How to Fix Printer Driver is Unavailable Error

The 'printer driver is unavailable' error appears when Windows cannot communicate with your printer through its driver software. This prevents printing and typically occurs after Windows updates, driver corruption, or when switching between printer models.

1. Restart the Print Spooler service. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Scroll down to Print Spooler, right-click it, and select Restart. Wait for the service to restart completely before proceeding to test your printer.
2. Run Windows printer troubleshooter. Open Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters. Click Printer and select Run the troubleshooter. Follow the on-screen prompts to let Windows automatically detect and fix common printer issues.
3. Update the printer driver through Device Manager. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager. Expand Printers, right-click your printer, and select Update driver. Choose Search automatically for drivers and let Windows find the latest driver version online.
4. Uninstall and reinstall the printer driver. In Device Manager, right-click your printer and select Uninstall device. Restart your computer. After restart, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners, click Add a printer or scanner, and let Windows detect and reinstall your printer automatically.
5. Install the driver in compatibility mode. Download the printer driver from the manufacturer's website. Right-click the driver installer, select Properties, then the Compatibility tab. Check Run this program in compatibility mode and select Windows 8 or Windows 7. Run the installer as administrator.
6. Add the printer using Windows generic driver. Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners > Add a printer or scanner. Click The printer that I want isn't listed. Select Add a local printer, choose your printer port, then select Generic from the manufacturer list and Generic/Text Only from the printer list.