Solved Remove a printer with driver not available

Lazzarone · Oct 5, 2022

Hello,
my Window's version is 22H2 (build SO 22621.521) I tried to install a network printer with "Add Device" button (please, consider I have italian version, so my English translation of buttons or system messages could be not accurate). Windows found SHARP MX-2614N - SHARP_MX2614_4507242600 and added it, but without drivers. I installed the drivers (yes, I could think about before...) and I added manually a network printer SHARP MX-2614N PCL6. All works fine, but I still have one entry on my printers list and I cannot remove it. Somebody can help me telling me how could I remove it?
Here is a snapshot of my printers list.

(Driver non disponibile -> Driver not available / Trova driver -> find a driver)

Brink · Oct 5, 2022

Hello Lazzarone, and welcome.

You can try to remove the printer using one of the available options in the tutorial below.

Remove Printer in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to remove a printer from your Windows 11 computer. If you have a printer added to the computer you no longer want installed, you can remove it. Option One: Remove Printer in "Printers & scanners" Settings Option Two: Remove Printer in "Bluetooth & devices"...

www.elevenforum.com

Lazzarone · Oct 5, 2022

Many thanks for your fast reply.
Method one doesn't work (if I click on the printer nothing happens)
Method two doesn't work (such printer is not in printers list)
Method three doesn't work (such printer is not in printers folder)
Method four doesn't work (such printer is not in printers queue)
Methods five and six don't work (again, the entry I want to delete doesn't appear in such lists)
So, it seems this printer doesn't exist, except in the list "Printers and Scanners".
Anyway, my system works fine, so treat it as a low priority problem. If I cannot resolve it, I don't care at all.

sHAKaJaada · Oct 10, 2022

Ciao Lazzarone, just look again into 4th option: in the Device Manager (devmgmt.msc), go to the View tab and mark the Show hidden devices. After that, look for a printer that will be slightly faded (leggermente sbiadito) and uninstall it...

.

energeneer · May 8, 2023

Hello everyone,
I face the same problem with the same issues Lazzarone had: Printer with "drivers unavailable" only appearing in list of printers in a non-clickable window.

For me, the solution was as follows:

Open settings (WIN + I)
Bluetooth and Devices
At the top: Click "Show more devices"
Scroll down until you see the printer
Here you can click the ... menu (as you would expect in the printers list)
Remove the device.

No other method worked for me.

justinhoch · Aug 11, 2023

Awesome, thank you for this, @energeneer. Solved my issue perfectly!

niwei_20xx · Aug 20, 2023

energeneer said:
Hello everyone,
I face the same problem with the same issues Lazzarone had: Printer with "drivers unavailable" only appearing in list of printers in a non-clickable window.

For me, the solution was as follows:

Open settings (WIN + I)

Bluetooth and Devices

At the top: Click "Show more devices"

Scroll down until you see the printer

Here you can click the ... menu (as you would expect in the printers list)

Remove the device.

No other method worked for me.

Dear Energeneer,

Your awesome method solved my issue. Thank you very much!

pja · Sep 12, 2023

Thank you @energeneer . I have been searching for this solution for a long time.
Only Windows would require "show more devices" to deal with a device you can already see!

RFS · Oct 9, 2023

energeneer said:
Hello everyone,
I face the same problem with the same issues Lazzarone had: Printer with "drivers unavailable" only appearing in list of printers in a non-clickable window.

For me, the solution was as follows:

Open settings (WIN + I)

Bluetooth and Devices

At the top: Click "Show more devices"

Scroll down until you see the printer

Here you can click the ... menu (as you would expect in the printers list)

Remove the device.

No other method worked for me.

I have the same problem. But when I go to Bluetooth and Devices there's no "show more devices" at the top of the screen. It's the Canon printer that is stuck. Any ideas?

Brink · Oct 9, 2023

RFS said:
I have the same problem. But when I go to Bluetooth and Devices there's no "show more devices" at the top of the screen. It's the Canon printer that is stuck. Any ideas?

View attachment 73519

Hello,

Are you able to use another option below to remove it?

Remove Printer in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to remove a printer from your Windows 11 computer. If you have a printer added to the computer you no longer want installed, you can remove it. Option One: Remove Printer in "Printers & scanners" Settings Option Two: Remove Printer in "Bluetooth & devices"...

www.elevenforum.com

RFS · Oct 9, 2023

Brink said:
Hello,

Are you able to use another option below to remove it?

Remove Printer in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to remove a printer from your Windows 11 computer. If you have a printer added to the computer you no longer want installed, you can remove it. Option One: Remove Printer in "Printers & scanners" Settings Option Two: Remove Printer in "Bluetooth & devices"...

www.elevenforum.com

I've been through this tutorial and nowhere is the printer to be found except in the blutooth and printers section of settings.

Brink · Oct 9, 2023

RFS said:
I've been through this tutorial and nowhere is the printer to be found except in the blutooth and printers section of settings.

Just to confirm, did you set Device Manager to Show hidden devices first to see if it will then show in Device Manager?

RFS · Oct 9, 2023

Brink said:
Just to confirm, did you set Device Manager to Show hidden devices first to see if it will then show in Device Manager?

Yes - it's not there either.

But I've found the solution almost by accident. The "show more devices" is not at the top of the screen. If I select my new Brother printer, this option is at the bottom of the screen for that device. That gets me to the old Control Panel Devices and Printers screen and I've deleted it there.

Brink · Oct 9, 2023

Great news. :party:

Tim1023 · Jul 1, 2024

energeneer said:
Hello everyone,
I face the same problem with the same issues Lazzarone had: Printer with "drivers unavailable" only appearing in list of printers in a non-clickable window.

For me, the solution was as follows:

Open settings (WIN + I)

Bluetooth and Devices

At the top: Click "Show more devices"

Scroll down until you see the printer

Here you can click the ... menu (as you would expect in the printers list)

Remove the device.

No other method worked for me.

I just created an account to say thank you to @energeneer! Nothing else worked, even the powershell options (which couldn't even see the printer), but this did. Thank you!

Very poor UX from MS to make this so difficult!

JazJonFL · Jul 10, 2024

energeneer said:
Hello everyone,
I face the same problem with the same issues Lazzarone had: Printer with "drivers unavailable" only appearing in list of printers in a non-clickable window.

For me, the solution was as follows:

Open settings (WIN + I)

Bluetooth and Devices

At the top: Click "Show more devices"

Scroll down until you see the printer

Here you can click the ... menu (as you would expect in the printers list)

Remove the device.

No other method worked for me.