The printer is connected, Windows can even see it — but under its name sits the message "Driver is unavailable", or the setup program fails at the same step every time. Here is the clean-install method that actually ends this.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 10 / 11⏱️ 15 minute fix
🎥 Watch the full process in the video — all 4 driver methods, step-by-step
Printer drivers fail differently from other drivers. The most common trap: an old, half-broken driver package stays inside Windows, and every new installation quietly reuses it and fails the same way. Installing again and again without removing the old package changes nothing. The fix has three parts — remove the old driver completely, restart the print system, then install the exact package for your model. Follow them in this order.
Settings — Bluetooth and devices — Printers and scanners
🖨️ Your printer modelDriver is unavailable
🧾 Printing queue — jobs stuck, nothing printsStuck
Services
⚙️ Print SpoolerStopped or crashing
👆 "Driver is unavailable" is Windows telling you plainly: the printer hardware is found, the driver is not working.
1
Remove the Printer and Its Old Driver Package
Disconnect the printer's USB cable (or note it — we remove it from Windows first)
Open Settings → Bluetooth and devices → Printers and scanners → select the printer → Remove
Press Windows + R, type printui /s /t2 and press Enter
In Print Server Properties, select your printer's driver and click Remove → choose Remove driver and driver package
Restart the PC
2
Restart the Print Spooler Cleanly
Press Windows + R → services.msc → Enter
Find Print Spooler — set Startup type to Automatic and click Start
If it starts and stops again, a stuck job is crashing it — clear the queue from the printer's folder after the driver is reinstalled in Fix 3
3
Install the Exact Driver From the Printer Maker ⭐
Open the printer maker's support site — HP, Canon, Epson, Brother and so on
Enter the exact model printed on the printer's front or back label (one letter difference is a different driver)
Download the full driver and software package for your Windows version — choose the complete package, not only a basic driver, if you also scan
Run the installer and connect the USB cable or choose Wi-Fi only when the setup asks — connecting too early makes Windows grab a generic driver first
Print the test page the installer offers
This is Method 2 from the video — the manufacturer's website — applied to printers. Also check Windows Update → Optional updates → Driver updates: many printer drivers wait there and can be used if the maker's site is confusing.
4
For a Network or Wi-Fi Printer
Connect the printer to your Wi-Fi first using its own screen or the WPS button on the router, note the printer's IP address from its network settings page, then in Windows choose Add device → Add manually → Add a printer using an IP address and enter that IP. If the maker's full package offers network setup, prefer it — it configures the port correctly by itself.
🛑 Honest note: some very old printers have no Windows 10 or 11 driver at all — the maker stopped publishing years ago. A Windows 10 driver or the maker's universal driver often still works, but if nothing exists for your model, no installer trick can invent one.
🎥 Watch the Complete Process in the Video
All 4 methods to download and install drivers — live demo, step-by-step.
What does Driver is unavailable mean for a printer?
Windows detected the printer hardware but has no working driver for it, so the printer sits in the list and refuses every job. Installing the exact model driver from the printer maker's website — after removing the old driver package — clears this message.
My printer is old. Will it work on Windows 11?
Often yes. Check the maker's site for a Windows 10 or 11 driver — Windows 10 drivers usually install fine on Windows 11. If the maker offers only a universal print driver, use that. Very old models with no driver at all cannot be fixed by any trick, though Microsoft's generic drivers may still give basic printing.
The printer installs but the Print Spooler keeps stopping. Why?
A corrupt print job or a damaged driver usually crashes the spooler. Clear the pending jobs, restart the Print Spooler service, and if it keeps stopping, remove the printer driver completely using Fix 1 in this guide and install the fresh package again.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu driver video • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply there 🙏