When using printers on a network, you might face the issue wherein network printer is not detected. The network printer is connected to a number of computers in a wired or wireless connection on a shared network. If you are unable to find a wireless printer on your system, it could be a little frustrating.
A network printer is different from a local printer as the latter is directly connected to one computer. A network printer is mostly used by a larger number of devices over a home network or a company to make it available for all employees. It is cost efficient and low maintenance as a smaller number of devices to be taken care of.
It can be an issue when working in a company as one printer is required to complete the tasks. If you have been using it for a while, and it disappears one day, you need to find the solutions.
The reasons can be various- ranging from wobbly connection, outdated drivers, or no network.
To resolve the missing printer issue in Windows, we have listed a number of reasons with solutions.
Troubleshooting ‘network printer’ Issue:
First, we check a few things physically, which can be the reason behind the printer not showing up on network –
Step 1: Check the printer for power first, unplug the printer and plug in again correctly. Now restart your printer.
Step 2: Check the network connection, if wired connection, check for ethernet cable. If the Wi-Fi connection is used, check for its connectivity and then find wireless printer.
Step 3: Uninstall and install the printer again. Now go to the Start Menu> Settings> Devices> Printers and scanners. Find wireless printer which has been shared on the network.
Step 4: Run the troubleshooter for printer after install from here. Or find it from the Start Menu> Settings> Update & Security> Troubleshoot>Printer.
Step 5: Change your printer’s status to Online, sometimes it makes the printer not to show in your system.
Step 6: Check if your printer is stuck in some job as its a disadvantage of network printer. It can be accessed by a number of computers which can confuse it to take up more than one job at a time.
Step 7: Check if the printer is not out of paper or ink.
Updating Drivers
If you have recently updated your Windows, it can be a reason that some functions do not work properly. And if printer not showing up on network try to look for the drivers. You can check the manufacturer from the printer and go to its website. Thereafter locate the relevant driver available for your printer with model number and download it. Keep checking if the manufacturer of the printer or the software has made the latest update to keep your devices from failing to function.
Use Advanced Driver Updater:
Installing the latest drivers for your printer is very important. If you do not have the latest drivers to work with your updates in the system, it is likely that your printer won’t function properly. One of the best tools to keep your drivers updated is Advanced Driver Updater as this will fix your printer not found issue. Device drivers are the components of the software which help directly to connect the hardware and the operating system to work efficiently. We need the printer drivers to make the Network printer run successfully.
Steps to follow to get the Advanced Driver updater to work:
Step 1: Download Advanced Driver Updater from link below., which is available for Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista and XP (both 32 bit and 64 bit). Install and run it successfully.
Step 2: Now you see the status of your computer, which states that the Drivers are outdated.
You need to click on the Start Scan Now button to check the device drivers in your system.
Step 3: The Scan will continue for a few moments and give you instant results.
You can see the existing drivers in your windows system being scanned for updates.
For the drivers which are outdated, it will show the Outdated in front of them. You can click on Update all. Or also choose to click or uncheck a few of them. It is recommended to keep your drivers updated for performance of the devices.
Step 4: When your drivers are all updated, it will ask you to restart your computer. Once you do so, it shows the printer driver as fixed and thus you are able to locate your Network printer.
In case you want to roll back to your driver, it’s possible as it keeps a backup of all system drivers.
To conclude: If you are not able to find your network printer, you need to follow the aforementioned steps. As it is a case of a simple malfunction of either the hardware or software. Most commonly it is found that the printer driver is not updated, and it generates the missing printer issue. We suggest using Advanced Driver Updater for fixing the driver updates.
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