How to fix Driver Is Unavailable On Printer error on Windows 10

Sometimes, while trying to print a document from a Windows 10 computer, you may receive the Printer driver is unavailable error message. Or you may encounter a situation where the printer is not working and when checking on the device, as well as the printer screen, a message of an unavailable driver is displayed.

Driver Is Unavailable On Printer error means that the driver installed with the printer in the system is incompatible or outdated. It also means that the corrupted printer driver is installed in the PC and the computer cannot recognize it. Reinstalling the latest version of printer driver is probably the right solution to fix the problem.

If you also encounter this problem, check out the solutions listed below. Before proceeding, try these basic workarounds. They will help test a few things on your device.

1. - Restarting the printer and the computer can fix the problem if a temporary problem causes the problem.
2. - Check the printer for any problems (such as hardware failure, connection problems, cartridge dislocation, etc.).
3. - Disconnect the printer and reconnect to the computer, then try to print something again.
4. - If there is a local printer shared on the network, you should check if the LAN cable is connected properly.

Update printer driver 

As discussed earlier, the main cause of this problem is an outdated printer driver or incompatibility with the current version of Windows 10. Try updating the printer driver first by following the steps below.

1. Click Win+ Rto open Run.
2. Now enter devmgmt.msc and click OK to open Device Manager utility.
3. In the Device Manager window , find Print queues from the list of devices and expand it.
4. Now, from the drop-down menu, select the printer device you are using. Right click on it and select Update driver.

You will be asked: 'How do you want to search for the drivers?' ( How would you like to search for drivers? ). Select the Search automatically for updated driver software option .

Wait until Windows looks for compatible driver for printer driver, download and install it. Then restart the computer.

Check to see if the problem is resolved. If the problem persists, continue with the next error correction plan.

Reinstall the printer driver

If the above steps do not solve the problem, reinstall the printer driver with the latest version according to the steps below.

First, turn off and disconnect the printer, then completely remove the printer driver from the computer by following the steps below.

Remove the printer from Devices and Printers

1. Press the Win+ key Rto launch Run , type control printers and press Enter.
2. This will display a list of all installed devices and printers,
3. Right-click on the problematic printer and select Remove Device.
4. Now, click Yes to confirm the device removal.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen to remove the device from the computer.

Remove the printer in Programs and Features

1. Press Win+ R, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
2. The Program and Feature window will open.
3. Here in this list, uninstall any printer-related applications. (Just double click on the app you want to uninstall).

Remove the printer in Device Manager

1. Once again open Device Manager with devmgmt.msc.
2. Expand Print queues , right-click the installed printer driver, and select Uninstall the device .
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to remove the printer driver on the computer.

Now, restart the computer. Start the printer and connect it to the computer. Visit the printer manufacturer's website, search for your printer model and download the latest available driver, then install it. Now try to print anything and check if you see the error again.

Install the printer driver in Compatibility mode

This problem may occur if the driver is incompatible or incorrect. The article recommends that you install the driver in Compatibility mode and check if it solves the problem.

1. Again completely remove the current printer driver.
2. Download the latest driver for the printer device from the manufacturer's website.
3. Go to the location where the driver was downloaded.
4. Now, right-click on the driver package and click on Properties.
5. In the Properties window , go to the Compatibility tab .
6. Here, select Run this program in compatibility mode for , then select Windows 8 in the drop-down menu.
7. Now, select Run this program as an administrator.
8. Click Apply> OK to save the changes on the computer.

In the final step, double click on the driver package to start the installation process. Click Yes to confirm User Account Control .

After the installation process has finished, please restart the computer. After rebooting, try printing something.

Install the latest Windows update

Microsoft regularly releases security updates to fix various compatibility issues and bugs. Installing the latest Windows updates can also fix Driver Is Unavailable On Printer errors.