Here's how to fix network printer issues in Windows 11

Printers are one of the most important components of an organization. An organization has to deal with a huge amount of paperwork and printers are their best companions.

Large organizations install these network printers so that anyone within the organization can easily send commands to the printer and pull out copies of their documents.

However, many users reported that they encountered network printer issues on Windows 11 computers.

This problem is very common as most computers around the world have upgraded to Windows 11.

According to reports, due to this Windows 11 network printer issue, users are unable to send commands to network printers and end up unable to print documents.

If you are also facing network printer issues and looking for a solution, you are at the right place.

Because in this tutorial, we will provide you with some effective solutions that you can apply and possibly fix these Windows 11 network printer issues permanently. Let's jump right into it.

What are the benefits of using a network printer?

While there is no harm in having multiple printers in your organization, this is only feasible if you have the space and funds.

A good alternative is to use a network printer, which may be beneficial to organizations, especially smaller ones.

It’s worth noting that a network printer is a printer that is connected to a network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Wi-Fi is the most convenient option and most modern printers come with it.

Here are some benefits of using a network printer:

• A network printer connects to Wi-Fi or Ethernet, allowing multiple devices connected to the network to use it.
• It eliminates the need to invest in multiple printers, which is especially beneficial for smaller organizations.
• Using a network printer also reduces the overall cost of your IT setup because all computers connected to the same network as the printer can print seamlessly.
• Staff can print from anywhere using a network printer.
• A network printer that connects to Wi-Fi lets you print from any device, such as a smartphone, PC, or tablet.

Now, you can enjoy these benefits only if your network printer is working properly and you are not facing Windows 11 network printer issues.

If you are on the other side of the land and are indeed facing a problem, check out the solutions listed below that may help you solve the problem at hand.

How to fix network printer issues in Windows 11?

1. Restart your computer

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Click the Power button.
3. Select Restart.

Restarting your PC puts any unnecessary files or processes to sleep and all important system files are reloaded after the system starts.

There is a possibility that some important network printer related files were not loaded during the previous session. To resolve this issue, you can try restarting your PC and check if this resolves the issue.

2. Update the printer driver

1. Right-click the Start menu icon.
2. Select Device Manager.
3. Expand the Imaging Equipment section.
4. Right-click on the problematic driver and select Update Driver.
5. Your system will look for the appropriate printer driver.
6. Install it and see if this solves the problem.

Updating drivers on your PC manually can be very annoying. To eliminate frustration, we recommend automating it with a dedicated tool.

DriverFix keeps your system up to date by upgrading all drivers. With just one click it scans for all outdated drivers, shows you the results, and prompts you to install any updates, all from the software itself.

Additionally, it can effectively help you fix errors related to bad or corrupt driver files, update old device drivers, find missing drivers, and more.

⇒ Get DriverFix

3. Delete the print spooler file

1. Open the Start menu and search for Services.
2. Find Print spooler.
3. Right click on Print Spooler and select Stop.
4. Minimize the Services window and go to the following folder: <strong>C:\Windows\System32\spool\Printers</strong>
   • You need administrator rights to access this folder. Additionally, sometimes folders can be hidden. In this case, make sure you can turn on the option to view hidden files.
5. Open the Printers folder and delete all files in it.
6. Restart your computer.

The Print Spooler service often stops due to corruption of the Print Spooler file. This may be one of the reasons why you are experiencing problems with your network printer. Therefore, one way to solve this problem is to delete these files.

4. Run the troubleshooter

1. Press the Win I button to open Windows Settings.
2. Scroll down and select Troubleshoot.
3. Click Additional Troubleshooting.
4. Select Run next to Printer.

The printer's troubleshooter will start and problems with the connected printer will also be reported to you.

Apply the fix the troubleshooter prompts you to perform and check if this fixes the Windows 11 network printer issue.

5. Re-select your default network printer

1. Open the Start menu.
2. SearchControl Panel.
3. Click Devices and Printers.
4. Under the Printers section, right-click your network printer and select Set as Default Printer.

