Network and Internet Add Shared Printer in Windows 11


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Printer_sharing_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to add a printer shared by another PC on the same network to your Windows 11 PC.

In Windows 10 and Windows 11, you can share your printer with many PCs on your network. To share a printer from the PC that the printer is connected to (the primary PC) with secondary PCs that the printer is not connected to, you must set up sharing settings for the printer, connect the printer to the primary PC (either wirelessly or by using a USB cable), and then turn on the printer. Also make sure the primary PC is turned on, connected to the printer, and connected to the network.

It is required to share the printer connected to a PC before other PCs on the same network are able to add and use the shared printer.

You will need to know the network path of a shared printer connected to a PC to add the shared printer to your PC. The network path includes the IP address or computer name of the PC the shared printer is connected to, and the printer's share name.

For example: \\Brink-Spectre\HP LaserJet Share

While the computer that shared the printer is turned off (shut down) or goes into standby (sleep/hibernate), the shared printer added to your computer will be unavailable.

While the shared printer is powered off, it will of course be unavailable to all computers on the same network.

Reference:

Share your network printer - Microsoft Support

Learn how to share a printer between a primary PC and secondary PCs on your network.
support.microsoft.com support.microsoft.com

You must be signed in as an administrator to add a shared printer.

It is required to turn on file and printer sharing on your PC to add and use the shared printer.



Contents



EXAMPLE: Added shared printer in Settings

Shared_printer_in_Settings.png





Option One

Add Shared Printer in Settings


1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Bluetooth & devices on the left side, and click/tap on Printers & scanners on the right side. (see screenshot below)


Add_shared_printer_Settings-1.png

3 Click/tap on the Add device button. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Settings-2.png

4 Click/tap on the Add a new device manually link when it appears. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Settings-3.png

5 Perform the steps below: (see screenshot below)
  1. Select (dot) Select a shared printer by name.
  2. Enter the network path of the shared printer.

    You can use the IP address or computer name of the PC the shared printer is connected to.

    For example:

    \\Computer name\Printer Share Name

    OR

    \\IP Address\Printer Share Name

  3. Click/tap on Next.
Add_shared_printer_Settings-4.png

6 Your PC will now start connecting to the shared printer on the PC it's connected to, and download and install the driver from the computer the shared printer is connected to. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Settings-5.png

7 Click/tap on Next when the shared printer has been successfully added. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Settings-6.png

8 Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)

You can Print a test page first if you like.


Add_shared_printer_Settings-7.png

9 You can now close Settings if you like.




Option Two

Add Shared Printer in Devices and Printers


1 Open Devices and Printers.

2 Click/tap on Add a printer on the toolbar. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Devices-and_Printers-1.png

3 Click/tap on the The printer that I want isn't listed link at the bottom when it appears. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Devices-and_Printers-2.png

4 Perform the steps below: (see screenshot below)
  1. Select (dot) Select a shared printer by name.
  2. Enter the network path of the shared printer.

    You can use the IP address or computer name of the PC the shared printer is connected to.

    For example:

    \\Computer name\Printer Share Name

    OR

    \\IP Address\Printer Share Name

  3. Click/tap on Next.
Add_shared_printer_Settings-4.png

5 Your PC will now start connecting to the shared printer on the PC it's connected to, and download and install the driver from the computer the shared printer is connected to. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Settings-5.png

6 Click/tap on Next when the shared printer has been successfully added. (see screenshot below)

Add_shared_printer_Settings-6.png

7 Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)

You can Print a test page first if you like.


Add_shared_printer_Settings-7.png

8 You can now close Devices and Printers if you like.




Option Three

Add Shared Printer in PowerShell


1 Open Windows Terminal (Admin), and select Windows PowerShell.

2 Type the command below you want to use into Windows Terminal (Admin), and press Enter. (see screenshots below)

(Use computer name to add shared printer)​
Add-Printer -ConnectionName "\\Computer Name\Printer Share Name"​

OR​

(Use IP Address to add shared printer)​
Add-Printer -ConnectionName "\\IP Address\Printer Share Name"​

Substitute Computer Name in the command above with the actual computer name (ex: "Brink-Spectre") the shared printer is connected to.

Substitute IP Address in the command above with the actual IP address (ex: "192.168.1.124") of the computer the shared printer is connected to.

Substitute Printer Share Name in the command above with the actual share name (ex: "HP LaserJet Share") of the shared printer you want to add.

For example:

(Use computer name to add shared printer)
Add-Printer -ConnectionName "\\Brink-Desktop\HP LaserJet Pro Shared"

OR

(Use IP Address to add shared printer)
Add-Printer -ConnectionName "\\192.168.1.124\HP LaserJet Pro Shared"


Add_shared_printer_PowerShell.png

3 You can now close Windows Terminal (Admin) if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


Related Tutorials

 

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When I looked for a Canon MX410 driver on the Canon site, it said it was included in Win 11. I then found a post of someone with the same problem I was having and they said Win 11 doesn't have the driver and to instead use the Win 10 64 bit driver. I did and it worked. This post was from 2022. You would think Canon would change their website to tell everyone to install the Win 10 driver. I installed that and it works fine now. Thanks everyone for your help.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    WIN 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER LAPTOP-9G170ES0
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-8145U CPU @ 2.10GHz 2.30 GHz
    Memory
    4 Gigs
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO
    CPU
    Intel(R) Pentium(R) Gold 8505 1.20 GHz
    Motherboard
    IdeaCetre AIO 3 221AP7
    Memory
    4 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    SSD 256 Gigs
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