**How to Force-Remove Printer Drivers on Windows 10/11 When Standard Uninstallation Fails** Sometimes, when you try to uninstall a printer through the standard Windows settings, it simply refuses to budge. You click "Uninstall," but the driver remains stubbornly listed in your device manager or print queue. This is a common headache for users trying to clear out old hardware or fix driver conflicts. If the standard method isn't working, you need to go deeper into the system to manually strip the driver from Windows 10 or 11. Here is the professional way to do it. ### Method 1: Using the Print Server Properties (The Most Effective Way) The most reliable way to remove a driver that refuses to uninstall via the Control Panel is through the Print Server Properties menu. This bypasses the standard "Add/Remove Programs" interface and targets the driver package directly. 1. **Open Run Command:** Press `Windows Key + R` on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. 2. **Access Print Management:** Type `printui /s /t` into the box and hit Enter. This command opens the **Print Server Properties** window directly. 3. **Locate the Driver:** Under the **Drivers** tab, find the specific printer driver you want to remove from the list. 4. **Remove the Package:** Click on the driver to highlight it, then click the **Remove** button. 5. **Select "Remove Driver and Driver Data":** A pop-up will appear. To ensure the driver is completely gone, select the option **"Remove driver and driver data"** and click OK. 6. **Confirm:** If Windows asks for administrator permission, click Yes. *Note: If you receive an error saying "The driver is in use," you must first restart the Print Spooler (see Method 2 below) or restart your computer and try this method again immediately upon reboot.* ### Method 2: Restarting the Print Spooler If Windows tells you the driver is "in use," it means the Print Spooler service is currently holding onto that driver file to manage print jobs. You need to stop this service before you can delete the driver. 1. **Open Services:** Press `Windows Key + R`, type `services.msc`, and hit Enter. 2. **Find Print Spooler:** Scroll down the list until you find **Print Spooler**. 3. **Stop the Service:** Right-click on **Print Spooler** and select **Stop**. 4. **Clear the Print Queue:** To ensure no "ghost" print jobs are stuck, navigate to `C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS` in File Explorer and delete all files in that folder. 5. **Restart the Service:** Go back to the Services window, right-click **Print Spooler**, and select **Start**. 6. **Retry Method 1:** Now, attempt to remove the driver using the Print Server Properties method described above. ### Method 3: Using Device Manager If the driver is still appearing in your hardware list, you can attempt to remove it through the Device Manager. 1. **Open Device Manager:** Right-click the **Start button** and select **Device Manager**. 2. **Find the Printer:** Look under the **Print queues** section or **Printers** section. 3. **Uninstall Device:** Right-click your printer and select **Uninstall device**. 4. **Check the Box:** If a prompt appears asking to **"Delete the driver software for this device,"** make sure that box is checked, then click Uninstall. ### Summary When a printer driver refuses to uninstall through the standard Windows interface, it is usually because the driver files are currently being used by the system or the Print Spooler. By stopping the Print Spooler and using the **Print Server Properties** (`printui /s /t`) command, you can force Windows to release and delete the driver package entirely.

Often, you may need to remove and reconnect a printer to troubleshoot setup issues. In addition, clearing out old, unused devices helps keep your connected peripherals organized in Windows 11 and 10.

You can easily remove any connected printer directly through the Settings app. If that doesn't work, you can turn to Command Prompt and several other built-in tools to force a complete removal. Here is a step-by-step guide to the different ways you can uninstall printers from your Windows PC.

1. How to Remove a Printer in Windows via Settings

The Settings app offers the most straightforward way to add or remove devices. Here is how to do it:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.

2. Select the Bluetooth & devices tab on the left.

3. Scroll down and click Printers & scanners to view all devices connected to your computer.

4. Click the device you want to remove.

5. Click the Remove button in the top-right corner, then click Yes to confirm.

If you encounter an error, stop the Print Spooler service in Services and try again.

2. Uninstall Printer Software for a Complete Cleanup

If a deleted device continues to appear, you may need to uninstall its associated printer driver software to remove it entirely. You can do this from the Installed apps (or Apps & features) section in Windows 10 and 11.

To uninstall printer drivers and software:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Click the Apps tab on the left, then select Installed apps. The list may take a few seconds to populate.
3. Under the app list, scroll through or search for your printer's software suite or driver package.
4. Click the three-dot menu next to the software.
5. Select Uninstall, then click Uninstall again to confirm.
6. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process, then check for any other companion software packages and remove them as well.
7. Once finished, restart your PC.

