Computer Cannot Recognize or Connect to a Printer

Connecting to a network-shared printer in most cases is a fast, straightforward, and painless process. Problems arise when users have to urgently print some important documents, but suddenly the printer is no longer recognized by their system or has vanished altogether. Fortunately, there are some quick solutions that should be able to cover multiple causes of this particular problem.

First, start by making sure that the printer is turned ON and connected properly to the computer system. If you are trying to use a printer over a network, make sure that all devices are using the same Wi-Fi network, and that print sharing is enabled onto the computer system physically connected to the printer.

If the printer doesn't automatically appear in the list of installed devices, you might need to start the 'Add a printer or scanner' service. On Windows 10, right-click the Start menu and select 'Settings.' In the window, open 'Devices' and click on 'Printers & scanners' from the options available in the left pane. Once there, click on 'Add a printer or scanner' and wait while Windows searches for any available devices connected to the network. If the system detects the printer you are looking for, click on 'Add device,' and start printing.

The device you are looking for might still not be showing up, or Windows may display a message that it can't connect to the printer. In that case, click on the 'The printer I want isn't listed' option available right under the list of printers discovered in the device search. This will open the 'Find a printer by other options' window. Here, look through the available options (five in Windows 10, but earlier Windows versions might have fewer available choices), and pick the one that best suits your situation and the information you have available. Follow the on-screen instructions to add the printer.