Ok” to save changes.

1. Since we have disabled the service, we can now focus on deleting printer files. Press Windows + E to launch the quick access and click on “This PC” present in the left navigation pane.
2. Navigate to the following path:

C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

Permission might be needed to access the following folder. If prompted, press Continue.

1. Once in the folder, delete all the files in the PRINTERS folder and close the window.
2. Now navigate back to the Services tab and Start the “Printer Spooler” service. Also, remember to keep the startup type as “Automatic”.
3. Now try installing the drivers for your printer again.

Solution 3: Updating your Printer Drivers Manually and Automatically

We can try updating the Printer driver manually and check if this solves the problem. In order to update it manually, you need to have the driver from the manufacturer’s website. Since there are hundreds of printers out there, it is not feasible for us to list each one of them.

1. Press Windows + R to launch the Run Type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and hit Enter. This will launch your computer’s device manager.
2. Navigate to all the hardware and right click on your printer hardware and select “Update driver”.

1. Now Windows will pop a dialogue box asking you which way do you want to update your driver. Select the second option (Browse my computer for driver software) and proceed. If you are unable to manually update the drivers, you can also give automatic updating a shot.

Select the driver file you downloaded using the browse button when it appears and update it accordingly.

1. Restart your computer and check if the problem gets resolved.

We can also try using Windows Update for it to automatically search for different drivers available online and update it automatically. Windows roll out important updates targeting the bug fixes in the operating system. If you are holding back and not installing the Windows update, we strongly recommend that you do. There are a lot of issues still pending with the OS and Microsoft rolls out frequent updates to target these issues.

1. Press Windows + S button to launch your start menu’s search bar. In the dialogue box type “Windows update”. Click the first search result which comes forward.

1. Once in the update settings, click on the button which says “Check for updates”. Now Windows will automatically check for updates available and install them. It may even prompt you for a restart.

1. After updating, check if your issue got fixed.

Solution 4: Uninstalling the Printer

If the above methods don’t work, we can try uninstalling the printer and then update it accordingly. Uninstalling the printer removes all data related to the printer from your computer so you can install it from scratch.

1. Press Windows + R to launch the Run Type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and hit Enter. This will launch your computer’s device manager.
2. Navigate to all the hardware and right click on your printer hardware and select “Uninstall Device”.

1. After the device has been uninstalled, try following the driver update steps present in solution 3 and add your printer using the method listed at the top of the article.

Note: If your computer doesn’t detect the printer on your network, try resetting your router and reconnecting both, your computer and your printer. You should always as a precaution, restart your router every once in a while to avoid problems like these.

Solution 5: Changing Printer Connection Port

You should try changing the printer’s port from LPT1 to USB001. Although this is an insignificant change, sometimes it does the trick. Also if you are trying to access and install the printer using a network, you should connect it manually to your computer and then try installing using the steps mentioned. For first-timers, it is often necessary that the printer gets a wired connection to your computer in order to configure the settings. Once the printer has been detected and installed successfully, head over to your devices, right-click on the printer and mark it as default.