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Windows 11 has two separate printer settings that are easy to confuse: Printing preferences controls job defaults such as paper type and print quality, while Default printer controls which installed printer Windows selects automatically. To change a printer’s normal job settings, go to Manage > Printing preferences.
Change a printer’s default printing preferences
- Open Start and select Settings.
- Select Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer you want to configure.
- Select Manage.
- Select Printing preferences.
The printer driver’s preferences window will open. Depending on the printer and installed driver, you may see tabs such as Paper/Quality, Layout, Color, or Finishing.
Change paper type and print quality
For drivers that use Microsoft’s documented Paper/Quality layout:
- Open the Paper/Quality tab.
- Choose the required Paper Type, such as plain paper, photo paper, or an envelope option.
- Choose a Print Quality, such as draft, normal, or high.
- Select Apply, then OK if those buttons are available.
These settings become the printer’s normal defaults for new print jobs. An individual application can still override them from its own print dialog. For example, Word, Adobe Acrobat, and image viewers may provide separate paper, color, duplex, or quality controls.
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Common printing preferences and what they do
| Setting | What it changes | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Paper Type | Adjusts how the printer handles the selected media | Choose photo paper when printing photos |
| Print Quality | Balances print speed, ink or toner use, and output quality | Use Draft for internal documents and High for presentations |
| Color | Chooses color or black-and-white printing | Use grayscale for text documents |
| Duplex or two-sided | Prints on both sides of the paper | Reduce paper use where the printer supports automatic duplexing |
| Orientation | Chooses portrait or landscape output | Use landscape for wide tables |
Not every printer shows all of these settings. The manufacturer’s driver supplies the tabs and controls, so two printers—or the same printer installed with different drivers—may have different preference windows.
Change the default printer in Windows 11
If you mean which printer Windows should choose automatically, change the default printer instead:
- Go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Under Printer preferences, turn Let Windows manage my default printer off.
- Select the installed printer you want to use.
- Select Set as default.
The printer’s status should change to Default. The Set as default option is not shown while Let Windows manage my default printer is enabled.
When that Windows-managed option is on, Windows uses the last printer you used as the default. On some mobile Windows devices, the default can also change when the device’s location changes.
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Printing preferences versus Printer Properties
These are separate dialogs:
| Dialog | Path | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Printing preferences | Printers & scanners > printer > Manage > Printing preferences | Set normal job options such as paper type and print quality |
| Printer Properties | Printers & scanners > printer > Manage > Printer Properties | Configure the device, ports, sharing, drivers, and spooler behavior |
Changing the default printer does not change that printer’s paper, quality, color, or duplex preferences. Those settings are still changed through Printing preferences.
Printer Properties and print spooler options
If you are troubleshooting delays rather than changing document defaults, open Printer Properties and select the Advanced tab. Depending on the driver, Windows may show options including:
- Spool print documents so program finishes printing faster
- Start printing after last page is spooled
- Print spooled documents first
These options affect how Windows queues and sends jobs; they do not set paper type or print quality.
If the printer is missing
Windows cannot change preferences for a printer that is not installed or detected.
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- Go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select Add a printer or scanner.
- Wait while Windows searches for available printers.
- Select the printer and choose Add device.
If Windows does not find it, select The printer that I want isn’t listed, then choose Add a new device manually in the Add Printer window.
On a Windows PC using an ARM processor, a printer manufacturer’s installer may fail even though the printer can be added through Windows. Try Windows’ built-in add-printer procedure unless the manufacturer provides specific ARM instructions.
Fix common problems after changing preferences
The new settings are not being used
Check the print dialog in the application you are using. Application-level settings can override the printer’s defaults. Also confirm that you changed the intended printer: network environments often contain multiple entries for the same model.
The printer is offline or jobs are paused
- Open Printers & scanners and select the printer.
- Open the printer queue.
- Select the Printer menu.
- Clear Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline if either option is selected.
- Use Set As Default Printer if the wrong printer is selected as the default.
The queue is stuck
Restart the Print Spooler service:
- Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
- Find Print Spooler in the list.
- Right-click it and select Restart.
The Print Spooler manages the Windows printing process. Restarting it can clear jobs that remain stuck in the queue, although it will not fix a disconnected printer or an incompatible driver.
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The printer is installed but still does not work
Check the physical or Wi-Fi connection, confirm that the printer is powered on, and install a compatible driver if Windows is using a generic or outdated one. Connection faults, incompatible drivers, and incorrect printer settings can all prevent an installed printer from working.
You are using a shared printer
On the computer connected to the printer:
- Open Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer, then select Printer properties.
- Open the Sharing tab.
- Select Share this printer.
- Confirm the Share name, then select Apply and OK.
When adding it from another computer, use the shared-printer UNC path format: \\ComputerName\PrinterShareName.
The host computer must be turned on and connected to the network for the shared printer to be available.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Windows 11 path to remember
The current Windows 11 route is:
Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > select printer > Manage > Printing preferences
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- Bright white paper (92 GE; 104 Euro) offers great contrast for crisp printing and vivid color
- Virgin copy paper providing professional quality results; acid-free to prevent yellowing
The older Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners path belongs to Windows 10. Microsoft support pages may show both paths because some cover Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, so use the Bluetooth & devices path on a current Windows 11 installation.
FAQ
How do I change the default print quality in Windows 11?
Go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer, choose Manage > Printing preferences, and change Print Quality. The setting may be under Paper/Quality, depending on the printer driver. Select Apply and OK when available.
Why can’t I see Set as default in Windows 11?
Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer under Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. The Set as default option is hidden while Windows manages the default automatically.
Does changing the default printer change its paper settings?
No. Set as default controls which printer Windows selects. Paper type, print quality, color, and similar job defaults are changed separately through Manage > Printing preferences.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhy does my printer not have a Paper/Quality tab?
Printing preference tabs are supplied by the installed printer driver. Your model may use different names, or the current driver may expose fewer controls than the manufacturer’s full driver.
What is the difference between Printing preferences and Printer Properties?
Printing preferences contains normal document defaults such as paper type and print quality. Printer Properties contains device, sharing, port, driver, and spooler-related settings.
The Bottom Line
For paper, quality, color, or other print-job defaults, use Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > printer > Manage > Printing preferences. To choose which installed printer Windows selects automatically, disable Let Windows manage my default printer and select Set as default. These are separate settings.
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