How to Download Printer Drivers to Computers
Whether you lost your printer installation disc or need updated drivers, downloading current printer drivers is fairly easy for anyone to do. Sometimes you can fix printer problems simply by downloading updated drivers from the manufacturer. Before you go out and buy a new printer try downloading a new driver to see if it will fix your problem. There are two methods of downloading updated drivers for your printer. The first is easier but not quite as reliable. Try it first but be ready to move on to the second method.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Use the Device Manager
-
1
Right click on the icon for "My Computer" and select "Properties." Click the "Hardware" tab in the pop-up window and then click on "Device Manager."
-
2
Locate your printer in the list and double-click on it. Select the "Driver" tab in the screen that pops up.
-
-
3
Click on the "Update driver" button, then let Windows search for, and install, your driver.
Download Manually
-
4
Find the brand and model number of your printer. Also note which operating system you are using--which version of Windows (or Linux, or Mac).
-
5
Locate the specific website for your brand of printer. Try typing in the brand name followed by ".com" or using an Internet search engine to search for the manufacturer's name, then go to the site. Drivers are typically found areas labeled "Support," "Downloads" or "Drivers."
-
6
Find your specific printer model on the website. It is important to find the correct model printer driver, using the wrong printer model can render the printer useless or cause printer malfunction. After the correct driver is located, click on the screen area that starts the download. Note the location where the file is being saved.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you have any old printer drivers in your system, it is helpful to locate and remove them before installing a new driver, on rare occasions it can cause a conflict and create printer problems.
Most drivers are packaged in a zipped form and require unzipping before you can install them. Most current windows operating systems include an unzip utility that will extract such files; simply double-click the file with a .zip extension. Unzipping files creates, or gives you the opportunity to create, a new folder to store the extracted files, including the driver installation file.
