Have you ever experienced a time when a printer you already deleted keeps on popping up especially when you’re trying to print something? If so, then read on as this post will show you what to do if a deleted printer keeps on reappearing on your Windows 10 PC.
One thing’s for sure – you are not alone in this dilemma as there are several users who complained about the same issue with their deleted printer. Usually, the printer keeps on popping up because it may have an unfinished job which has been commanded by the system but was never really completed – in fact, when you click to see what the printer is trying to print, you will see a couple of documents it has still to print yet. So this is most likely the reason why the printer keeps on reappearing even though you already got rid of it.
This is a common problem in a workplace where there are many printers being used along with different users who work on individual printers. If you constantly face this nuisance, try the following suggestions.
Option #1 – Check the Print Server Properties
The problem might stem down from the Print Server properties which us why you have to check it.
- Tap the Win + S keys and go to Printers.
- Select Devices and Printers from the menu.
- Click on any printer once to select it and then select Print Server Properties.
- From there, look for the Drivers tab and switch to it to select the printer you want to delete from the system.
- Right-click on the printer and select Remove.
- Select Apply and click OK to save the changes.
- After that, go to the Settings app and right click on System and select Apps & features.
- Look for the printer driver and choose to remove it from the system.
Option #2 – Configure the registry
The problem might be caused by the Registry. Even though you’ve already removed the printer from the Settings app and from the Control Panel, chances are its configuration on the registry remains the same which explains why the printer keeps on reappearing even after you deleted it. Follow the steps below to configure the registry.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in regedit and click OK or tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers
- After that, expand the registry key for Printers to look for the particular printer you need to get rid of.
- Once you’ve found it, right click on it and click on Delete.
- Next, close the Registry Editor and restart your PC and then check Devices and Printers once again to see if the printer is now gone.
Option #3 – Log out every user on each account
There are multiple users on office computer – one of which might still be logged into the printer you want to delete. To completely remove the printer, log each user out of each account and then delete the printer as well as the driver package.
Option #4 – Try using a “Deleter” tool
A Deleter tool will make things simpler for you just like the Kyocera Deleter tool for instance. It will do the job of getting rid of the printer for you if you run it as administrator. Note that before you use any Deleter tool, you must create a system restore point first.
Option #5 – Try using the Device Manager
Open the Device Manager and go to View and then select “Show hidden devices”. Expand the Software devices group to see all the printer devices and from there, you can delete any of the printers.
If you are also currently experiencing some system issues such as corrupted registries or slow PC performance, you can try a one-click solution known as PC Cleaner Pro. This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system.
Perform a full system scan using PC Cleaner Pro. To do so, follow the instructions below.
- Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
- After that, the BIOS screen will be isplayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.
- To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
- Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
- Press and hold both R key and Windows key.
- If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
- Type in explorer http://www.fixmypcfree.com/install/pccleanerpro
A single space must be in between explorer and http. Click OK.
- A dialog box will be displayed by Internet Explorer. Click Run to begin downloading PC Cleaner Pro. The installation will start automatically once a download is done.
- Click OK to launch the program.
- Run the program and click the Click to Start Scan button to perform a full system scan.
- After all the infections are identified, click FIX ALL.