How to Solve Printer Not Recognized Common Problems

If you get a Printer Not Recognized problem when connecting the printer to your PC, it could be due to a USB or cable issue or any software issue.

When you connect a modern printer to a PC, it automatically installs the necessary drivers. This method, however, can occasionally fail, and you may encounter the printer not recognizing the error. Hence, you will need to take extra steps to resolve the issue.

So, in this article, we go through such extra steps in order to fix the issue on the Windows system.

Steps to Fix the Printer Not Recognized Error

You may make use of the following techniques to solve your printer issues and get your printer back to normal functioning.

Use the Printer Troubleshooter

Run the Printer troubleshooter to begin solving the issue. It is a built-in Windows program that assists users in diagnosing printer problems and providing solutions.

To start the troubleshooting, navigate to Settings > System. Then, move to Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Among the Windows troubleshooters is the Printer troubleshooter. To activate it, click the Run tab next to it.

Then, follow the on-screen directions to aid the troubleshooter in determining the cause of the printer's problem. If any software difficulties are preventing you from printing, the troubleshooter will most likely show you how to resolve them.

Update the Required Drivers

When you encounter an error or an issue, the troubleshooter ought to be the first point. However, diagnosing, let alone resolving, the problem is extremely rare. 

As a result, the next logical step is to look for driver updates and verify the drivers are up to current. Here's how you do it:

1. Choose Device Manager from the menu that appears by right-clicking the Start Menu button.

2. Extend the Print Queues category by scrolling down.

3. Select Update driver from the context menu of Microsoft Print to PDF.

When you select Search automatically for upgraded driver files in Windows 11, your PC is checked for updates. If the best driver for your device is already installed, you may attempt the manual method. Here's how you do it:

1. Choose Properties from the option list when you right-click Microsoft Print to PDF. Navigate to the Details tab.

2. Copy the Value that appears after selecting the Device instance path from the selection menu under Property.

3. Navigate to the DriverPack repository.

4. Insert the copied value into the search box, then download and install the appropriate driver.

Alternatively, you may also make use of any best driver updater software to automate the whole process of updating the drivers.

Relaunch the Print Spooler Service

If installing the printer drivers does not resolve the issue, check to see if the print spooler service is operating. The printer spooler service manages the interactions between your operating system and the printer. 

If this service is disabled or its files become corrupted, the device may fail to detect the printer. As a result, you must restart the service and recreate all of its data. To do so, follow these steps:

1. To open the Run dialog box, press Win + R.

2. Enter "services.msc" into the search box.

3. Find the Print spooler under Services and double-click it.

4. Continue by selecting Stop.

5. Then navigate to C:Windowssystem32spoolsv.exe and delete all of the files in the folder.

All you have to do now is return to Services and manually restart the print spooler service. Restart your computer.

Check the default printer again

Incorrect printer and scanner configuration is frequently the root cause of printing problems. The most typical cause of printer problems is that you did not set your PDF printer as the default printing option or that you set it to the incorrect port. It is easily resolved by:

1. Use the Windows search bar to find the Control Panel.

2. Under Hardware and Sound, select View devices and printers.

3. Right-click on the PDF printer in the Printers window and choose Set as default.

4. Then navigate to Properties>Ports.

5. Scroll through the selection and choose the port type that corresponds to your connection.

6. Choose Configure Port > Apply > OK.

Launch System Restore

If the problem started as soon as you switched to Windows 11, and you've tried everything else, there's one more option: Windows System Restore. Using this procedure returns Windows to an earlier restore point wherein you know the printer was working properly.

To return to a previous restore point:

1. Type Control Panel into the Windows key. By clicking on the Control Panel icon, you can access it.

2. Navigate to the Recovery settings by typing "Recovery" into the Control Panel's search box.

3. Choose Open System Restore.

4. The System Restore dialog box will appear. To continue, press the Next button.

5. Choose a restoration point to return your computer to a time when the printer was working properly.

6. To confirm your restoration point, click Next and then Finish once again.

7. It will ask you one more time if you want to proceed with the system restoration. Place your cursor over Yes and click.

Your computer will restart while Windows 11 restores to the last restore point.

Conclusion

It can be quite annoying if your printer is not working properly because of problems with the operating system or basic hardware issues. But, perhaps, with the help of the above-mentioned solutions, you may bring your printer back up and operate well.