Installing a printer in Windows operating system has always been an easy task, and Windows 10 is not different. If your printer’s manufacturer is offering driver for Windows 10, you can setup and begin printing in minutes.

Like its predecessors, Windows 10 also supports different types of printers. You can add local printer, shared printer, add a printer using TCP/IP address, add a Bluetooth, wireless or network discoverable printer, or add a local/network printer with manual settings.

Installing a printer in Windows 10

In this guide, we will see how to add a printer to Windows 10 PC.

Step 1: Connect your printer to Windows 10 PC and make sure that it’s turned on. If it’s a wireless printer, turn it on and choose one of the connections methods available. If auto wireless connect is available, choose that method.

Step 2: Download the latest version of driver software for your printer, and install the same on your PC.

Step 3: Open Settings app by either clicking Settings icon in the left-pane of the Start menu as shown in the picture below or simultaneously press Windows logo and I keys.

Step 4: On the home screen of Settings app, click on Devices icon.

Step 5: Click Printers & scanners. If you have already installed the right version of the driver for the printer and performed a reboot, you should see your printer name under the Printers & scanners section.

If the printer is appearing, click on it and then click

If it’s not appearing, follow the directions in the following steps.

Step 6: Click Add a printer or scanner option. Windows will start searching for the connected printer. If Windows 10 recognizes your printer, you can click on it.

If it doesn’t click the link labelled The printer that I want isn’t listed to open Add Printer wizard.

Step 7: As you can see in the picture below, the Add Printer wizard offers the following options:

My printer is a little older. Help me find it.

Select a shared printer by name

Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname

Add a Bluetooth, wireless or network discoverable printer

Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings

Here, depending on your need and type of the printer you have, select the right option, click Next button and then follow on-screen instructions.

If you select the first option, Windows might be able to discover printers that don’t have officially supported drivers for Windows 10. We tried this option to check if Windows 10 can discover our Canon LBP 2900B printer without installing the driver, but Windows 10 couldn’t discover the printer. Windows discovered that printer only after installing the official driver.

To add a shared printer, select a shared printer by name, and then type in the network location where the printer is shared.

To adding a printer using TCP/IP address, select the third option, select TCP/IP device for device type field, type in the IP address and port name, and then click Next button.

If the standard method is not working for you and if the printer is not working after setting up, please use the official printer troubleshooter for Windows 10 to fix printer issues.

Have fun Windows 10!