Printers are among the most commonly used peripherals in homes and offices — but they can also become a nuisance when they stop working properly, remain connected even after being replaced, or keep reappearing automatically.
If you’ve ever tried to remove a printer in Windows and it didn’t go away, or you got an error like “The printer cannot be removed”, don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll explore every method to delete or uninstall a printer from your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, including removing leftover printer drivers, ports, and queues.
We’ll go step-by-step — from the easiest way using Settings to more advanced methods through Control Panel, Device Manager, and even Command Prompt and Registry Editor (for stubborn printers).
🧩 Why You Might Want to Remove a Printer
Before we get into the steps, let’s quickly understand when and why you might want to uninstall or delete a printer from your computer.
- You replaced your old printer with a new one, but the old one still appears in the list.
- The printer shows as Offline or Unavailable, and reinstalling requires removing the previous configuration.
- You no longer use a network printer or a shared printer that’s no longer accessible.
- The printer drivers got corrupted, causing print spooler errors.
- You’re troubleshooting printing problems or cleaning up unused devices.
No matter what your reason is — the process is simple if you follow it carefully.
Let’s get started with the most beginner-friendly method first.
⚙️ Method 1: Remove a Printer Using Windows Settings
Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 allow you to manage and remove printers directly from the Settings app.
This is the easiest and most commonly used method.
🪜 Steps:
- Open Settings
- Press Windows + I to open the Settings app.
- In Windows 10 → Go to Devices > Printers & scanners
- In Windows 11 → Go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners
- Find Your Printer
- Under “Printers & scanners,” you’ll see a list of all installed printers.
- Select the printer you want to remove.
- Click “Remove” or “Remove Device”
- Click Remove device or Remove, depending on your Windows version.
- Confirm the action when prompted.
That’s it!
Your printer should now be deleted from the list.
🟢 Tip: If you only want to stop a printer from showing up temporarily (but not uninstall it), you can disable it in Device Manager instead — we’ll cover that later.
🖥️ Method 2: Uninstall a Printer from Control Panel
Sometimes the Settings app doesn’t completely remove a printer — it may still appear as a “ghost printer” or show up under Devices and Printers.
In such cases, the Control Panel provides a more powerful way to delete it.
🪜 Steps:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type:
control printersand press Enter.
This opens the Devices and Printers window. - Locate the printer you want to remove.
- Right-click on the printer → Select Remove device.
- Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Once removed, restart your computer to make sure it no longer appears.
💡 Note: If the printer icon reappears after a restart, you may need to stop the Print Spooler service first — explained in the next method.
🔧 Method 3: Delete a Printer After Stopping the Print Spooler Service
Sometimes Windows won’t let you delete a printer because the Print Spooler service is still holding it. The spooler is a background service that manages all print jobs.
By stopping it, you can safely remove stuck printers.
🪜 Steps:
- Press Windows + R, type:
services.mscand press Enter. - In the list, scroll down and find Print Spooler.
- Right-click Print Spooler → Select Stop.
- Now go back to Control Panel > Devices and Printers (or type
control printersagain). - Right-click the printer you want to delete → Click Remove device.
- Once deleted, return to the Services window, right-click Print Spooler again → Choose Start to restart it.
✅ Your printer should now be completely removed.
⚠️ Warning: Don’t leave the spooler service disabled — otherwise, printing functions on your computer will stop working.
🧹 Method 4: Remove Printer Drivers from Print Management
Even after deleting the printer, its driver files may remain on your PC. These leftover files can sometimes prevent reinstallation or cause conflicts with new printers.
Let’s clean them up using the Print Management console.
🪜 Steps:
- Press Windows + R, type:
printmanagement.mscand hit Enter. - In the left panel, expand:
Print Servers > [Your Computer Name] > Drivers - Find the printer driver you want to remove (e.g., HP LaserJet P1108).
- Right-click on it → Click Remove Driver Package.
- Confirm when asked.
This deletes the driver files associated with that printer completely from your computer.
🧠 Tip: If you don’t see “Print Management” on your PC (common on Windows 11 Home), you can remove printer drivers through Device Manager instead (next method).
🧰 Method 5: Uninstall a Printer Driver Using Device Manager
Device Manager is another built-in Windows tool where you can uninstall printer devices and their drivers.
🪜 Steps:
- Press Windows + X → Choose Device Manager.
- Expand the section Print queues or Printers.
- Right-click on your printer → Click Uninstall device.
- Confirm the action.
Restart your computer to complete the uninstallation.
🟢 After reboot, Windows will automatically refresh its hardware list.
If you reconnect the printer later, it will reinstall the correct driver automatically.
💻 Method 6: Use Command Prompt (CMD) to Force Remove a Printer
If the printer refuses to uninstall through normal means, you can use the Command Prompt with administrative privileges to force-delete it.
🪜 Steps:
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
- Search “cmd” in Start.
- Right-click → Select Run as Administrator.
- Type the following command to list all printers:
wmic printer get name - Identify the printer name you want to delete (exactly as shown).
- Now type:
wmic printer where name="Printer Name" deleteExample:wmic printer where name="HP LaserJet P1108" delete - Press Enter.
You’ll see a message confirming successful deletion.
Once done, close the Command Prompt window.
🧱 Method 7: Delete Printer Entries from Windows Registry (Advanced)
If the printer keeps reappearing after every restart or reinstall, you can manually delete its registry entries.
This is an advanced method, so follow carefully.
⚠️ Important Warning:
Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can cause system problems. Always back up the registry before making changes.
🪜 Steps:
- Press Windows + R, type:
regeditand press Enter. - Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers - In the left panel, you’ll see folders representing each installed printer.
- Right-click the folder (printer name) you want to remove → Select Delete.
- Confirm when prompted.
- Close Registry Editor and restart your computer.
After rebooting, the printer will be completely removed from the system, including its leftover registry traces.
🧩 Method 8: Remove Network or Shared Printers via Group Policy (Optional)
If you’re on a work or school PC connected to a network domain, sometimes the printer is installed via Group Policy, meaning it reappears automatically.
Here’s how to disable it locally:
- Press Windows + R, type:
gpedit.mscand press Enter. - Navigate to:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Printers - Enable the policy:
Prevent addition of printersand click Apply.
This ensures that the deleted printer doesn’t reinstall automatically when connected to the network again.
🧹 Method 9: Delete Old Printer Ports (Optional Cleanup)
Even after deleting printers and drivers, their USB or network ports might still remain in Windows. Cleaning them ensures a completely fresh setup if you ever add a new printer.
🪜 Steps:
- Open Control Panel → Devices and Printers.
- Click on any printer → At the top menu, select Print Server Properties.
- Go to the Ports tab.
- Select any unused printer port (like USB001, TCP/IP, etc.) → Click Delete Port.
Confirm deletion and close the window.
This clears old or unused printer port assignments that could cause conflicts in future installations.
🧾 Method 10: Use PowerShell Command to Uninstall Printer (Alternate CMD Option)
PowerShell can also help you uninstall printers quickly, especially if you’re comfortable using commands.
🪜 Steps:
- Right-click the Start button → Choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- List all installed printers:
Get-Printer - Identify the exact name of the printer you want to remove.
- Run:
Remove-Printer -Name "Printer Name"Example:Remove-Printer -Name "HP LaserJet P1108" - Press Enter.
Once done, close PowerShell — the printer should no longer appear in your list.
🧠 Additional Tips Before You Reinstall a Printer
- Restart Your PC after uninstalling to ensure all files are cleared.
- Disconnect the USB Cable (for USB printers) before uninstalling, and reconnect only after reinstalling the driver.
- For Wi-Fi printers, reset the printer’s network settings before reconnecting to avoid duplicate entries.
- Always download fresh drivers from the manufacturer’s website, like HP, Canon, Epson, or Brother, rather than relying on older packages.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Why can’t I remove my printer in Windows 11?
Some printer drivers are still being used by the Print Spooler service. Stop the Print Spooler first (as shown in Method 3), then try deleting it again.
Q2: My printer keeps reappearing after deletion — what do I do?
Remove the printer via Registry Editor and delete its driver from Print Management. Also, disable automatic printer installation in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
Q3: Is it safe to delete old printer drivers?
Yes. If you’re no longer using that printer, removing the drivers frees up space and prevents conflicts.
Q4: How can I delete a Wi-Fi printer that’s not connected?
Even if it’s offline, you can remove it from Settings or Control Panel. If it’s a network printer, you may also need to remove its port (see Method 9).
Q5: Will deleting a printer affect other users on the same PC?
Yes, removing a printer deletes it system-wide, so other users won’t see it either.
✅ Wrapping Up
So far, we’ve covered all major methods to delete or uninstall a printer on both Windows 10 and Windows 11:
- Through Settings (quick and easy)
- Using Control Panel
- By stopping Print Spooler
- From Print Management Console
- Via Device Manager
- Using Command Prompt or PowerShell
- Cleaning up Registry and Printer Ports
Each method has its own purpose — and together, they ensure your printer is completely gone from the system, leaving no hidden files or errors behind.
If you plan to reinstall the printer later, simply reconnect it and Windows will automatically detect and install the right drivers again — or you can manually install them from the manufacturer’s official site.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This guide is intended for personal use and general troubleshooting.
When editing system services or registry entries, proceed carefully and create a system restore point first. Printer uninstallation steps may vary slightly depending on brand and driver version.
#Windows11 #Windows10 #PrinterFix #UninstallPrinter #TechGuide #PrintSpooler
