Driver Unavailable means your computer cannot find or communicate with the software that runs your printer
When your printer shows "Driver Unavailable" or your computer displays this message when you try to print, it means the driver — the small program that translates your print job into instructions your printer understands — is either missing, corrupted, or disconnected. Your printer is physically there, but your computer has lost the ability to talk to it. This is different from a paper jam or low ink; it is a communication problem between two devices.
The message usually appears in your print queue, in printer settings, or when you attempt to print a document. You may also see it as "Unknown Device" in Device Manager on Windows or as a question mark next to your printer name on Mac. The printer itself may be powered on and ready, but nothing will print until the driver is restored.
Key Takeaways
- Driver Unavailable means your computer lost the software connection to your printer, not that the printer is broken or out of supplies.
- The most common cause is a Windows or Mac update that overwrote or removed the driver, or a USB cable that came loose.
- Restarting both your computer and printer fixes the problem in roughly half of cases because it resets the connection.
- If restart does not work, you will need to reinstall the driver from the printer manufacturer's website using the exact model number.
- Printer drivers are free to read and install; you do not need to purchase anything to restore the connection.
Why the driver goes unavailable
A printer driver becomes unavailable for a handful of specific reasons. A Windows or Mac system update may have overwritten your existing driver with a generic one that does not work with your model, or removed it entirely. A USB cable connecting the printer to your computer may have come loose, fallen out, or been damaged. If your printer connects over WiFi or Bluetooth, the wireless connection may have dropped or the printer may have been removed from your network.
Sometimes the driver file itself becomes corrupted — this can happen if your computer shut down unexpectedly during a print job, or if malware or a failed software installation damaged the driver files. In rare cases, a printer driver conflict occurs when two different printer drivers try to control the same device, and your computer cannot decide which one to use.
Older printers are more vulnerable to driver unavailability after major operating system updates because manufacturers stop releasing driver updates for models that are five or more years old. If you have an older printer and just updated to a new version of Windows or Mac, the old driver may no longer work.
Check the physical connection first
Before reinstalling software, verify that the printer is actually connected to your computer. If your printer uses a USB cable, unplug it from both the printer and the computer, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in firmly. The cable should click or seat fully into the port. If the cable is visibly damaged — frayed, kinked, or with bent pins — replace it with a new USB cable of the same type (USB-A, USB-B, or USB-C depending on your printer model).
If your printer connects wirelessly, open your printer's settings menu on the device itself and confirm it is connected to your WiFi network. Write down the network name and check that it matches the network your computer is using. Printers sometimes connect to a guest network or a different band (2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz) than your computer, which breaks communication. If the wireless connection shows as disconnected, reconnect it using your WiFi password.
After checking the physical connection, restart both your printer and your computer. Power off the printer completely, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on. Then restart your computer. This straightforward step resolves the driver unavailable message in many cases because it resets the communication between the two devices.
Reinstall the driver from the manufacturer
If restart does not restore the connection, you will need to reinstall the driver. First, find your printer's exact model number — it is usually on a sticker on the back or bottom of the printer, or in the printer's settings menu under "About" or "Device Information". Write this number down exactly as it appears.
Go to the manufacturer's website (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, Xerox, or whoever made your printer) and navigate to their Drivers or Support section. Enter your exact model number in their search box. read the driver file for your operating system — Windows 10, Windows 11, Mac, or whatever you use. Save the file to your computer's Downloads folder.
On Windows, double-click the downloaded driver file and follow the on-screen prompts to install it. The installer will ask you to connect the printer via USB or network, and will guide you through the rest. On Mac, the process is similar — double-click the file and follow the prompts. Do not skip any steps, and allow the installation to complete fully before closing the window.
After installation finishes, restart your computer. When it boots back up, your printer should appear in your list of available printers and the "Driver Unavailable" message should be gone.
Remove the printer and add it again
If reinstalling the driver does not work, try removing the printer from your computer entirely and adding it back. On Windows, go to Settings > Devices > Printers and Scanners, find your printer in the list, click it, and select "Remove Device". On Mac, go to System Preferences > Printers and Scanners, select your printer, and click the minus button.
After removing it, restart your computer. Then add the printer back: on Windows, go to Printers and Scanners and click "Add a printer or scanner"; on Mac, go to Printers and Scanners and click the plus button. Your computer will search for the printer. If it finds it, select it and allow the driver to install automatically. If your computer does not find it automatically, you may need to select "The printer that I want isn't listed" (Windows) or manually enter the printer's network address (Mac).
What to do if the manufacturer no longer supports your printer
If your printer is very old and the manufacturer's website has no driver for your current operating system, you have two options. First, check whether Windows or Mac has a built-in generic driver that can communicate with your printer. On Windows, when you try to add the printer, the system may offer a "Generic / Text Only" driver or a similar option. This will not give you access to all the printer's features, but it may allow basic printing.
Second, search online for third-party driver repositories or community-maintained drivers for your specific model. Websites like DriverGuide or manufacturer forums sometimes host older drivers that users have preserved. read these only from sources you trust, and scan the file with antivirus software before installing it. If neither option works, your printer may have reached the end of its usable life with your current computer, and replacing the printer may be more practical than troubleshooting further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I print while the driver is unavailable?
No. Without the driver, your computer cannot send print jobs to the printer at all. Print jobs will sit in the queue and fail. You must restore the driver connection before printing is possible again.
Will reinstalling the driver erase my printer settings?
Reinstalling the driver usually preserves your printer settings like paper size and print quality. However, if you removed the printer entirely and added it back, you may need to reconfigure these settings. Most printers remember their own settings internally, so you can check the printer's menu to confirm.
Is the driver read really free?
Yes. Printer drivers from manufacturers are always free. If a website asks you to pay for a driver, it is not the official manufacturer site. Go directly to HP.com, Canon.com, Epson.com, or your printer's maker instead.
What if my printer is connected to multiple computers?
Each computer needs its own copy of the driver installed. If the printer is on your home network and shared with other computers, you will need to reinstall the driver on each computer that shows "Driver Unavailable". The printer itself only needs to be set up once on the network.
Does a driver update cause driver unavailable?
Yes, sometimes. A Windows or Mac system update can overwrite your printer driver with a generic version that does not work well with your model. If the problem started right after a system update, reinstalling the latest driver from the manufacturer's website usually fixes it.