To set a default printer in Windows 11, open Settings, choose Bluetooth & devices, select Printers & scanners, and turn off Let Windows manage my default printer. Then select the printer you want and click Set as default. These steps match Microsoft’s default printer guide.
This covers current Windows 11 on home and work PCs, with a separate section for Windows 10. The printer has to be installed already. If it isn’t in your list yet, see the section on missing printers below.
What a Default Printer Does
The default printer is the one Windows and most apps select first when you open a Print window. It only decides where a job goes. It does not change how the job prints, such as color, paper size, or two-sided printing. Those options live in the printer’s Printing preferences.
Windows can handle the default in two ways:
| Setting | What Windows does |
|---|---|
| Let Windows manage my default printer on | The default becomes the printer you used most recently. On a laptop, it can also switch to the last printer you used at your current location. |
| Let Windows manage my default printer off | The default stays on the printer you pick until you change it. |
If you print to the same printer most of the time, turning the setting off and choosing a fixed default is usually the better choice.
How to Set the Default Printer in Windows 11
- Click Start and choose Settings, or press Windows + I. The Settings window opens.
- Select Bluetooth & devices on the left side of the Settings window.
- Click Printers & scanners. You see the list of printers installed on this PC.
- Scroll to Printer preferences and turn off Let Windows manage my default printer. The switch shows Off.
- Scroll back up to the printer list and click the printer you want to use. Its settings page opens.
- Click Set as default near the top of the page. The line under the printer’s name changes to Printer status: Default, and most apps now select it when you print.
If neither route in step 1 works on your PC, try these other methods for opening Windows 11 Settings.
You can also jump straight to the printer list. Press Windows + R, type ms-settings:printers, and press Enter.
Any installed printer can be the default, including a virtual printer such as Microsoft Print to PDF. That one saves a PDF file instead of printing on paper, so pick a physical printer unless you mostly save PDFs.
Set the Default Printer From Control Panel
The older Control Panel route still works on many Windows 11 PCs and is useful if you are used to it.
- Press Windows + R, type control, and press Enter.
- If View by is set to large or small icons, change it to Category.
- Click Hardware and Sound, then Devices and Printers.
- Under Printers, right-click the printer you want and choose Set as default printer. A green check mark appears on its icon.
If Windows opens the Settings Printers & scanners page instead of the Control Panel window, use the Settings steps above. Control Panel can also show a message that Windows will stop managing your default printer. That is expected, since a fixed choice turns the automatic setting off.
Set the Default Printer With a Command
This method helps if you manage several PCs or prefer typing. You need the printer’s exact name as it appears in Printers & scanners.
- Click Start, type cmd, and open Command Prompt.
- Type this command, replacing the name in quotation marks with your printer’s name, and press Enter:
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /y /n "HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e"
The /y switch tells Windows to set that printer as the default. If nothing appears after you press Enter, the command worked. If you get an error that the printer name is invalid, check the spelling, spaces, and capital letters. To list the exact names, open PowerShell and run Get-Printer. Microsoft documents these switches on its PrintUIEntry command reference.
Set the Default Printer in Windows 10
Open Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners. Clear Let Windows manage my default printer, then select your printer and choose Manage > Set as default. Its Printer status should now say Default. When you print, check the printer selected in the app’s print preview, since an app can remember its own choice. Microsoft’s default-printer instructions include this Windows 10 route. The Control Panel and command methods above work the same way in Windows 10.
Why Is the Set as Default Button Missing?
If you do not see Set as default, first return to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and make sure Let Windows manage my default printer is turned off. The Set as default option may not be available while Windows is managing the default printer.
If the button is still missing, make sure the printer is installed and shows up in the Printers & scanners list. You must also click the printer to open its own page; the button does not appear on the main list.
On a work or school PC, the control can be hidden or greyed out by an administrator policy. Ask your IT department to set the default for you instead of changing policies yourself.
Why Does My Default Printer Keep Changing?
If your chosen default keeps switching back, Let Windows manage my default printer has been turned back on or never turned off; Windows then picks the printer you used most recently. Turn it off and set your printer again.
Other causes to check:
- Duplicate printer entries. Some printers install twice, for example once as a USB device and once as a network device. If you set the wrong copy as default, jobs can go to the copy that is offline. Remove the extra entry you don’t use.
- Printer software. Some manufacturer apps add their own printer entries or change settings when they update. Check the default again after installing printer software.
- Work policies. On a managed PC, a policy or sign-in script can reset the default each time you sign in.
What If Your Printer Is Not Listed?
If the printer you want is missing, make sure it is turned on and connected by USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Bluetooth as appropriate. Then open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and select Add device to let Windows find it. If the printer still doesn’t appear, select Add a new device manually next to The printer that I want isn’t listed and follow the prompts. For more on each option, read Add or install a printer in Windows.
If Windows still cannot find the printer, check the printer connection and driver before trying to set a default. A printer must be installed before it can be selected as the default device.
Once the printer is installed, you can also open its Printer properties to set the hours the printer is available.
How to Check That the Default Printer Changed
- Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer you chose and check that Printer status says Default.
- Open a document in an app such as Notepad and press Ctrl + P. Your default printer should already be selected in the Print window.
- Print a test page or a small document if you want to make sure printing works.
Some apps, including web browsers, can remember the last printer you used inside that app. If one app still picks another printer, select your printer in that app’s Print window once, and it should keep it next time.
How to Undo the Change
To go back to automatic behavior, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and turn Let Windows manage my default printer back on. Windows then uses the printer you used last. To pick a different fixed default, keep the setting off and click Set as default on another printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Windows 11 have more than one default printer?
Windows uses one default printer at a time. You can still choose another installed printer whenever you print.
Do I have to set a default printer?
No. You can select a printer manually from the Print dialog. A default printer saves time when you normally use the same device.
Why does Windows use the last printer I used?
Check whether Let Windows manage my default printer is enabled. Turn it off if you want to keep one specific printer as your permanent default.
Can I change the default printer later?
Yes. Return to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select another installed printer, and set that printer as the default.
If an old printer you no longer use keeps appearing in the list, remove the printer from Windows 11.
Does setting a printer as default fix an offline printer?
No. The default setting only chooses the preferred printer. To change how that printer prints, such as when you want to change printer settings to black and white, open its Printing preferences instead. If the printer is offline, you still need to troubleshoot its power, connection, network, queue, or driver problem.
The Printer troubleshooter in Get Help is a good first check. Learn how to run a troubleshooter in Windows 11.
To work through those checks in order, follow the steps for getting an offline printer back online.
Is the default printer the same for every user on the PC?
No. The default printer is saved for each Windows user account. If several people sign in to the same PC, each person sets their own default.
Next step: if you have just installed a new printer, add a printer in Windows 11 covers drivers and test pages before you make it the default.
Related guides: update a printer driver, rename a printer, add a scanner, and print multiple files at once.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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