If you’re a Windows 10 user, you probably have a default printer in your account. This printer is used to print documents and other types of files. If you want to change this default printer, you can do so by going to the Printers and Printers options in the Control Panel. To change your default printer, follow these steps:
- Open the Control Panel and click on the Printers and Printers option.
- In the left pane, you’ll see a list of your default printers. If your printer is listed as “My Default Printer,” then it will be displayed in this pane. If not, then it will not be listed in this pane.
- To change your default printer, click on it and select another from the list of printers that will be displayed. You can also right-click on a printer name and select “Change Printer.” This will open a dialog box where you can choose an alternate or new printer for your computer to use instead of the default one that was set up for you by Windows 10.
Normally, Windows 10 will automatically set the printer you used most recently to be your default printer. For some people, this can be annoying. Luckily, you can turn this feature off and manage your default printer manually. Here’s how.
How to Stop Windows 10 from Automatically Changing Your Default Printer
First, open “Settings” by clicking the “Start” menu and selecting the gear icon on the left. Or you can press Windows+i on your keyboard to open it quickly.
In Settings, click “Devices.”
In Devices, select “Printers & Scanners” in the sidebar menu.
In “Printers & Scanners” settings, scroll down and uncheck the box beside “Let Windows manage my default printer.”
After that, you might want to stay in Settings to manually change your default printer—see the instructions below. Otherwise, exit “Settings,” and the change you just made will take effect immediately.
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How to Manually Change Your Default Printer in Windows 10
If Windows Settings isn’t already open, open it up and navigate to Devices > Printers & scanners.
First, scroll down and locate the “Let Windows manage my default printer” option (see previous section). If the box beside it is checked, uncheck it. You have to turn this feature off to manage your default printer manually.
After that, scroll up on the same “Settings” page and locate the list of “Printers & scanners” installed on your system. Click the printer you’d like to make your default, then click the “Manage” button.
When the individual printer settings page appears, click the “Set as default” button.
(If you don’t see this button, go back to the previous page and uncheck “Let Windows manage by default printer.”)
After that, the printer you selected will be set as your default printer. Exit Settings and print as much as you’d like. Just watch out for that expensive ink. Happy printing!
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