3. Remove a Printer Using Control Panel

You can also use the classic Control Panel to manage connected hardware. Removing a printer here is particularly effective if the device failed to uninstall properly through Settings.

To remove a printer via Control Panel:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.

2. Type control and click OK (or press Enter) to open Control Panel.

3. In Control Panel, navigate to Hardware and Sound.

4. Click Devices and Printers.

5. Under the Printers section, locate the device you want to remove.

6. Right-click the printer and select Remove Device.

7. Click Yes to confirm.

4. Remove a Printer via Print Server Properties

Removing a device icon doesn't always delete the underlying driver files, which can cause configuration issues later on. In this scenario, you can use the Print Server Properties dialog to purge installed printer drivers.

To remove an installed driver:

1. Press Win + R to open Run.

2. Type control and click OK.

3. In Control Panel, go to Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers.

4. Select any available printer on the screen, then click Print server properties on the top toolbar.

5. Switch to the Drivers tab in the Print Server Properties dialog.

6. Under Installed printer drivers, select the driver you wish to remove and click Remove.

7. Select Remove driver and driver package.

8. Click OK to confirm and delete the package.

9. Restart your PC to finalize the removal.

5. Uninstall a Printer Using Device Manager

Device Manager lets you manage all internal components and external peripherals connected to your system. You can use it to troubleshoot hardware, update drivers, configure new devices, and delete existing ones.

To uninstall a printer using Device Manager:

1. Press Win + X to open the Power User menu.

2. Select Device Manager from the list.

3. Click View in the top menu and select Show hidden devices.

4. Expand the Printers category to locate your device.

5. Right-click the printer and choose Uninstall device.

6. If available, check Delete the driver software for this device and click Uninstall.

7. If the Printers category does not appear, expand Print queues instead and repeat the same steps.

8. Close Device Manager and restart your computer.

6. How to Uninstall a Printer Using Command Prompt

If you prefer using the command line over graphical menus, you can delete any installed printer using the printui utility.

To remove a device via Command Prompt:

1. Press the Win key and type cmd.
2. Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, run the following command to list all installed printers:

   wmic printer get name 

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4. To delete a specific printer, execute the following command:

   printui.exe /dl /n "Your_Printer_Name" 

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5. Replace Your_Printer_Name with the exact name of the printer as listed in the previous step.
6. Press Enter to run the command.

7. Remove a Printer Driver Using Print Management

Print Management is an administrative Windows tool designed to oversee printers, drivers, ports, and print servers. You can use it to thoroughly delete printer drivers from your system. Note that Print Management is not available on Windows Home editions.

To delete a printer driver with Print Management:

1. Press Win + R to open Run.

2. Type printmanagement.msc and click OK.

3. In the left navigation pane, expand Print Servers.

4. Click your local machine name to expand it.

5. Select Printers to see all installed devices.

6. In the center pane, right-click the printer you want to remove.

7. Click Delete and confirm with Yes.

8. Remove Printer Drivers with PowerShell

You can also use PowerShell to strip out installed driver packages directly, which is especially useful on Windows Home editions where Print Management is missing.

To remove a printer driver using PowerShell:

1. Press the Win key and type powershell.
2. Right-click Windows PowerShell and choose Run as administrator.
3. In the PowerShell terminal, enter the following command and press Enter to list installed drivers:

   Get-PrinterDriver | Format-List Name

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4. Once you find the driver name, run the following command to remove it:

   Remove-PrinterDriver -Name "Printer-Name"

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5. Replace Printer-Name with the exact name shown in the output above.

Source: Quantrimang

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phát Lâm

Tôi là Phát Lâm, CEO tại Hungphatlaptop.com, chuyên gia IT với nhiều năm kinh nghiệm trong lĩnh vực đánh giá PC, hạ tầng công nghệ và hệ thống mạng. Không chỉ am hiểu sâu về cấu hình phần cứng, hiệu suất hệ thống và xu hướng thị trường, tôi luôn tư vấn giải pháp tối ưu, giúp khách hàng lựa chọn thiết bị phù hợp với nhu cầu sử dụng, đảm bảo hiệu suất cao, tối ưu chi phí và mang lại giá trị thực sự.

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