How to Troubleshoot ‘Windows cannot locate a suitable printer driver’ Problem on Windows 10

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Printing problems always occur at inconvenient times. The message “Windows can’t find a suitable printer driver in Windows 10” is an annoying problem that can occur when you’re trying to share a printer over a local network or are installing a printing device for the first time.

So if you can’t get a nice printed copy of an electronic document because of the above inconvenience, it’s time to learn how to troubleshoot when Windows can’t find the right printer driver. To that end, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of tried and tested tips that you can follow.

What causes “Windows can’t find the right printer driver”?

Windows Update (WU) is not very effective when it comes to downloading the latest driver version available. The “Windows can’t find a suitable printer driver” error message sometimes appears because the installed printer driver is not compatible with your version of Windows or is simply out of date. This causes compatibility problems when trying to share a printer over a network.

One of the most common reasons for the “Windows can’t find the right printer driver” error message is that your printer is not properly shared on your local network.

Here’s how to fix the “Windows can’t find the right printer driver” error

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Update the printer driver

  1. Open the Energy menu with WIN + X, then select Device Manager.
  2. If you decide to update the driver, be sure to check its compatibility with Windows 10.
  3. If you remove the driver and add it again, you must reconfigure the sharing permission.

Setting permissions for printer sharing

  1. Press the Windows logo key and R at the same time.
  2. Then copy the /name Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters control and paste it into the box, then click OK.
  3. Under Printers, right-click your printer, then click Printer Properties.
  4. Click the Sharing tab, select the Share this printer checkbox, and then click Apply -> OK.

Configure the network profile

  1. Click the network icon on the taskbar -> Properties.
  2. Change the network profile from Public to Private.
  3. Then go to Settings -> Network and Internet -> Sharing Options.
  4. Enable network discovery, enable printer and file sharing.



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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Navigate to the folder containing the incompatible driver.
  3. Right-click on the driver file and select Resolve Compatibility Issues.
  4. Click the Troubleshoot program button.

The error message "Printer driver not available" means that the driver installed for your printer is either incompatible or out of date. If your computer does not recognize or work with the driver, you will not be able to access the printer or use it to print jobs.

  1. Press the Windows key, find Device Manager and open it.
  2. Select the connected printer from the list of available devices.
  3. Right-click on the device and select Update Driver or Update Driver Software.
  4. Click Automatically check for driver software updates.

Related posts:
  1. How to Repair: Windows Cannot Locate a Suitable Printer Driver
  2. How to Troubleshoot ‘Printer Driver is Unavailable’ on Windows 10
  3. Printer Driver Troubleshooting: `Error 0x80070705` (Unknown Printer driver)
  4. How to troubleshoot the 0x00000bcb network printer error
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