If you recently connected another printer to your Windows 11 PC, your system may have changed the default printer.

So, following the above steps will help you to check and set the network printer as default printer.

6. Run a quick SFC scan

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search Command Prompt.
3. Click Run as administrator.
4. Type the following command and press Enter: <strong>sfc /scanow</strong>
5. You The system will begin scanning and possibly fixing the problem.
6. Restart Your computer.

Expert Tip: Some PC problems are difficult to solve, especially if the repository is corrupted or Windows files are missing. If you are having trouble fixing errors, your system may be partially corrupted. We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that can scan your machine and determine where the fault lies.
Click here to download and start repairing.

SFC Scan is a very powerful built-in Windows troubleshooting tool. It automatically scans all system files and replaces corrupted files.

Just execute a command in CMD and everything else will be handled by your PC. You can try using the SFC scan tool and see if this resolves Windows 11 network printer issues.

Alternatively, you can use a trusted third-party software called Restoro. Running this tool will help you resolve problems caused by corrupted system files.

If the system-related files are damaged, they may hinder the smooth operation of the PC. Therefore, it is very important to repair them. For this, you can try Restoro and see if it solves your problem.

7. Check for viruses

1. Click the up arrow in the lower right corner of the taskbar.
2. Select Windows Security.
3. Select Virus and Threat Protection.
4. Click Quick Scan to let Windows Security scan your PC for viruses and malware.
5. You can also select the Scan Options option.
6. Under the Scan options, you can perform a Full scan here to deeply scan your PC for viruses or malware.

Here we show the steps to scan your PC for viruses using Windows Security Defender since we don’t have any third-party antivirus applications installed on our Windows 11 PC.

But the above steps will let you know that you need to perform a scan to check if there are any viruses or malware on your PC.

The presence of viruses or malware can not only cause several problems but also cause issues like Windows 11 network printer issues. Overall, they affect the smooth functioning of your PC.

Since viruses and malware are different types, they can cause different problems. Therefore, checking your PC for viruses is a safe bet.

8. Reset printer network settings

1. Press and hold the Cancel or X button on the printer to print the network page.
2. Next, press and hold the Power button on the printer.
3. Press the Network button twice.
4. Then, press the Cancel button three times. This will print a network configuration page.
5. Release the Power button.

Here you need to ensure that the default network name on the network configuration page is hpsetup. Additionally, the default communication mode should be ad hoc.

The above settings and steps only apply if you have set up your HP printer on a network. If you have a different brand of network printer, then you can check their support page.

9. Check for Windows updates

1. Press the Win I button to open Settings.
2. Select Windows Update from the left pane.
3. Click the Check for Updates button.

Network printers may not work properly due to a bug in the updated version of Windows installed on your PC.

It is recommended that you keep your PC updated as Microsoft rolls out new updates that not only bring new features but also bug fixes for such bugs.

What else can I do to resolve Windows 11 network printer issues?

If the network printer problem is not solved after going through all the above methods, then you can apply some other solutions and hopefully solve the problem:

➡ Perform a System Restore

Some users have reported that for them, network printer issues only started occurring after they recently upgraded their Windows 11 PC.

If this is also the case for you, then we recommend that you perform a system restore. Using this method, Windows will restore your PC to the same state as it was on the selected date, when everything was running normally.

➡ Check that you are connected to the same Wi-Fi as the printer

Network printers use Wi-Fi or Ethernet to connect to the network. Your network printer has more opportunities to use Wi-Fi.

So, here we recommend you to check if your PC and printer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

If the printer or your PC are not connected to the same network, commands you send through your PC will not be sent to your network printer.

➡ Disable Firewall

Windows Defender Firewall is the culprit of many network-related issues. If you have set up your firewall very strictly then it can cause problems like this.

In this case, we recommend that you disable the firewall by opening Windows Security Center and turning off Windows Defender Firewall.

Well, the above solutions might be enough for you to resolve Windows 11 network printer issues.

The above is the detailed content of Here's how to fix network printer issues in Windows 11. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!