• To rename a printer on Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, choose the printer, click “Printer properties,” and confirm the new name.
  • On Windows 11 24H2, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, choose the printer, click “Additional printer settings,” confirm the new name, and click “OK.”
  • To complete this configuration, you can also use the Print Management console, Command Prompt, and PowerShell.
  • The Control Panel method is no longer available as Microsoft ported the option to the Settings app.

On Windows 11 , there are multiple ways to rename a printer. In this guide, I’ll show you five ways and the new steps starting with version 24H2.

Although you can choose your printer’s name during its setup, nowadays, printing and scanning devices install automatically with default settings, including a default name, which can sometimes be long and not humanly descriptive.

If you want to change the name to share the printer with a friendly name or make it easier to identify if you have multiple printing devices, Windows 11 includes various methods to complete this configuration from the Settings app (depending on your version of the operating system), Print Management, Command Prompt, and PowerShell.

In this guide , I will outline the different ways to assign a different name for your printer on Windows 11.

Rename your printer on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you have at least five ways to change the printer settings, including its name, and here’s how.

Ensure the printer is online before proceeding with these methods to avoid issues.

1. From Settings on version 23H2

To change the printer name on Windows 11 23H2 and older versions, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Bluetooth & devices .
  3. Click the Printers & scanners page.
  4. Choose the printer.
  5. Click the Printer properties setting.
  6. Confirm the new printer name. Quick tip: The page also includes the printer’s IP and port as the options to perform a print test and access the device preferences, among other advanced settings.
  7. Click the OK button.
  8. Click the Apply button.

The setting to change the printer properties is no longer available through the Control Panel. If you open “Hardware and Sound” and “Devices and Printers,” you will be directed to the Settings app. However, on version 23H2, you will access the legacy properties to rename a printer.

2. From Settings on version 24H2

To rename your printer from the Settings on Windows 11 24H2 , use these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Bluetooth & devices .
  3. Click the Printers & scanners page.
  4. Choose the printer.
  5. Click on Additional printer settings .
  6. Click the Rename button for the “Rename your printer” setting.
  7. Confirm the new printer name.
  8. Click the Save button.

The “Rename your printer” setting is only available on Windows 11 24H2 and higher releases. You can check the version of your operating system with these instructions.

3. From Print Management

To assign a different name for your printer through the Print Management console, use these steps:

  1. Open Start .
  2. Search for Print Management and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Click on All Printers from the “Custom Filters” category.
  4. Right-click the printer on the right and choose the Rename option.
  5. Confirm the new name and press Enter .

The console is only available on Windows 11 Pro , so you cannot use these instructions in the Home edition of the operating system.

If you can access Print Management from this console, you can also completely remove a print driver on Windows 11.

4. From Command Prompt

To rename a printer through Command Prompt, use these steps:

  1. Open Start .
  2. Search for Command Prompt , right-click the top result, and choose the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command to list the installed printers and press Enter : wmic printer get location,name Quick tip: This command will also reveal the printer’s IP address and port.
  4. Type the following command to change the printer name on Windows 11 and press Enter : cscript %WINDIR%\System32\Printing_Admin_Scripts\en-US\prncnfg.vbs -x -p “CURRENT-NAME” -z “NEW-NAME” In the command, update “CURRENT-NAME” and “NEW-NAME” with the old and new names. The “Prncnfg.vbs” file is actually a Visual Basic script designed to configure or display printer details, and in this case, you can use it to change the print device name.

The command will update the printer globally throughout the system.

5. From PowerShell

To change the printer name with PowerShell commands, use these steps:

  1. Open Start .
  2. Search for PowerShell , right-click the top result, and choose the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command to view the installed printers and press Enter : Get-Printer | Select-Object -Property Name, DriverName Quick note: I’m also using the “Select-Object” option to list only the information needed to identify the printer. In addition, the “Get-Printer” command can also be used to query different printer details, as shown on this Microsoft documentation page .
  4. Type the following command to change the printer name on Windows 11 and press Enter : Rename-Printer -Name “CURRENT-NAME” -NewName “NEW-NAME” In the command, update “CURRENT-NAME” and “NEW-NAME” with the old and new names.

If you encounter problems renaming a printer, make sure you are running Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

While these instructions are specific to Windows 11, you can use the Command Prompt and PowerShell methods on Windows 10 .

