Are you struggling to remove a printer driver that’s currently in use? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll discuss seven solutions to help you resolve this issue.
Removing a Printer from Windows Settings
To remove a printer from Windows Settings, follow these steps:
1. Open the Control Panel and select “Devices and Printers.”
2. Right-click the specified printer and select “Remove device.”
3. If the printer is still in use, end all print jobs associated with it.
4. Delete the printer driver package associated with the printer. This can be done through the “Print Management” tool in Windows or through the Command Prompt.
5. If the printer is a network printer, remove it from the print server before deleting the driver package.
6. If you’re having trouble removing a Canon printer, try uninstalling the printer software from the Control Panel first.
7. If you still cannot delete the printer, try restarting your computer and attempting the process again.
Uninstalling Printer Software to Delete a Printer
To uninstall printer software and delete a printer, follow these steps:
1. Open Print Management by typing “print management” in the Windows search bar and selecting it from the results.
2. Expand the “Print Servers” section and select the print server that has the specified printer installed.
3. Expand the “Printers” section and right-click on the printer you want to remove.
4. Select “Delete” from the context menu and confirm the action.
5. If the printer software is still present, go to “Programs and Features” in Windows and uninstall it from there.
6. If you still cannot delete the printer driver, try using the Command Prompt to force the deletion. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type “printui /s /t2” to open the Print Server Properties window. From there, you can remove the printer driver.
By following these steps, you can completely remove a printer and its associated software from your system. These solutions should work for most printers, including Canon printers, network printers, and those using Windows 7 or 11.
Removing a Printer Using Control Panel and Print Server Properties
- Step 1: Go to Control Panel.
- Step 2: Click on “Devices and Printers” or “Printers and Faxes”.
- Step 3: Right-click on the printer you want to remove and select “Remove device” or “Delete”.
- Step 4: If the printer is still showing up, go to “Print Server Properties”.
- Step 5: Click on the “Drivers” tab.
- Step 6: Find and select the printer driver you want to remove.
- Step 7: Click on the “Remove” button.
- Step 8: Confirm that you want to remove the driver.
- Step 9: Restart your computer.
Stopping Print Spooler Service to Remove a Printer
To remove a printer driver that’s in use, you’ll need to stop the print spooler service first. Here’s how:
1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
3. Right-click on Print Spooler and select Stop.
4. Go to Devices and Printers and right-click on the printer you want to remove.
5. Select Remove Device.
6. If a warning appears, select Yes to confirm.
7. Restart the Print Spooler service by right-clicking on it and selecting Start.
If you’re still having trouble removing the printer driver, try uninstalling it from Programs and Features or using a third-party uninstaller. And if you’re having issues with a network printer, make sure to disconnect from the network before attempting to remove it.
Uninstalling a Printer Using Device Manager and Command Prompt
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open Device Manager |
| 2 | Expand the Printers section |
| 3 | Right-click on the printer you want to remove and select Uninstall device |
| 4 | Check the box next to Delete the driver software for this device and click Uninstall |
| 5 | Open Command Prompt |
| 6 | Type “net stop spooler” and press Enter |
| 7 | Type “sc config spooler depend= RPCSS” and press Enter |
| 8 | Type “net start spooler” and press Enter |
| 9 | Go back to Device Manager and check if the printer is still listed |
| 10 | If the printer is still listed, repeat steps 3-4 and 6-8 |
