Fix printer driver is unavailable
Driver is unavailable means Windows has no working driver loaded for that printer. Remove the printer in Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, restart, then add it back so Windows installs its recommended driver. If that fails, install the maker's driver for your exact Windows version and 32-bit or 64-bit type.
Checked October 30, 2026 against the manufacturer's own pages.
The short version
What to install and where it comes from. Every link goes to the manufacturer or Microsoft, never to a copy.
Official files only, nothing bundled
Step by step
Check your Windows version
Open Start, Settings, System, About. Write down the edition, the version and the system type, for example Windows 11 64-bit. You will need all three to pick a driver later.
Ask Windows for a driver
Go to Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners. Select the printer, then Manage, and use the option to update the driver. Also install anything under Windows Update, Advanced options, Optional updates.
Remove the printer and add it again
In Printers & scanners, select the printer and choose Remove. Restart the PC, return to Printers & scanners and select Add a printer or scanner. Let Windows install the driver it recommends.
Install the maker's driver
If Windows finds nothing that works, open the printer maker's support site, search your model and download the driver for your Windows version and system type. Install it, then restart.
Roll back after a bad update
If the message appeared after a driver update, open Device Manager, expand Printers or Print queues, right-click the printer and choose Properties. On the Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver if it is available.
Run the printer troubleshooter
On Windows 11, open the Get Help app and search for printer troubleshooter. It runs diagnostics and tries to fix the problem on its own.
What the message tells you
Windows shows Driver is unavailable as the status of a printer in Printers & scanners when the driver for that printer is missing, damaged or does not suit the current Windows version.
Microsoft lists three triggers for driver compatibility trouble: upgrading Windows, installing updates, and using a driver that was not written for your version of Windows.
32-bit and 64-bit drivers are not interchangeable
A 64-bit copy of Windows needs a 64-bit printer driver. Microsoft tells you to match both the Windows version and the system type when you download. Picking the wrong one is a quick way to bring the message straight back, so check the system type from step 1 against the download name.
A plain restart still helps
Turn off the printer and wait 10 seconds. Restart the PC, then switch the printer back on and print again. Microsoft suggests this for short-lived driver or service faults, and it costs nothing to try between the other steps.
Questions
Why did this start after a Windows update?
Upgrades and updates can leave a driver that no longer suits your Windows version. Removing and re-adding the printer, or rolling back the driver, usually puts a working one back.
Can I use a Windows 10 driver on Windows 11?
Microsoft advises against drivers marked for older Windows versions unless no newer one exists. Check the maker's page for a Windows 11 driver first.
My laptop has an ARM processor
Microsoft says some ARM PCs cannot add a printer with the maker's own installer. Add the printer through Windows Settings instead of running that installer.
Is the printer itself broken?
Rarely. This message is about the driver on your PC. If the printer prints a test or status page from its own control panel, the hardware is fine.