How to Remove a Failed Printer in Windows 11 When It Says “Connect to Remove”

If your printer is no longer working or has been disconnected, Windows may refuse to remove it through Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners, instead prompting you to reconnect the printer first. This issue is common in both Windows 11 and Windows 10, but you can still remove the device manually using one of the methods below.

Why You Can’t Remove a Failed Printer

When a printer is disconnected, Windows still stores its driver, registry keys, and print queue data. This causes it to appear as an inactive printer that can’t be deleted through Settings — especially when the spooler service is stuck or the printer driver is corrupted.

Method 1: Remove the Printer from Control Panel

If Settings won’t let you delete it, try the classic Control Panel:

1. Press Windows + R, type control, and press Enter.
2. Go to Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers.
3. Find your failed printer, right-click it, and choose Remove device.
4. Confirm when prompted and restart your PC.

If the printer reappears after reboot, continue below.

Method 2: Use Print Management Console

This tool works best for users running Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise:

1. Press Windows + R, type printmanagement.msc, and press Enter.
2. In the left pane, expand Print Servers > [Your PC Name] > Printers.
3. Right-click the failed printer and choose Delete.
4. Close the console and reboot.

If you see an error saying “printmanagement.msc not found,” skip to Method 3 — it’s not available in Windows Home editions.

Method 3: Remove Printer Drivers via Print Server Properties

1. Press Windows + R, type control printers, and press Enter.
2. From the top menu, click Print server properties.
3. Go to the Drivers tab.
4. Select the driver linked to your failed printer and click Remove.
5. Choose Remove driver and driver package, then restart your PC.

After restart, open Settings again — the printer should no longer appear.

Method 4: Force Delete Using PowerShell

If the printer still shows up, use a PowerShell command:

1. Right-click the Start button → select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Run the command below (replace PrinterName with your printer’s name): Get-Printer | Remove-Printer -Name "PrinterName"

If that fails, use this stronger version:

Remove-Printer -Name "PrinterName" -Force

Close PowerShell and refresh your Printers & Scanners list.

Method 5: Delete Stuck Printer Entries from the Registry (Advanced)

If all else fails, remove the printer manually from the Windows Registry.

Caution: Editing the registry incorrectly can cause system issues. Create a restore point before continuing.

1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers
3. Find the folder matching your failed printer’s name.
4. Right-click and select Delete.
5. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.

After reboot, the failed printer should finally disappear from Settings.

Final Check

Once your PC restarts:

• Open Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners.
• The failed printer entry should now be gone.
• You can now safely reinstall the correct printer driver if needed.

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