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Sometimes when trying to print documents from your Windows 10 computer, you may get the “Driver is unavailable” error. Typically, this signifies that your printer’s driver may be missing or corrupt — and there are easy fixes to the problem.
How do I make my printer driver available?
To use it: Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security, and select Check for updates. If Windows Update finds an updated driver, it will download and install it, and your printer will automatically use it.
How do I fix HP printer driver unavailable?
Follow the steps mentioned below: First, unplug the USB cable from the printer if present. Go to Control panel – Programs and feature – Select all the HP Envy printer entries and uninstall them. Now go to Control panel – Devices and printer – Select all the printer entries and remove the device. Restart your computer.
How do I make my HP printer driver available?
HP Universal Print Driver (UPD) Visit HP Customer Support – Software and Driver Downloads. Enter your printer name in the search box – you should be able to find your printer name on the outer shell of your printer. Click Enter. Select the HP Universal Print Driver from the available driver options.
What is a driver on a printer?
A printer driver, in short, is a utility that allows your computer to communicate with a printer, and lets you control numerous functions in your print jobs. Thus, in some high-end printers you may have more than one printer driver, one for each printer language, most commonly PCL and PostScript.
How do I fix driver unavailable?
What to Do to Fix the Printer Driver Is Unavailable Error Choose the Update and Security option. Windows will search for updates and, if any are found, will download and install automatically. After the update process is complete, restart your computer.
Why is my driver unavailable on my printer?
So what does it exactly mean when a printer driver is unavailable? Generally, this error happens if the printer driver isn’t up-to-date or is corrupt, or new Windows updates are needed. Corrupt and incompatible printer drivers, however, are the most common causes of this problem.
What does HP driver unavailable mean?
The error “Printer driver is unavailable” means that the driver installed against your printer is either not compatible or is outdated. If the computer cannot recognize the driver or function with it, you will not be able to access your printer and use it to print jobs.
Why is my printer not available?
Make sure printing is enabled and the print spooler is clear on your Android smartphone or tablet. Open Settings on your mobile device, tap Connected devices or Connections, and then tap Printing. Confirm HP Print Service is listed and the status is On.
How do I update my printer drivers?
How to update printer drivers Go to Control Panel. Click on ‘Hardware and Sound’ Click on ‘Device Manager’ to show all of the connected hardware on your machine – look for the ‘Printers’ drop-down which will contain any relevant printers. Right click the printer you want to update the drivers on and click ‘Update driver’.
How do you fix Windows Cannot connect to the printer?
Solution 1: Restart Print Spooler Service. Solution 2: Create a New Local Port. Solution 3: Delete Printer Drivers. Solution 4: Copy “mscms.dll” Manually. Solution 5: Delete a Subkey.
Why is device driver required?
Purpose. The main purpose of device drivers is to provide abstraction by acting as a translator between a hardware device and the applications or operating systems that use it. Programmers can write higher-level application code independently of whatever specific hardware the end-user is using.
How do I uninstall a printer driver?
To completely remove printer driver files from a system: Open the Print Server Properties dialog window by doing one of the following: Select the printer driver to uninstall. Click the Remove button. Select “Remove driver and driver package” and click OK.
What is a driver and what does it do?
A driver, or device driver, is a set of files that tells a piece of hardware how to function by communicating with a computer’s operating system. All pieces of hardware require a driver, from your internal computer components, such as your graphics card, to your external peripherals, like a printer.
How do I download a printer driver in Windows 10?
To update an existing printer driver on Windows 10, use these steps: Open Start. Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app. Expand the Printers branch. Right-click the printer, and select the Update driver option. Click the Browse my computer for driver software button. Click the Browse button.
How do I install a printer onto my laptop?
Add a local printer Connect the printer to your computer using the USB cable and turn it on. Open the Settings app from the Start menu. Click Devices. Click Add a printer or scanner. If Windows detects your printer, click on the name of the printer and follow the on-screen instructions to finish the installation.
Where is the print driver?
The printer driver is usually located on the C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository folder on a Windows machine.
How do I fix printer error?
How do I fix Printer Error in Windows 10? Open the Printer Troubleshooter. Enter ‘troubleshoot’ in the text box to search for Troubleshoot settings. Clear the Print Spool Folder. Users have also said that they’ve fixed Error Printing by clearing the Print Spooler folder. Check the Printer’s Port Settings.
How do I get my HP printer back online?
Go to the Start icon on the bottom left of your screen then choose Control Panel and then Devices and Printers. Right click the printer in question and select “See what’s printing”. From the window that opens choose “Printer” from the menu bar at the top. Select “Use Printer Online” from the drop down menu.
