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Windows 11 separates everyday print defaults from the printer’s technical configuration. To change paper size, orientation, color, duplex printing, paper type, or print quality, use Printing preferences. To change ports, sharing, spooling, security, or installed hardware options, use Printer properties.
The exact tabs depend on the printer driver, connection type, and whether Windows is using the modern IPP print platform. Two printers running on the same Windows 11 PC may therefore show different settings.
Open Printer Properties in Windows 11
- Open Start and select Settings.
- Select Bluetooth & devices.
- Select Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer you want to configure.
- Select Printer properties.
Depending on your Windows 11 build, you may first see a Manage button. Select Manage, then choose Printing preferences or Printer properties.
You can open the same Settings page directly. Press Windows key + R, enter the following URI, and press Enter:
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ms-settings:printersChoose the Correct Printer Window
Windows provides two related but different configuration windows. Choosing the wrong one is a common reason a setting appears to be missing.
| What you want to change | Use this window |
|---|---|
| Paper size, orientation, color, grayscale, duplex, paper type, or print quality defaults | Printing preferences |
| Spooling and when jobs start printing | Printer properties > Advanced |
| USB, TCP/IP, WSD, or shared printer port | Printer properties > Ports |
| Printer sharing and share name | Printer properties > Sharing |
| Printer trays and installed hardware options | Printer properties > Device Settings, if available |
| Which printer Windows uses by default | The printer page in Printers & scanners |
| Settings for one document only | The application’s print dialog |
Change Default Printing Preferences
Use these steps for defaults that should apply whenever an application does not override them:
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer.
- Select Printing preferences. If it is not shown immediately, select Manage first.
- Choose the relevant tab. Common tabs include Layout, Paper/Quality, Color, Finishing, and Advanced.
- Change the required options.
- Select Apply, then OK.
Typical options include:
- Paper size, such as Letter or A4
- Portrait or landscape orientation
- Color or grayscale
- One-sided or two-sided printing
- Paper source or tray
- Plain paper, envelope, photo paper, or another media type
- Draft, normal, or high print quality
- Copies, collation, and finishing
- Borderless printing, secure printing, watermarks, and manufacturer-specific color controls
Not every printer exposes all of these controls. For example, Microsoft’s troubleshooting instructions place Print Quality and Paper Type under Printing preferences > Paper/Quality when the driver provides those options.
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Spooling determines how Windows handles a print job before sending it to the printer. If an application appears to freeze while printing, or jobs print in an unexpected order, inspect these settings.
- Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer.
- Select Printer properties.
- Open the Advanced tab.
- Adjust the available spooling options.
- Select Apply, then OK.
Common controls include:
- Spool print documents so program finishes printing faster
- Start printing after last page is spooled
- Print spooled documents first
Spooling usually lets the application finish sooner because Windows stores the job temporarily instead of making the application wait for the printer.
Inspect or Change the Printer Port
Open Printer properties > Ports to see which Windows port is assigned to the printer. Common entries include USB001, Standard TCP/IP ports, WSD ports, and shared-printer connections.
- Open the printer’s page under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select Printer properties.
- Open the Ports tab.
- Review the selected port.
- Select a different existing port only if you have confirmed that it belongs to this printer.
- Select Apply, then OK.
Changing a port in Windows does not change the printer’s physical network address. For a network printer, verify that the selected TCP/IP port points to the correct IP address. If the printer received a new address from DHCP, the old port may still be selected even though the printer is online.
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Do not switch between USB, WSD, and TCP/IP ports as a general troubleshooting experiment. An incorrect port can make the printer appear offline or send jobs to another device.
Share a Printer from a Windows 11 PC
For a locally installed printer, the sharing controls are at:
Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > [printer] > Printer properties > Sharing
- Open the Sharing tab.
- Select Share this printer.
- Enter or confirm the Share name.
- Select Apply, then OK.
Sharing can also depend on the Print Spooler service, network discovery, firewall rules, account permissions, and the network profile. A printer shared from one PC is unavailable when that host PC is turned off.
On a managed or shared printer, some controls may be unavailable to standard users. The print server or administrator may control the driver, port, security, and server-wide configuration.
Configure Hardware Options and Trays
Some traditional printer drivers provide a Device Settings tab in the printer property sheet. It may contain settings for installed trays, duplex units, finishing equipment, or other hardware.
- Open Printers & scanners and select the printer.
- Select Printer properties.
- Open Device Settings, if the tab is present.
- Set the installed options and select Apply.
If the tab is absent, the current driver may not expose those controls. Check the printer manufacturer’s application or Print Support App rather than assuming Windows 11 is malfunctioning.
