How to share and add Network Printer in Windows 11/10

Sharing printers and adding a network printer is very easy in Windows 11/10. If you have a printer attached to your computer, you can share it with anyone on the same network. You can control who will access the printer or who will not in the network. This article shows you how to share and add a network printer in Windows 11/10.

But printers that are directly connected to a network rather than attached to a computer are available to anyone on the same network. These printers must have a network port or wireless connection that allows them to connect directly to the network.

Add Network Printer in Windows 11/10

You can easily share and add a network printer in Windows 11/10. But first of all, turn file and printer sharing ON on your system.

Turn the file and printer sharing ON

The following steps will guide you on how to turn ON file and printer sharing in Windows 10.

Open the Control Panel.
Go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
Now, click on the Change advanced sharing settings link on the left side.
Under File and printer sharing, select Turn on File and printer sharing, and then click Save changes.

If you are a Windows 11 user, you can follow the steps provided below:

Open Windows 11 Settings.
Go to Network & internet > Advanced network settings.
Scroll down and select Advanced sharing settings under the More settings section.
Expand the Public networks and Private networks tabs. Turn on the following two options for Public or Private networks (as per your requirement):

- Network discovery
- File and printer sharing

Now you can share the printer.

Read: How to Turn On or Off File and Printer Sharing.

How to share your printer on Windows 11/10

Let’s see how you can share your network printer on Windows 11/10. The following instructions will help you share your network printer in Windows 10.

Go to Start and open Devices and Printers.
Right-click the printer you want to share, and then click Printer properties.
Click the Sharing tab, and select the Share this printer check box.

Your printer is now available for other people on your network. All they need to do is add a network printer to their computers.

Windows 11 users have to go through the following instructions to share their network printer.

Open Windows 11 Settings.
Go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
Select your network printer from the list of available printers.
Now, click Printer properties.
Click on the Sharing tab in the Printer properties window.

Now, you can share your network printer on Windows 11.

How to add a network printer on Windows 11/10

Below, we have explained the steps to add a network printer on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers.

The following steps are for Windows 10 users.

Go to Start and open Devices and Printers.
Click Add a printer.
Click Add a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer, click the shared printer, click Next, and follow the instructions on the screen.
Once the printer is successfully installed, you can use it.

Windows 11 users have to go through the following instructions to add a network printer.

Open Windows 11 Settings.
Go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
Click on the Add device button. Windows 11 will automatically detect your network printer.

If Windows 11 does not detect your network printer after clicking on the Add device button, you can add your printer manually by clicking on the Add manually button. When you click on the Add manually button, an Add Printer popup window will appear on your screen. Now, select the desired option in that window and follow the on-screen instructions to add your network printer manually.

See this post if your default Printer keeps changing.

How to fix printer sharing problems in Windows 11?

If the Printer Sharing is not working on Windows 11, you can try running the Printer Troubleshooter. You can access this troubleshooter in Windows 11 Settings. It is an automated tool in Windows 11 that helps resolve printer issues. Printer sharing issues can also occur due to the firewall. To check if this is the case with you, disable your firewall. Sometimes, a recent Windows Update causes network printer sharing problems.

Where are the printer settings in Windows 11?

Printer settings are available on the Printers & scanners page in Windows 11 Settings. Open Windows 11 Settings and go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Now, select your printer. You will see your printer settings there.