Windows 11, Printers, How-To Guide

Managing Printers in Windows 11 Using Settings: A Friendly Guide

If you’ve ever gone to print something and your PC chose the wrong printer—or no printer at all—you’re not alone. The good news is that Windows 11 makes it much easier to see, manage, and tidy up your printers from one simple place: the Settings app. In this Connected Geek guide, we’ll walk through how to find your printers, adjust their options, set a default printer, remove old ones, and let Windows automatically handle the default for you.

Start in Settings: Where Your Printers Live

The first step to managing printers in Windows 11 is knowing exactly where to look. Instead of digging through old-style Control Panel windows, you can do everything from the modern Settings app. Here’s how to get to your printers list:

1. Click the Start button and choose Settings, or press Windows key + I on your keyboard.
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click Bluetooth & devices.
3. On the right, select Printers & scanners.

You’ll now see a list of all printers and scanners that Windows 11 knows about—this includes physical printers, PDF printers, and sometimes specialty devices installed by apps. Think of this page as your printer control center: from here, you can check what’s installed, tweak settings, and clean up anything you no longer use.

Click a Printer to See Your Options

Each printer on the list has its own mini dashboard. To open it, simply click the name of the printer you want to manage. You’ll be taken to a detail page with several handy options. The exact layout can vary slightly by printer model, but you’ll usually see these core choices:

• Open print queue: This shows what’s waiting to be printed. If something is stuck or taking too long, you can pause, resume, or cancel print jobs here. It’s a great first stop when your document refuses to leave the “Printing…” stage.
• Run the troubleshooter: If printing suddenly fails or your printer goes offline, this built-in tool can automatically look for common problems—like connection issues or driver glitches—and suggest fixes. It’s a friendly “first aid kit” for printer problems.
• Remove device (remove printer): When you’re done with a printer—maybe you replaced it or no longer connect to that office network—you can remove it from your PC here. We’ll cover this in more detail in a moment.
• Printer properties: This opens a more traditional window with detailed settings, such as ports, sharing, and advanced preferences. Most people won’t need to visit this often, but it’s useful if you’re sharing a printer on your network or adjusting technical options recommended by IT.

Take a moment to click into your main printer and explore these options. Knowing where they are now makes it much less stressful when something goes wrong later.

How to Set a Default Printer in Windows 11

Your default printer is the one Windows chooses automatically when you hit Print. If you usually print to the same device—like a home office printer—it’s worth setting it as the default so you don’t have to pick it every time in each app.

To set a default printer manually:

1. Go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
2. Scroll to find the printer you want as your default and click it.
3. On the printer’s detail page, look for the option labeled Set as default and click it.

Once you’ve done this, most apps will automatically send print jobs to that printer unless you choose a different one in their print dialog. It’s a simple change that can save you from accidentally printing a 20-page document to the wrong floor’s printer.

Cleaning Up: Removing an Old Printer You Don’t Use

Over time, it’s easy to collect a small army of printers—old USB devices, office printers from past jobs, or temporary network printers from hotels and shared spaces. Leaving them all listed can be confusing, especially when you’re in a hurry and pick the wrong one. Fortunately, removing a printer in Windows 11 is quick and safe.

1. Open Settings, then go to Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
2. Click the printer you no longer use to open its detail page.
3. Select Remove device (or Remove printer) and confirm when Windows asks if you’re sure.

This removes the printer from your list and helps keep things tidy. If you ever need that printer again in the future, you can simply add it back like any other new printer—removing it here doesn’t permanently break the printer itself.

Letting Windows Automatically Manage Your Default Printer

If you move between locations a lot—say, home, office, and a coworking space—manually switching your default printer can get old fast. Windows 11 includes a helpful option that can take this chore off your plate: automatically managing your default printer based on where you’ve printed most recently.

To turn this on:

1. Go back to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page until you see the section labeled Printer preferences (or similar wording).
3. Turn on the switch for Let Windows manage my default printer.

With this setting enabled, Windows will set your default printer to the one you used most recently on that network. For example, at home it will favor your home printer, and at the office it will switch to your office printer after you use it. It’s a small feature that can make life noticeably smoother if you’re often on the go.

Keep Your Printing Simple and Stress-Free

Printers have a reputation for being fussy, but managing them in Windows 11 doesn’t have to be. By visiting Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners, you can see everything that’s installed, open queues, run troubleshooters, remove old devices, and control which printer gets used by default. Whether you prefer to set one favorite printer and forget about it, or let Windows automatically choose based on where you are, you’re in charge.

Spend a few minutes now exploring your printer settings, and the next time you click Print, it’ll feel a lot less like guesswork—and a lot more like a smooth, predictable part of your day.