Remove a Printer in Windows 11, Including Its Driver

You may want to remove a printer in Windows 11 because you replaced it, because a duplicate copy keeps catching your print jobs, or because a driver went wrong and you want a clean reinstall. Removing the printer entry takes a few clicks. Removing it properly, so that a reinstall starts from scratch, also means deleting the driver and any maker software. This guide covers both, with the Settings route first and the command-line route for when Settings is not enough.

Before you start

• Let print jobs finish. Anything still queued for that printer is lost when you remove it.
• Note the model and connection. Write down the model name and, for a network printer, its IP address. Our guide to finding a printer’s IP address shows where to look.
• Sign in as an administrator. Removing a printer entry usually works for any user, but deleting drivers needs administrator rights.

Step 1: remove the printer from Settings

Microsoft’s steps are short:

1. Select Start, Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners.
2. Select the printer you want to remove.
3. Select Remove and confirm.

Look down the list for duplicates such as “Copy 1” or the same model with a different connection, and remove those too if you no longer use them. If you only wanted to change which printer Windows uses by default, you do not need to remove anything; see set a default printer in Windows 11.

Step 2: uninstall the maker’s software

Many printers install an app or a “full software” package alongside the driver: HP Smart, Epson utilities, Brother iPrint&Scan, Canon’s tools and so on. Open Settings, Apps, Installed apps, search for the maker’s name and uninstall what belongs to the printer you removed. Left in place, some of these tools re-add the printer or keep services running in the background.

Step 3: remove the driver package

Removing the printer leaves its driver installed. That is fine when you are simply retiring a printer, but if the driver itself is the problem, Windows will reuse it when you add the printer again. To delete it:

1. Press Windows + R, type printui /s and press Enter. Microsoft documents /s as the switch that displays the print server properties of the local computer.
2. Open the Drivers tab and, if needed, select Change Driver Settings to get administrator access.
3. Select the driver for your printer and choose Remove.
4. Choose the option to remove the driver and driver package, then confirm.

If Windows says the driver is in use, a printer entry still uses it. Remove that entry, restart, and try again.

The PowerShell route

PowerShell does the same in a few lines, which is handy for a stubborn printer or for several PCs. Open Terminal (Admin) and run:

Get-Printer | Select-Object Name, DriverName, PortName
Remove-Printer -Name "Office Printer"
Get-PrinterDriver | Select-Object Name
Remove-PrinterDriver -Name "Example Printer Driver"

Microsoft’s documentation describes Remove-Printer as deleting a printer from the computer and Remove-PrinterDriver as deleting a printer driver; the driver cmdlet needs administrator credentials. Use the exact names from the Get- commands. Our guide to adding a printer with PowerShell covers the matching install commands.

For the driver store itself, Microsoft’s pnputil tool can list third-party driver packages with pnputil -e and delete one by its oem file name with pnputil -d oemNN.inf. Only delete a package you are sure belongs to the printer; the listing shows the provider and class for each one.

Removing a printer with printui

Microsoft’s older printui tool is still part of Windows 11 and is handy in scripts or when Settings refuses. Its documentation lists separate switches for each kind of removal:

• /dl deletes a local printer, for example rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /dl /n "Office Printer".
• /dn deletes a network printer connection, the kind you get when you connect to a printer shared from another PC or a print server.
• /dd deletes a printer driver.
• /gd deletes a per-computer printer connection; Microsoft notes it is removed the next time a user signs in.

The printer name after /n must match exactly what Windows shows, including spaces. Run the commands from an administrator Terminal.

Which method to use

Situation	Best method
Retiring an old printer	Settings, Remove
Duplicate “Copy 1” entries	Settings, Remove each copy
Reinstalling after a driver error	Settings, then Print Server Properties driver removal
Several PCs or a script	PowerShell or printui
Shared printer from a server	printui /dn, or ask IT on a work PC

Step 4: restart and reinstall

Restart Windows so the print spooler starts without the old driver. Then add the printer again:

• Network printers: add a printer in Windows 11, or by IP address if it is not found.
• USB printers: plug the cable in after Windows has started; see connect a printer to a laptop with USB.
• Driver choice: our Windows 11 printer driver guide explains when the built-in driver is enough and when to get the maker’s.

Print a test page to confirm everything works.

Removing printers without administrator rights

A standard user can usually remove their own printer connections, such as a shared printer they connected to, because those are per-user settings. A printer installed for everyone on the PC may need an administrator to remove, and uninstalling the maker’s software, deleting driver packages with printui or pnputil, and the PowerShell driver commands need an administrator. On a work or school PC, ask whoever manages it rather than looking for workarounds. Our guide to installing a printer without admin rights explains what Windows lets a standard user do with printers and why.

Windows protected print mode removes drivers for you

If you are clearing out old printer drivers for security reasons, Windows 11 has a built-in alternative. Turning on Windows protected print mode uninstalls printers that use third-party drivers and removes those drivers from the driver store; Mopria certified printers can then be added back using Windows’ own printing. It is a bigger change than removing one printer, so check every printer and scanner you use first. Our guide to Windows protected print mode covers what to check and how to switch it off again.

When the printer keeps coming back

• Maker software re-adding it: uninstall it as in Step 2.
• Automatic network setup: Windows can add network printers it discovers. If you do not want that, check the automatic setup of network-connected devices in Advanced network settings.
• Shared printer connections from a print server or work policy can be re-added at sign-in. On a work PC, ask your IT team.

If the reinstall fails with an error such as 0x8007007e, see our guide to printer error 0x8007007e.