  • To install a Wi-Fi printer on Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & scanners , click “Add device,” and click “Add device” again for the printer you want to install.
  • If the system can’t find the printer, you can still add it manually using the IP address of the device.

On Windows 11 , you can connect a wireless printer to your computer in at least two ways, including automatically using the “Devices” wizard or manually installing a printer using an IP address.

However, before you can connect to the printer, you have to connect it to the wireless network. The steps will differ depending on the printer, but typically, you must perform this configuration from the printer’s screen. Also, many printers allow you to set up a printer through an Android or iPhone app.

For example, you can connect a wireless HP printer to the network from Setup > Network Setup > Wireless Settings , turn on the “Wireless settings” option, and continue with the on-screen directions. On an Epson printer, you can install the “Epson Smart Panel” app on your phone and use the guided wizard to set up a new product.

If you have a printer connected using a wired (Ethernet) connection, you don’t even need to go through the setup. You only need to know the printer’s IP address, which you can get by going to Setup > Network Setup > Ethernet Settings and using the “ View Ethernet Details” option.

You can always check with your printer manufacturer’s support website to get more specific instructions for your printer.

In this guide , I will teach you the steps to add a printer to Windows 11 wirelessly.

Connect wireless printer on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can use the “Printers & scanners” settings to add a printer automatically or manually with its IP address. You would typically use the automatic method and the IP address steps if the system isn’t finding the device in the network. You can also fix the most common printer issues with these instructions.

Method 1: Install a Wi-Fi printer automatically

To add a network printer wirelessly on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Bluetooth & Devices .
  3. Click the Printers & scanners page.
  4. Click the “Add device” button in the “Add a printer or scanner” setting.
  5. Click Add device to install the wireless printer to Windows 11.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will automatically set up the wireless printer.

Method 2: Install Wi-Fi printer from IP address

If Windows 11 can’t find the wireless printer, you can add the device using an IP address using these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Bluetooth & Devices .
  3. Click the Printers & scanners page.
  4. Click the “Add device” button in the “Add a printer or scanner” setting.
  5. Click the “Add a new device manually” option for the “The printer that I want isn’t listed” option.
  6. Select the “Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname” option.
  7. Click the Next button.
  8. Select the Autodetect option in the “Device type” setting.
  9. Check the “Query the printer and automatically select the driver to use” option.
  10. Confirm the IP address of the printer. Quick tip: This information can be found in the printer’s settings.
  11. Click the Next button to install the wireless printer on Windows 11. Quick note: If the setup doesn’t recognize the printer, you may have to select the brand and model from the wizard to install the correct drivers. If you can’t find the printer, click the “Windows Update” button to download the driver library. (This action can take a long time.)
  12. Confirm the printer’s name.
  13. Click the Next button.
  14. Select the “Do not share this printer” option.
  15. Click the Next button.
  16. (Optional) Click the “Print a test page” button to test the printer connection.
  17. Click the Finish button.

After you complete the steps, you can start printing from your laptop or desktop computer.

If you no longer need the device, you can remove the wireless printer from Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners by selecting the printer and clicking the “Remove” option.

Installing a printer using the Settings app will only install the basic driver for printing. You must install the manufacturer’s software if you want to use the additional printing functionalities.

Update August 19, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

  • To share printer on Windows 11, open Settings > Printers & scanners , choose the printer to share, click on “Printer properties,” open the “Sharing” tab, click “Change Sharing Options,” check “Share this printer,” and click “OK.”
  • You may also need to change the network profile type to “Private” from Settings > Network & internet > Ethernet or Wi-Fi to enable print sharing on Windows 11.

On Windows 11 , it’s possible to share a printer in the network when it doesn’t have a wired or wireless connection. You can complete this task using the Windows 11 print server feature that allows converting any local printer (such as those using a USB or DB-25 cable) into a network printer quickly.

In this guide , you will learn the steps to share a USB printer on Windows 11 over the network.

Share printer on Windows 11

To share a printer in the network on Windows 11 from Settings, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.
  2. Click on Network & internet .
  3. Click the Ethernet or Wi-Fi tab. Quick note: If you have a wireless connection, you will need to click the network properties option to access the connection settings.
  4. Under the “Network profile type” section, select the Private option to enable print sharing on the computer.
  5. Click on Bluetooth & devices .
  6. Click the Printers & scanners tab.
  7. Select the USB printer to share over the network.
  8. Click the Printer properties tab.
  9. Open the Sharing tab.
  10. Click the Change Sharing Options button (if applicable).
  11. Check the Share this printer option.
  12. (Optional) Choose a new name for the printer.
  13. Click the Apply button.
  14. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the USB printer will now be available in the network for anyone to connect.

