Can’t Find Printer On Network Windows 10? Here’s What You Should Do

Wireless printers have become very popular in recent times. They are being widely used in offices, homes and other institutions for its efficiency and smooth printing abilities.

The first thing that is needed after purchasing a wireless printer, is to connect it with a wireless network. It is a very simple procedure that you can do quite easily. All you might need is a little help from the user manual.

Sometimes, your Windows laptop or PC could be unable to find the printer on the network. However, your wireless network might be working well. This is quite a common issue with wireless printers, which are connected to a Windows 10-based device.

If you can’t find printer on network Windows 10, it can be very frustrating. Due to this error, your work might be hampered as well. So, you will have to fix this problem at the earliest.

What Can Cause This Issue?

There are three important devices, which have to work in unity for a wireless printer to do its job. These are the router, the computer and the wireless printer itself. Any issue in any one of these devices will trigger this problem.

Possible reasons can be listed as follows:

• There is an error in the network connection.
• Printer drivers are not updated.
• The Windows PC or laptop is not compatible with the printer.
• There is a problem in the network adapters.

Things To Try When You Can’t Find Printer On Network Windows 10

If you are unable to find your printer on the network, then you must not panic. You simply need to follow the easy solutions that can fix can’t find printer on network Windows 10 problem.

Check if the Printer is Properly Connected to the Network

This is the first thing you need to do if you cannot find your printer on the network. Follow these steps to ensure that your printer is added properly to the network:

1. On your Windows device, go to the upper right-hand side of the screen. Click on the ‘Search’ option from the menu.
2. Inside the search box, type ‘Network’.
3. Now, click on the ‘Network’ icon.
4. In the Network menu, verify if the name of your printer is being displayed or not.

Make Use of the Advanced Printer Setup

You can try out the Advanced Printer Setup in your wireless printer to deal with the issue. You need to follow these instructions: 

Follow the first step mentioned in the previous point. Now, in the search box, type ‘Advanced Printer Setup’.

From the list now click on the ‘Advanced Printer Setup’ icon. Then, click on the ‘Choose a printer on the list’ and start to look for your printer on the relevant list.

In case, you can’t find the printer, go back to the previous step. Here, click on ‘The printer that I want isn’t listed’

After this, put the name of your printer and click on the ‘Next’ tab. Finally, you have to carefully follow all the instruction given on the screen.

Turn off Network Adapter

Disabling the network adapter can be another effective way to deal with ‘Can’t find printer on network Windows 10’ issue. You can follow these steps to execute this solution:

1. Go to the ‘Search’ tab located on the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
2. Here, type ‘Network and Sharing Centre’ and click Enter.
3. Now, choose the ‘Change Adapter Settings’ option.
4. Once, you locate the network adapter that you are using, right-click on it.
5. Click on the ‘Disable’ option. You will be asked for entering your Administrator password and username. 
6. So, put in the relevant information to proceed. Then, you need to right-click on your network adapter to enable it again.

Check the Homegroup

Homegroup is a group of computers or laptops on a home network. These devices can share files and printers and other data with each other. Due to any reason, if your printer is not enlisted in the homegroup, you can face this error. Hence, follow these instructions to check if your printer is in the homegroup:

Go to the Search tab on your computer. Now type ‘This PC’ and hit the Enter button.

When ‘This PC’ icon appears, you have to left-click on it.

Now, under the ‘Homegroup’ option, try to see if you can locate the name of your wireless printer.

If you don’t find your printer, search for ‘Workgroup and domain’. Here, check if you can see your printer.

Use ‘Find Devices and Content’ option

Another way to resolve ‘Can’t find printer om network Windows 10’ issue is to use the ‘Find Devices and Content’ feature. You can follow these instructions to tackle the issue at hand:

1. Go to the ‘Settings’ feature on your computer. From the options, choose ‘Change PC Settings.
2. In the ‘Change PC Settings’ menu, select the ‘Network’ option.
3. From here, choose ‘Connections’ and select the network connection that you are currently using. 
4. After this, turn on the ‘Find Devices and Content’ option.
5. Finally, reboot your system and check if your printer can be seen in the networks list.

Install Printer Drivers

Old or outdated printer driver is a major reason behind most printer-related issues. It might be possible that you’re facing this issue because your printer driver is not updated.

What you need to do is to download and install a fresh update. So, go to the official website of the manufacturer of your printer. Type the name of your printer there. Check for the availability of the updated drivers for your wireless printer. Once you find the relevant version, download and install it.

Use Printer Troubleshooter

When you can’t fix the issue from your PC or laptop, use the printer’s Troubleshooter application. Follow these steps to use the Troubleshooter:

1. Go to the ‘Settings’ option on your printer.

2. Now move on to ‘Update and Security’.

3. Finally, click on ‘Troubleshooter’

Your printer will run the Troubleshooter to check and rectify the issue.

These simple solutions have proven to be quite effective by many printer users. Try these out before you approach a technician to fix can’t find printer on network Windows 10 error. If you have further queries, you can ask us in the comments section.