# How to Fix "Driver Is Unavailable" for a Printer in Windows 11

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-printer-driver-unavailable-windows-11/
Published: 2026-09-24 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Printer, Drivers, Fix
Summary: Printer shows "Driver is unavailable" on Windows 11? Remove the old driver package, clear the print spooler, install the correct driver, and check protected print mode.
Recommended app: PC-Troubleshooter — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N7RWKW8SP24?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## The Problem
You open **Settings** → **Bluetooth & devices** → **Printers & scanners**, click your printer, and see **Driver is unavailable**. Printing fails, or the printer shows as **Unspecified** in Devices and Printers.

This usually appears after a Windows feature update, a failed driver install, or moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The printer is fine. Windows has either lost the driver files, is holding onto a broken copy, or is blocking the driver because of a newer security setting.

> **Printer shows as offline instead?** See [fix printer offline](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-printer-offline-windows-11/). **Online but jobs never print?** See [printer not printing](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-printer-not-printing-windows-11/).

## Symptoms
* **Driver is unavailable** under the printer in Settings.
* The printer appears under **Unspecified** in Devices and Printers.
* Print jobs fail immediately, or the print dialog does not list the printer.
* Reinstalling the printer brings back the same error.

## Quick Checks
1. Restart both the PC and the printer.
2. Run **Windows Update** → **Advanced options** → **Optional updates** → **Driver updates**. If your printer is listed, install it and restart.
3. Note your printer's exact model number from the label on the printer — you will need it to download the right driver.

## The Fix: Step-by-Step

### Step 1: Check Windows Protected Print Mode
Recent Windows 11 versions include **Windows protected print mode**, which blocks traditional manufacturer drivers and only allows the built-in **Mopria**-compatible driver. Older printers without Mopria support show **Driver is unavailable** when it is on.

1. **Settings** → **Bluetooth & devices** → **Printers & scanners**.
2. Scroll to **Printer preferences** and look for **Windows protected print mode**.
3. If it is **on** and your printer is not Mopria-certified, turn it **off**, restart, and re-add the printer.

If your PC is managed by work or school, this setting may be locked by policy — speak to your IT team.

### Step 2: Remove the Printer
1. **Settings** → **Bluetooth & devices** → **Printers & scanners**.
2. Click the printer → **Remove** → **Yes**.
3. Unplug the USB cable if the printer is connected by USB.

### Step 3: Delete the Old Driver Package
Removing the printer leaves the driver behind. If it is corrupt, Windows reuses it every time.

1. Press `Win + R`, type `printui /s /t2`, and press Enter. This opens **Print Server Properties** on the **Drivers** tab.
2. Select every driver for your printer brand and model.
3. Click **Remove** → choose **Remove driver and driver package** → **OK** → **Delete**.

If Windows says the driver is in use, go to Step 4 first, then come back.

### Step 4: Clear the Print Spooler
1. Open **Terminal (Admin)** and run:
   ```
   net stop spooler
   ```
2. Open File Explorer and go to `C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS`. Delete everything inside the folder, but not the folder itself.
3. Back in Terminal:
   ```
   net start spooler
   ```

Now repeat Step 3 if the driver would not delete before.

### Step 5: Install the Correct Driver
1. Go to your printer manufacturer's support website (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, and so on) and search for your exact model.
2. Choose the driver for **Windows 11 64-bit**. If there is no Windows 11 driver, the **Windows 10 64-bit** driver almost always works.
3. Prefer the **full driver package** or **basic driver** over "driver update" tools or web installers.
4. Run the installer and connect the printer when it asks you to.

For printers the manufacturer no longer supports, try the **Microsoft IPP Class Driver** in Step 6 — most network printers made in the last ten years support it.

### Step 6: Add the Printer Manually
If automatic detection picks the wrong driver:

1. **Settings** → **Bluetooth & devices** → **Printers & scanners** → **Add device**.
2. Wait a few seconds, then click **Add manually** (next to **The printer that I want isn't listed**).
3. For a network printer, choose **Add a printer using an IP address or hostname** and type the printer's IP address (printed on its network configuration page).
4. When asked for the driver, click **Have Disk** and point to the manufacturer driver you extracted, or choose it from the list by brand and model.

### Step 7: Repair Windows System Files
If driver installs fail with errors for every printer, the print subsystem itself may be damaged. Run SFC and DISM: [how to run SFC and DISM](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-run-sfc-dism-repair-windows-11/).

## What Not to Do
* **Don't install driver-updater utilities** to find a printer driver. The manufacturer's site has the correct one, and those tools often bundle adware.
* **Don't install a driver for a similar model.** A driver for the next model in the series can install, but prints garbled output or fails silently.
* **Don't delete the `spool` folder itself** — only the files inside `PRINTERS`.

## Still Not Working?
Check **Event Viewer** → **Applications and Services Logs** → **Microsoft** → **Windows** → **PrintService** → **Admin** for the exact error when the driver installs. Search the error code together with your printer model. See [how to read Event Viewer](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-read-event-viewer-find-crash-cause/).

If the printer worked before a recent Windows update, rolling back that update is a valid short-term fix: [roll back a bad Windows 11 update](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-windows-11-after-bad-update-rollback/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-printer-driver-unavailable-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: PC-Troubleshooter (PC-Troubleshooter is a system diagnostic and repair tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11—hardware, drivers, network, and common fixes in one app.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt