In Printers & scanners, the line under your printer's name reads Driver is unavailable, and printing fails or never starts. The driver translates documents into something your printer understands, so Windows is saying it can't find or can't load that software. This often follows a Windows upgrade, a new computer or an unfinished installation. The fix is to clear out what's broken and give Windows a driver that matches your system.
What you might be seeing
- Driver is unavailable shown under the printer in Settings
- Print jobs fail at once or never appear in the queue
- Printer properties or preferences won't open
- The problem began after an upgrade or a move to a new PC
Common causes
- Driver removed or damaged
- An update, cleanup tool or interrupted install can delete or corrupt driver files while leaving the printer entry behind.
- Driver built for an older Windows
- Drivers written for earlier versions sometimes stop loading after a major Windows upgrade.
- Wrong processor type
- Computers with ARM processors can't load drivers made only for standard x64 processors.
- Install that didn't finish
- If setup was canceled, lacked administrator rights or lost the printer partway through, only part of the driver is in place.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order and test a print after each one. Most people are done within the first few steps.
Restart the computer and printer
Turn the printer off, restart the computer, then switch the printer back on once Windows has loaded. Any driver installation that was waiting for a restart completes at this point, and Windows re-checks each printer's driver as the spooler starts up. Open Printers & scanners again and see whether the message has cleared before you change anything else.
Install optional driver updates
Windows Update often holds printer drivers it doesn't install automatically. On Windows 11, go to Settings › Windows Update › Advanced options › Optional updates and expand Driver updates. On Windows 10, open Settings › Update & Security › Windows Update and choose View optional updates. Tick anything that mentions your printer or a printing component, select Download & install and restart when asked.
Remove the printer and let Windows add it again
Select the printer in Printers & scanners and choose Remove. Restart, then return and choose Add device on Windows 11 or Add a printer or scanner on Windows 10. For many network printers, Windows now installs its own built-in driver automatically, which handles everyday printing with no download needed. Give the search a minute or two and select your printer when it appears.
Delete the old driver package
If the message returns, the broken driver is still stored on the PC and Windows keeps reusing it. With the printer removed, press Windows key + R, enter
printui /s, and open the Drivers tab of Print Server Properties. Highlight your printer's driver, click Remove, pick Remove driver and driver package and confirm. If Windows reports the driver is in use, restart Print Spooler inservices.mscand try once more.Check whether your PC is x64 or ARM
Go to Settings › System › About and look at System type, which says either x64-based or ARM-based processor. Many recent thin laptops use ARM processors, and a driver downloaded for x64 won't load on them. When you download a driver, check that it's listed for both your Windows version and your processor type. If no ARM driver exists, the built-in Windows driver is usually the way to print.
Install the full driver from the manufacturer's website
On the manufacturer's official website, find the support or downloads page for your exact model and choose the driver listed for your Windows version. Run the installer, approve the administrator prompt and pick the connection type it asks about. For a USB printer, wait until the installer tells you to plug in the cable, because connecting too early lets Windows grab a mismatched driver first.
Point Windows at the driver manually
If an installer won't run but you have the driver files, add the printer by hand. Choose Add device, then Add manually on Windows 11, or The printer that I want isn't listed on Windows 10, and pick the option with manual settings. On the driver page, click Have Disk and browse to the driver's .inf file. The Windows Update button there refreshes the built-in list, which takes several minutes.
How to keep it from happening again
- Check driver support before upgrading Windows or switching to an ARM laptop
- Look at optional driver updates after big Windows upgrades
- Download drivers only from Windows Update or the manufacturer's official website
- Let driver installers finish before unplugging or restarting
Common questions
Do I need the manufacturer's driver at all?
Not always. For many network printers, the built-in Windows driver handles normal printing, two-sided pages and color. The full driver adds extras such as detailed ink levels, special paper settings or scanning tools. If basic printing is all you need and the built-in driver works, there's no need to install more.
Why does Windows keep installing the wrong driver?
Windows picks the best match it has stored or can find through Windows Update. If an old or generic package is already in its driver store, it may reuse that. Deleting the old package before reconnecting the printer forces Windows to look again, and installing the manufacturer's driver first gives it the right choice.
Does Driver is unavailable mean my printer is broken?
No. The message is about software on the computer, not the printer hardware. If the printer copies or prints a configuration page from its own control panel, it's working. Once the computer has a driver it can load, printing resumes normally, and nothing on the printer needs repairing or resetting.
This guide is general information written for common home and office printers. Menus and button names vary between models, so check your printer’s manual where a step differs. Printer Problems Solved is independent and not affiliated with any printer manufacturer. See our disclaimer.