Finding Windows settings has never been easier. The days of needing to navigate through the Control Panel to change most settings are long gone. With these 3 easy steps, you’ll have your default printer set up in no time.
Check out this quick video tip about setting your default printer in Windows 10 from the Affinity Insight course live training session on Windows 10.
Step 1: Find Your Printer Settings
With Windows 10, you search for settings using natural language. If you have the search bar or search icon enabled on your Taskbar, you can use those to search for your printer settings. If you have hidden them, open your Start menu (either by clicking on the Windows logo in the bottom left-hand corner of your Taskbar or by hitting the Windows key on your keyboard) and start typing to search. Search for "printer."
Printers & Scanners, System Settings, should appear at the top of your search results. Click on it to open your printer settings.
Step 2: Stop Letting Windows Manage Your Default Printer
By default, Windows is set to manage your default printer. When Windows manages your default printer, it remembers the printer you used most recently at your current location. If you are a laptop user, this means it will remember the last printer you used at home, the last printer you used in the office, and the last printer you used at any other location. If you print to PDF, it will default to the PDF print driver instead of your actual printer the next time you go to print.
If you'd prefer to have one printer as your default printer, you need to tell Windows to stop managing your default printer. Scroll to the bottom of the printers list and uncheck the Let Windows manage my default printer box.
Step 3: Set Your Default Printer
Once you've disabled Window's management of your default printer, you can set your default printer. Click on the desired printer in your list and click on the Manage button. On the Manage your device screen, click on the Set as default box.
If you don't see the Set as default box, Windows is still managing your default printer. Make sure the box in step two is unchecked.
If you are interested in more training videos, or if you're ready to create a culture of training in your organization, discover all that Affinity Insight has to offer. Or, if you have any questions about setting up your default printer in Windows 10, any other Windows 10 setting or Affinity Insight, contact us at 877-676-5492, or request a consultation. Our team of experts is ready to help!