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Open Printer Properties with a Command
You can open the legacy printer property sheet without navigating through Settings. Open Command Prompt, PowerShell, or the Run dialog and use:
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesrundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /n "Printer Name"Replace Printer Name with the printer’s exact Windows name. The comma after printui.dll is accepted. This equivalent form also works:
rundll32 printui.dll PrintUIEntry /p /n "Printer Name"For a shared printer, include the complete connection name:
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /n "\PrintServerSharedPrinter"Other useful commands are:
Open the print queue:
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /o /n "Printer Name"Open printing preferences:
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /e /n "Printer Name"Read Printer Properties with PowerShell
The Windows PrintManagement module can list printers and read driver-specific properties.
List installed printers:
Get-PrinterDisplay details for one printer:
Get-Printer -Name "Printer Name" | Format-ListRead the properties exposed by the driver:
Get-PrinterProperty -PrinterName "Printer Name"Read one named property:
Get-PrinterProperty -PrinterName "Printer Name" -PropertyName "PropertyName"To modify a property, use:
Set-PrinterProperty -PrinterName "Printer Name" -PropertyName "Config:PropertyName" -Value TruePropertyName is only a placeholder. Printer property names and values are driver-dependent; there is no universal property with that name on every printer. Microsoft documents that Get-PrinterProperty and Set-PrinterProperty do not support wildcard characters and require administrator credentials.
Set the Default Printer
- Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Under Printer preferences, turn off Let Windows manage my default printer.
- Select the printer you want to use.
- Select Set as default.
When Windows manages the default printer, it can automatically select the last printer you used. The Set as default button may not appear until the automatic setting is disabled.
Why Printer Options Are Missing
Windows is using a generic IPP driver
Windows 11 can use Microsoft’s built-in IPP class driver instead of a traditional manufacturer driver. This modern print platform often installs with fewer setup steps, but it may not expose every manufacturer-specific feature.
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Missing advanced color correction, finishing, specialty media, tray configuration, or borderless printing may therefore be a driver limitation. It is not necessarily a Settings problem.
The manufacturer uses a Print Support App
A printer maker may provide settings through a Print Support App or manufacturer application rather than the standard Windows property sheet. Look for the printer maker’s app in the Microsoft Store or on the manufacturer’s support page.
The printer is shared or managed
Permissions can prevent you from changing ports, security settings, sharing, or driver configuration. A user may still be able to change personal printing preferences while server-wide properties remain locked.
The application has its own print interface
Applications can show a customized print-preview or print dialog. If a setting is missing in Word, a browser, or another application, open its Printer Properties, Preferences, or similarly named button. For a default that should apply across applications, change Printing preferences from Windows instead.
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Before downloading a driver, check your Windows architecture:
Settings > System > About > Device specifications > System type
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If a printer driver is incompatible:
- Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer.
- Select Remove.
- Restart Windows.
- Return to Printers & scanners.
- Select Add device and follow the setup prompts.
When obtaining a manufacturer driver, match the Windows edition, Windows version, system type, printer model, and connection method.
Restart the Print Spooler When Properties or Queues Fail
If the printer disappears, properties will not load, or jobs remain stuck, restart the Print Spooler:
- Press Windows key + R.
- Enter
services.mscand press Enter. - Find Print Spooler.
- Right-click it and select Restart.
The Print Spooler manages Windows print jobs. Restarting it can clear a temporary queue or printer-recognition problem, but it will not fix an incorrect network port, missing driver feature, or permission restriction.
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Windows 11 Printer Settings: Common Mistakes
- Using the Windows 10 path: Current Windows 11 uses Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, not Settings > Devices.
- Opening Printer properties for print defaults: Paper, color, duplex, and quality defaults normally belong in Printing preferences.
- Expecting identical tabs: The installed driver, IPP platform, and manufacturer app determine which tabs appear.
- Assuming the full manufacturer driver is always better: Modern IPP printing may intentionally use a built-in driver and Print Support App. Traditional installers can also fail on ARM PCs.
- Changing the port without checking the address: A different port can point to the wrong device or an obsolete IP address.
- Using registry tweaks as the standard fix: Microsoft’s documented methods are Settings, the printer property sheet, PrintUI commands, and PrintManagement PowerShell cmdlets.
FAQ
Where are Printer Properties in Windows 11?
Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer, and choose Printer properties. You may need to select Manage first.
How do I change paper size or duplex printing by default?
Open the printer under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select Printing preferences, and change the paper, layout, or finishing options provided by the driver.
Why is the Printer Properties button missing?
The printer may be using a modern IPP class driver, a manufacturer Print Support App, or a restricted shared-printer connection. The available controls depend on the driver and your permissions.
How do I open printer properties with Run?
Press Windows key + R and run rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /n "Printer Name". Replace the quoted text with the printer’s exact name.
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Press Windows key + R, enter services.msc, press Enter, right-click Print Spooler, and select Restart.
The Bottom Line
For most Windows 11 printer adjustments, start at Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Use Printing preferences for print defaults and Printer properties for ports, sharing, spooling, and device configuration. If an expected option is absent, check the installed driver, manufacturer app, printer connection, and account permissions before attempting more invasive fixes.
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