How to Add a Printer in Windows 11: Wi-Fi, USB and IP

To add a printer in Windows 11, open Settings, go to Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners, and select Add device. Windows searches your network and USB ports, lists any printer it finds, and installs it with a built-in driver. That covers most printers in a minute. This guide also covers what to do when the printer is not listed, how to add one by IP address, USB printers, and the settings worth changing afterwards.

Make sure the printer is already on your Wi-Fi or wired network first. If it is not, follow our wireless printer setup guide before you start.

Before you start: check these on the PC

Three quick checks on the Windows side make the automatic search far more likely to work first time:

1. Set the network profile to Private. Windows limits device discovery on networks marked Public. Open Settings, Network & internet, select Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), open the properties of the network you are connected to and set Network profile type to Private network. Only do this on your own home or office network, not on public Wi-Fi.
2. Pause any VPN. A VPN can route local traffic away from your network so Windows never sees the printer. Disconnect it while you add the printer; printing usually keeps working afterwards if the VPN allows local network access.
3. Have the printer’s IP address ready. You will need it if the printer is not found automatically. Print the network configuration report from the printer’s menu, or follow our guide to finding a printer’s IP address.

It also helps to run Windows Update (Settings, Windows Update) before adding a USB printer, as that is where Windows fetches many USB drivers. If you are on an older PC, the menus are laid out differently; see how to add a printer in Windows 10 instead.

Step 1: open Printers & scanners

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Select Bluetooth & devices in the left column.
3. Select Printers & scanners.

You will see a list of printers already installed, which may include “Microsoft Print to PDF” and “OneNote”. These are virtual printers and can be ignored.

Step 2: let Windows find the printer

1. Next to Add a printer or scanner, select Add device.
2. Wait 10 to 30 seconds while Windows searches.
3. When your printer appears, select Add device next to its name.

Windows downloads or loads a driver and the printer appears in the list as installed. For most network printers made in the last several years, Windows uses the Microsoft IPP Class Driver, a generic driver that supports printing, colour, duplex and paper size choices through the IPP standard (the same standard used by AirPrint and Mopria).

If the printer shows up twice, for example once as a “WSD” device and once by name, either will work, but the IPP entry is usually the more reliable one.

Step 3: if the printer is not listed, add it manually

When Windows does not find the printer, a link called Add manually appears after the search (next to “The printer that I want isn’t listed”). Select it to open the classic Add Printer wizard, which gives you these choices:

Option	When to use it
Add a printer using an IP address or hostname	Best choice for a network printer. Use the IP from the printer’s network report.
Add a Bluetooth, wireless or network discoverable printer	Repeats the network search.
Select a shared printer by name	For a printer shared from another PC, entered as \\PCNAME\PrinterName.
Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings	For older USB or parallel-port printers needing a specific port.

To add by IP address:

1. Choose Add a printer using an IP address or hostname and select Next.
2. Leave Device type on Autodetect, or pick IPP Device for modern printers.
3. Type the printer’s IP address (for example 192.168.1.45) and select Next.
4. Windows contacts the printer, picks a driver and asks for a name. Accept or change it.
5. Choose whether to share the printer (you can change this later) and select Finish.

Get the IP address from the printer’s network configuration report or its screen. Reserving that address in your router stops it from changing and breaking the connection later.

Adding a USB printer

Plug the USB cable into the printer and the PC, and switch the printer on. Windows 11 normally detects it within a few seconds and installs a driver from Windows Update. If it does not appear, open Printers & scanners and select Add device. For a USB-only model such as the Canon PIXMA MG2522, this is the whole setup.

Older maker installers sometimes told you not to connect the cable until the installer asked. If you are running such an installer, follow its instructions.

Step 4: settings worth changing

Select your new printer in Printers & scanners to open its page. From here you can:

• Print test page to confirm everything works. Our guide on how to print a test page explains what the page tells you.
• Open Printing preferences for default paper size, quality and two-sided printing.
• Open Printer properties for sharing and port settings.

Back on the main Printers & scanners page, two switches matter:

• Let Windows manage my default printer: when on, Windows makes the last printer you used at your current location the default. Turn it off if you want one fixed default, then open a printer and choose Set as default. Our guide to setting the default printer in Windows 11 explains this switch in more detail.
• Download drivers and device software over metered connections: turn this on if you add a printer while on a phone hotspot.

Do you still need the maker’s software?

For printing alone, usually not. Microsoft has also announced that it is moving away from third-party printer drivers on Windows Update in favour of the built-in IPP driver, and recent Windows 11 versions offer an optional Windows protected print mode that only uses that built-in stack. Install the manufacturer’s app only when you need something the generic driver does not give you, such as ink level alerts, scan-to-PC buttons on the printer or special media settings. If you do need a specific driver, our guide to installing a printer driver in Windows 11 shows how to add it and switch the printer over to it. For scanning, see our scanner setup guide.

If adding the printer fails with an error

An error such as 0x8007007e while installing or printing usually points to a damaged or mismatched driver package rather than the printer itself. Our guide to printer error 0x8007007e on Windows walks through removing the driver and installing it cleanly. If several PCs in the house need the printer, see how to share a printer on your network.