Sometimes when you install or update the printer driver, it does not work correctly for some reason, and the only way is to remove the printer driver installed before and install it fresh. This post will share how you can completely remove the printer driver from Windows 11/10/8/7.
How to Completely Remove Printer Driver From Windows 11/10/8/7
There are one or two ways to do that, depending on which works for you. Before I get into details of it, let us understand one thing. Windows gives you a straightforward option to delete a printer by selecting and choosing Remove printer when you right-click. Though it removes the printer from the list, the drives stay back. Though I wish an option were given to me that helped me remove the driver, that’s not the case.
- Uninstall the Printer app
- Uninstall the Printer via Settings
- MMC or Microsoft Management Console
- Windows Terminal
You will need to use an admin account to achieve this.
1] Uninstall the Printer app
Printer manufacturers provide an application for the printer printing interface. This application is also linked to printer drivers. Uninstalling the application will lead to the complete removal of printer drivers from your computer. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Windows settings by pressing the Windows+I buttons on your keyboard.
- Now, head over to the Apps section from the left pane in the Windows settings.
- In the apps section, open Installed apps.
- Now, look for the printer application in the list of installed applications.
- Click the triple dot icon next to the application size and select Uninstall.
- Proceed with the onscreen instructions to finish the uninstallation process.
2] Uninstall Printer From Windows Settings
Uninstalling the printer from Windows settings is the easiest way to completely remove a printer driver from Windows. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Windows settings by pressing Windows+I on your keyboard.
- In Windows settings, head over to the Bluetooth and Devices section from the left pane.
- In Bluetooth and devices, open Printers and scanners.
- Now open the respective printer and click on the Remove button in the top right.
3] Using the MMC (Microsoft Management Console)
The first method works for every version of Windows. However, if you cannot find your driver/printer software on the list, MMC is the only option with which you are left. You need an admin account to use this. If your account is not an admin account, take the help of someone.
MMC can also create a customized control panel where you can choose which control panel item should be available.
- Type MMC in Windows Start Menu. You should see mmc.exe listed. Click to launch.
- Choose File > Add / Remove Snap-in.
- Select Printer Management from the left and click on Add.
- As soon as you click on Add, a pop-up window will open. Here you get the option to add printer servers but click on Add the Local Server for this situation.
- You should now see your computer name listed under Print Servers. Click on Finish to complete.
- You will also see the Printer Management Item listed on the right-hand pane. Now click on OK.
- Now go back to MMC Console, Expand the Print Management Tree on the left and go to Printer Servers > Your Computer Name > Drivers.
- Here you will see all the drivers listed.
- To remove any of the drivers, select, right-click, and delete.
Once done this, your driver is completely removed. You might like to reboot your computer once to make sure.
After the reboot is complete, it’s a good idea to come back and check whether the printer driver has been removed. To make it easy, click on File and save it. Double-click to open and confirm when you log in to your computer again.
4] Using Windows Terminal
Windows Terminal is a command-line interface utility provided by Windows which can be used to make changes in the computer and extract certain information which cannot be done directly. Here’s how to use Windows Terminal to remove the printer driver from Windows completely:
- Right-click the Windows start icon and open Windows Terminal (Admin) from the context menu.
- In Windows Terminal, paste the following command and hit enter.
Get-Printer | Format-List Name
- This command will display the names of all the printers installed on your device. Copy the exact name of the printer you wish to remove.
- Now, paste the following command. Make sure to replace the printer name with the name you copied in the previous step.
Remove-Printer -Name "Printer name"
Conclusion
Uninstalling a program can be tedious, especially when a general user does not know the installation process. You will not only need to remove apps and the printer but also use the MMC and terminal methods to remove the last traces of the printer on the PC.
Related Read: Learn more about Windows Print Management Tool, How to delete and repair stalled jobs, and how to migrate a print server from one machine to another.
How to Remove Old Printer Driver?
To remove the old printer driver, head over to the Windows settings, then go to the Bluetooth and devices. In Bluetooth and Devices, open Printers and scanner, then open the individual printer and click the Remove button. You can also remove it from the device manager, which will also remove any related driver file.
Does Windows Reset Remove All Drivers?
The Windows Reset will remove all the drivers and applications on your computer. You can, however, choose the keep the files, images, and documents. However, all the system files related to application installation will be removed.