Connect to shared printer

The process of connecting a shared printer to a computer in the local network is easy, but it’s not the same as installing a wireless printer .

To install a shared printer on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Bluetooth & devices .
  3. Click the Printers & scanners setting.
  4. Click the Add device button and wait a few moments.
  5. Click the Add manually option.
  6. Check the Select a shared printer by name option.
  7. Confirm the network path of the printer – for example, \10.1.4.120\HP Network Printer . Quick note: If the computer name doesn’t work, use the IP address for the computer sharing the printer.
  8. Click the Next button.
  9. Click Next to install the shared USB printer on Windows 11.
  10. Click the Finish button.

After you complete the steps, the print jobs will go through the network to the computer with the print server and to the USB printer. Users will only be able to print as long as the computer sharing the printer is turned on.

If you cannot connect to the printer because the system asks for a username and password, open Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings , and under the “Password protected sharing,” select the Turn off password protected sharing option and click the Save Changes button. If this doesn’t work, you may need to create a standard local account on the source computer, and use that account to connect to the printer from the destination computer.

UPDATED 4/3/2024: On Windows 11 , when you no longer connect to a printer, the peripheral will remain available on the computer even if you remove it since the process doesn’t delete the driver. Print drivers will be kept on the computer if they are ever needed again.

Although this might be a great approach for reinstalling a printer without providing the controllers again, keeping them on the computer will only waste space on the hard drive. Also, if a problem occurs and the drivers get corrupted, it may cause other issues since the system will try to use drivers that don’t work.

However, if you no longer need or want to remove a corrupted print driver, Windows 11 provides a way to completely uninstall it from the computer.

This guide will teach you the steps to remove a printer driver from Windows 11.

Uninstall printer driver on Windows 11

Removing a printer and driver on Windows 11 is a two-step process. You first need to use the Settings app to uninstall the printer and then the Print Management app or PowerShell (depending on whether you use Windows 11 Pro or Home) to delete the driver package from the computer.

1. Remove printer in Settings

To remove a printer on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11
  2. Click on Bluetooth & devices .
  3. Click the Printers & scanners page on the right side.
  4. Select the printer to open its properties.
  5. Click the Remove button.
  6. Click the Yes button.

Once you complete the steps, you can delete the driver from Windows 11.

2. Delete printer driver in Print Management

To completely remove the printer driver from the device, use these steps:

  1. Open Start .
  2. Search for Control Panel and click the top result to open the console.
  3. Click on System and Security .
  4. Click on Windows Tools .
  5. Double-click the Print Management option.
  6. Expand the Custom Filters branch.
  7. Click on All Drivers from the left navigation pane.
  8. Right-click the printer driver on the right side and select the Delete option.
  9. Click the Yes button.

After you complete the steps, the printer driver will no longer be available on the device. If you need to reinstall the peripherals, Windows 11 will need to download the driver again, or you will need to provide them manually.

I recently changed my printer to another brand, and I noticed that some printers may not use custom drivers. After removing the device from the Settings app, you may not find drivers from specific vendors. You don’t need to do anything else if this is the case.

3. Delete printer driver with PowerShell

If you use the Home edition of Windows 11, you won’t have access to the Print Management app, but you can still use PowerShell commands to uninstall the driver.

To remove a print driver with PowerShell, use these steps:

  1. Open Start .
  2. Search for PowerShell , right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command to list all the print drivers installed on Windows 11 and press Enter : Get-PrinterDriver | Format-List Name
  4. Type the following command to remove the print driver and press Enter : Remove-PrinterDriver -Name “Your-Printer-Name” In the command, update the printer name with the name that appears in step No. 3. The quotation marks are required if the name includes spaces. For example, this command removes the “HP Officejet Pro 8620” from Windows 11: Remove-PrinterDriver -Name “HP Officejet Pro 8620”

Once you complete the steps, the printer driver will be removed entirely from the system. You may need to repeat the steps to uninstall other printers.