How to Remove Old Printer Drivers and Phantom Printers

🔧Step-by-Step Fixes

Fix 1: Remove Printers Through Settings

Start with the normal removal process.

1. Open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners
2. Click each old or phantom printer
3. Click Remove device
4. If it says "In use" or won't delete, move to the next fix
5. After removing all possible printers, restart your computer
6. Check if any reappeared

Fix 2: Stop Print Spooler and Remove Stubborn Printers

Stopping the spooler service allows you to delete "in use" printers.

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type services.msc and press Enter
3. Find Print Spooler in the list
4. Right-click it and select Stop
5. Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers
6. Right-click stubborn printers and select Remove device
7. They should now delete without errors
8. Go back to Services and Start the Print Spooler again

Fix 3: Delete Printer Drivers Completely

Removing the printer doesn't remove its driver, which can cause it to reappear.

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type printui.exe /s /t2 and press Enter
3. The Print Server Properties window opens
4. Click the Drivers tab
5. You'll see all installed printer drivers
6. Select an old driver you don't need
7. Click Remove
8. Choose Remove driver and driver package
9. Click OK to confirm
10. Repeat for all old drivers
11. Close the window and restart your computer

Important: Only remove drivers for printers you no longer use. Removing an active printer's driver will break it.

Fix 4: Clear Printer Registry Entries (Advanced)

Phantom printers sometimes leave registry entries that cause them to reappear.

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type regedit and press Enter (click Yes if prompted)
3. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers
4. In the left pane, you'll see folders for each printer
5. Find the old printer entries
6. Right-click the printer folder and select Delete
7. Confirm deletion
8. Also check: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Printers\Connections
9. Delete old printer entries here too
10. Close Registry Editor
11. Restart your computer

Warning: Be very careful in the registry. Only delete printer entries, nothing else. Make a backup first (File > Export).

Fix 5: Remove Printer Queue Files

Sometimes stuck print jobs prevent proper removal.

1. Stop the Print Spooler (see Fix 2)
2. Open File Explorer
3. Navigate to: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
4. Delete all files in this folder
5. Also go to: C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64 (or \w32 for 32-bit systems)
6. Look for folders named after old printer manufacturers
7. Delete folders for printers you've removed
8. Start the Print Spooler service again

Fix 6: Use Print Management Tool for Complete Cleanup

Windows' built-in Print Management tool offers more control.

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type printmanagement.msc and press Enter
3. Expand Print Servers > Your Computer Name
4. Click Printers
5. Right-click old printers and select Delete
6. Click Drivers
7. Right-click unused drivers and select Remove Driver Package
8. Click Ports
9. Delete unused ports (USB001 for disconnected printers, old IP addresses, etc.)
10. Restart your computer

Fix 7: Prevent Network Printers from Auto-Reinstalling

If printers keep coming back, Windows might be auto-detecting them on the network.

1. Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners
2. Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer
3. Under "Download over metered connections" turn off printer auto-installation
4. Open Services (services.msc)
5. Find Downloaded Maps Manager
6. Double-click it and set Startup type to Disabled (this prevents auto-discovery)

Note: This is only for persistent phantom printers. Don't do this if you regularly add new printers.