Fixes / Windows · Checked September 30, 2026

Windows printer "Driver is unavailable": what it means and how to fix it

Short answer

"Driver is unavailable" means Windows can see your printer but cannot load a working driver for it. This usually happens because the driver got corrupted or an update replaced it. The most reliable fix is to remove the printer in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, delete its driver package in Print server properties, restart, then add the printer again.

What this message means

Windows shows "Driver is unavailable" as the printer's status in Printers & scanners (and sometimes in Devices and Printers) when the printer is still set up but its driver is missing, damaged, incompatible or blocked. The driver is the software that turns your documents into data the printer understands. Without it, Windows cannot send print jobs, so documents fail or sit in the queue. The printer hardware and its connection are usually fine. The problem is on the PC, and it most often shows up after a Windows feature update, a driver update, or after Windows protected print mode was turned on.

Common causes

Cause	How to tell
Corrupted or partially removed driver after a Windows update	The printer worked until recently, and the status changed to "Driver is unavailable" right after a Windows Update or feature update. Other printers on the same PC may still work.
Driver not compatible with your Windows version or processor (for example an old Windows 7 driver, or an x64 driver on an ARM64 PC)	The printer is old or you recently moved to a new PC or upgraded to Windows 11. The manufacturer's site lists no driver for your Windows version, or the installer fails or reports the system is not supported.
Windows protected print mode removed or blocked the third-party driver (Windows 11 24H2 and later)	In Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, under Printer preferences, Windows protected print mode shows as on. The printer lacks the compatible (shield) icon, and the problem started when the mode was turned on.
Manufacturer software (HP Smart, Canon, Epson, Brother utilities) installed a driver that conflicts with the one Windows installed	Two entries for the same printer appear in Printers & scanners (for example "HP LaserJet" and "HP LaserJet (Copy 1)"), and only one of them shows "Driver is unavailable".
Print Spooler service stuck or stopped	Every printer on the PC shows errors or goes missing, the print queue will not open or clear, and restarting the PC temporarily fixes it.

How to fix it

1. Restart the Print Spooler and check for driver updates

Press Windows key + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
Find Print Spooler in the list, right-click it and choose Restart.
Windows 11: open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates, expand Driver updates, tick any printer driver listed and select Download & install. Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates > Driver updates.
Restart the PC and check the printer's status in Printers & scanners again.

2. Remove the printer and its driver package, then add it again

Windows 11 paths shown; on Windows 10 use Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer and choose Remove. Remove any duplicate "(Copy 1)" entries too.
Press Windows key + R, type printui /s /t2 and press Enter. This opens Print Server Properties on the Drivers tab. (You can also reach it from Printers & scanners > Print server properties.)
Select your printer's driver, click Remove, choose Remove driver and driver package, then click OK and confirm. If Windows says the driver is in use, restart the Print Spooler and try again.
Restart the PC.
Go back to Printers & scanners, select Add device, wait for your printer to appear and select Add device next to it. If it does not appear, select Add manually.

3. Install the latest driver from the printer manufacturer

Find the exact model number on the printer's label or front panel.
Go to the manufacturer's support site (for example support.hp.com, canon.com/support, epson.com/support, support.brother.com) and search for that model.
Pick your Windows version (Windows 11 or Windows 10, 64-bit, or ARM64 if your PC uses a Snapdragon chip) and download the full driver package.
Right-click the downloaded installer, choose Open, and follow the prompts. Restart if asked.
Check Printers & scanners. If an old entry still shows "Driver is unavailable", remove that entry and keep the newly added one.

4. Use a Windows built-in driver instead

Windows 10 and 11; useful when the manufacturer has no driver for your Windows version

Open Printers & scanners and select Add device, then Add manually (Windows 11) or The printer that I want isn't listed (Windows 10).
Choose Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings and select the port your printer uses (for a network printer, create a Standard TCP/IP Port with its IP address).
On the driver screen, click Windows Update and wait a few minutes while the list refreshes.
Pick your manufacturer and the closest matching model, or a generic class driver such as "HP Universal Printing PCL 6" or "Microsoft IPP Class Driver" for network printers that support IPP (Mopria).
Finish the wizard and print a test page.

5. Turn off Windows protected print mode (if your printer needs its own driver)

Windows 11 version 24H2 and later

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
Scroll down to Printer preferences. Under Windows protected print mode, select Turn off, then Yes.
Reinstall the printer (Add device) or run the manufacturer's installer again.
If the Turn off option is greyed out, the setting is enforced by your organization's group policy and only your IT administrator can change it.

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Still not fixed?

Run the Windows printer troubleshooter: on Windows 11 go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and select Run next to Printer (it opens in the Get Help app); on Windows 10 use Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Printer. If the printer is very old and the manufacturer has stopped releasing drivers, a generic or class driver may be the only option, and some features (duplex, scanning) may not work. On a work or school PC, contact your IT team, since printer drivers and protected print mode are often controlled by policy. Otherwise, contact the printer manufacturer's support with your exact model and Windows version (Settings > System > About).

Questions people ask

Why does my printer say "Driver is unavailable" all of a sudden?

Most often a Windows update or feature update replaced or damaged the existing driver. It can also happen when Windows protected print mode was turned on, which removes printers that use third-party drivers.

Is the printer broken if it says "Driver is unavailable"?

Almost never. The message is about software on the PC, not the printer hardware. If the printer copies or prints from another device, the hardware is fine.

How do I fix "Driver is unavailable" on an HP printer?

Remove the printer and its driver package (printui /s /t2, then Remove driver and driver package), restart, then install the full driver from support.hp.com or add the printer again from Printers & scanners. HP Universal Print Driver is a good fallback for LaserJets.

Will Windows 11 stop supporting my printer driver?

Microsoft stopped publishing new third-party printer drivers to Windows Update for Windows 11 on January 15, 2026, and since July 1, 2026 Windows prefers its built-in IPP class driver. Existing drivers still install and work, and manufacturer installers are still allowed.

Does uninstalling the printer in Device Manager fix it?

Sometimes, but it often leaves the damaged driver package behind, so Windows reinstalls the same broken driver. Removing the driver package in Print Server Properties is more reliable.

Sources

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