There are several devices or peripherals that we can find today in a computer, printers, scanner, external hard drives, graphic tablet, auxiliary monitor, etc.
However, one of the most common is undoubtedly the printer.
Now, if after updating to Windows 10 you have encountered problems with your printer, we are going to show the steps to follow to try to solve them.
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Although Microsoft has improved in this regard, the truth is that it is still not strange to see how after a major system update we find a problem on the computer.
Something that is becoming less common but that can undoubtedly happen to us. This is the case of encountering problems with our printer after updating our computer to Windows 10.
Therefore, if you are in this situation, we show below the steps to follow and recommendations to try to solve any of these problems.
Solution to printer problems in Windows 10
Regardless of the problems that we may encounter with our printers after updating our computer to Windows 10, these are the steps to follow to try to make it work correctly again:
Unplug and restart the printer
It is perhaps the first thing that many users think of when they have a problem with the printer or even with the PC. In this case, turning the printer off and on again can help us solve the problem.
Now, if it is not enough to do it from the switch of the same, it is best that we also disconnect it from the current for a few seconds and then plug it in again and turn it on.
Check connection
If it still doesn’t work and it’s a wired printer, then it’s a good idea to check all connections.
The USB cable may not be properly connected or it may not be recognized. In the event that it is a physical problem, we may solve it by simply connecting all the cables correctly, but if everything is plugged in properly, it may be a problem with the port used that causes the error.
Therefore, we can try to connect it to another port and see if the problem is solved.
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Now, if our printer is wireless, then we must carry out other types of checks:
Make sure that the wireless connection is activated:
Most printers have a button that tells us if the wireless connection is activated or not. Therefore, we must check the status and if necessary, review the instruction manual to see how to activate this option.
Perform a connection test: Most printers also have a choice among the menu options to perform a connection test. Check the manual or run a test to verify the connection.
Check the PC connection: If our printer is connected correctly, then we must check with our computer connection. It is important that the PC is correctly connected to the same network as the printer.
Check the Bluetooth connection: If the connection is through Bluetooth, it is best that we run the Bluetooth troubleshooter to check if there is a problem and that the system itself can solve it automatically.
Run the troubleshooter
Windows 10 has a ton of troubleshooters. Tools that allow us to fix certain problems in our system automatically. To do this, simply type the name of the solver in the search box on the taskbar or access it from the Settings page> Update and security> Troubleshoot> Printer.
Update drivers
The next thing we can do if the problems with our printer when updating to Windows 10 continue is to check if we have the printer driver or driver correctly updated.
To do this, we open the Windows 10 Device Manager, look for our printer, click on it with the right mouse button and click on the Update driver option.
Clear and reset the print job manager
Another option to try to fix printer problems after updating Windows 10 is to clear and reset the print job manager. It is a file that, as its name suggests, is responsible for managing the printing process. To delete and reset the print job manager, these are the steps to follow:
We open the Windows 10 Services application. We can write Services directly in the search box on the taskbar.
- We select the Standard tab
- We look for the Print Job Manager service in the list.
- Select Stop and then OK.
- In the search box on the taskbar, we type% WINDIR% system32spoolprinters
- We select% WINDIR% system32spoolPRINTERS in the list of results and then delete all the files in the folder.
Later we return to the services window and within the Standard tab, we select the Print Job Manager in the list of services, select Start, then Automatic in the Startup type box and finally OK.
Change printer status
If the printer shows an “offline” status, then we will have to proceed to change the status to “online”. To do this, we will check that the printer is turned on, connected to the same WiFi as our computer and that it indicates that it is correctly connected. Once this is done:
- We open the Windows 10 configuration page.
- We navigate to the Devices> Printers and scanners option.
- We select our printer.
- We click on the Open queue button.
- We open the Printer menu option.
- We make sure that the option Use printer offline is not checked.
Uninstall and reinstall the printer in Windows 10
As a last option, if none of the above has solved the problems with the printer in Windows 10, we can try to uninstall and reinstall the device again. For it:
We open the configuration page and navigate to Devices> Printers and scanners.
In Printers and scanners, we select our printer and click on Remove device.
Now, the next thing we will have to do is reinstall our printer. In this case, this is what we should do:
We open the configuration page and go to the option Devices> Printers and scanners.
We select the option Add a printer or scanner.
We wait for the system to find our printer, select it and click on Add device.
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Check Windows 10 updates
Unfortunately, we have seen how certain Windows 10 updates have caused certain users to have problems when printing something from their printers after their installation.
That is, not only the fact of updating from another version of the operating system can cause printing problems, other minor updates within the same version can also cause these types of problems.
In addition, nothing assures us that this will happen again with future updates, therefore, it is convenient to check if there has been a minor update or installation of a patch recently and it has been from that moment when we have detected problems with our printer.
If doing all of the above has not been able to solve our problem, then we will have to see if an update has been made recently and in that case, we will have to proceed with its uninstallation to see if this solves the error. This way we can determine if this has been the cause of our printing problems.
To do this, we open the Windows 10 Settings page, enter Update and security, then Windows Update and finally click on View update history. In the next window, we click on the option Uninstall the updates, which we find at the top and all that remains is to choose the update from which we have found problems using the printer and we proceed with its uninstallation.
All we have to do is look for said version or patch in the Installed Updates window, select it and confirm the message that will appear asking us if we are sure to proceed with the uninstallation of that update. Click on Yes and wait for the process to run correctly. Once finished, we can try to print something and see if the problem has been solved.
