How To Add A Printer On Windows 7

Over the years, Windows has gotten much meliorate about how it handles networked printers. Just if you lot want to share a printer over the network, you may still need to exercise a little legwork to get information technology all up and running. Hither's how information technology all works.

Setting upward a printer on your network involves 2 steps. The first step is getting the printer connected to the network, and there are three means you tin do that:

• Connect the printer to the network directly. This is the easiest way to prepare upwardly a network printer.  It doesn't crave that another PC be turned on to print (like the below methods practise), and you don't have to get through the hassle of setting upward sharing. And, since most printers made within the last few years take networking congenital in, at that place's a good chance your printer supports this choice.
• Connect the printer to one of your PCs and share information technology with the network over Homegroup. If connecting a printer directly to the network isn't an choice, you can connect it to a PC on the network and share it with Windows Homegroup. It'southward easy to fix up, and is optimal for networks that are made up of generally Windows computers. This method, however, requires that the computer its connected to be upward and running in social club for you to use the printer.
• Connect the printer to i of your PCs and share it without Homegroup. This is ideal if your network has other computers running different operating systems, if you want more than control over file and printer sharing, or if Homegroup just isn't working very well. Like the Homegroup method, this requires that the computer its connected to be up and running in order for you to use the printer.

The 2nd pace, one time you've hooked up your printer, will be connecting other PCs to the network printer…which depends a lot on how y'all hooked information technology up. Confused yet? Don't worry. We're about to go over all of this.

Update: Microsoft removed the HomeGroup feature from Windows 10 in the April 2018 update. You can all the same use HomeGroups if y'all're using Windows 7 or 8, just they won't be accessible by computers running Windows ten (at to the lowest degree with the latest updates) unless you also set upwardly traditional file sharing.

Step Ane: Connect Your Printer to the Network

First, allow'due south talk about getting that printer connected to your network. As we mentioned above, yous have iii options hither. You lot can connect it directly to the network, you can connect it to a PC and share information technology through a Homegroup, or you can connect it to a PC and share information technology without using Homegroup.

Connect Your Printer Directly to the Network

Most printers these days accept networking built in. Some come equipped with Wi-Fi, some with Ethernet, and many have both options available. Unfortunately, we can't requite you precise instructions for getting this done, since how you lot practice it depends on the type of printer you have. If your printer has an LCD display, chances are you lot can find the network settings somewhere in the Settings or Tools portion of the menus. If your printer has no display, you'll probably have to rely on some series of physical push button presses to tell it whether it should use its Wi-Fi or Ethernet network adapter. Some printers even have a dedicated piece of cake connect push button that can set the Wi-Fi for you.

If yous're having trouble setting up a printer that connects directly to the network, the manufacturer should have instructions for making it happen. Check the manual that came with your printer or the manufacturer's web site for data on hooking it upward.

Share a Printer Continued to a PC past Using a Homegroup

Sharing a printer with Homegroup is super easy. First, of course, you'll want to make sure that the printer is connected to one of the PCs on the network and set up properly. If that PC tin can print to the printer, and then you're expert to get.

Start by firing up the Homegroup control panel app. Click Outset, type "homegroup," and and then click the choice or hit Enter.

What you practise side by side depends on what you see in the Homegroup window. If the PC you have the printer connected to is already part of a Homegroup, you'll see something like the post-obit screen. If it shows that y'all're already sharing printers, and then you're washed. You can skip on to step two, where you lot connect other PCs on the network. If you're not already sharing printers, click the "Change what you're sharing with the homegroup" link.

On the "Printers & Devices" drop-downwardly menu, choose the "Shared" option. Click Next and so y'all can close the Homegroup options and movement on to step two.

If in that location is already a Homegroup created for other PCs on the network, simply the PC you lot've got your printer connected to isn't a member, the main screen when y'all start the Homegroup control panel app will wait something like the ane below. Click the "Bring together now" button and then click "Next" on the following screen that but tells you a bit well-nigh Homegroups.

Ready your sharing options, making sure that "Printers and devices" is set to "Shared," then click "Adjacent."

Type the password for the Homegroup and then click "Next." If you don't know the password, go to 1 of the other PCs on the network that is already a fellow member of the Homegroup, launch the Homegroup control console app, and you lot can await it up in that location.

If yous're connecting from another PC that you've signed onto using the same Microsoft business relationship as the PC that'south already a member of the Homegroup, Windows eight and 10 won't ask for your password. Instead, Windows will authorize you lot automatically.

On the final screen, click the "Finish" button and then you tin move on to stride two and get your other PCs on the network continued to the printer.

And finally, if in that location is no Homegroup at all on your network, you lot'll run across something like the post-obit screen when you open the Homegroup control panel window. To create a new homegroup, click the "Create a homegroup" button.

The following screen simply tells you lot a little most Homegroups. Go ahead and click "Next."

Choose any libraries and folders you want to share with the network from the PC yous're on. Just make sure that you select the "Shared" choice for "Printers & Devices." Click "Next" when yous're washed making your selections.

The final screen shows the password you'll need for other PCs on your network to connect to the Homegroup. Write it down and and then click the "Finish" button.

Now that you've got your Homegroup set up and your PC is sharing its printers with information technology, you tin can skip down to step two and get those other PCs on the network connected to the printer.

Share a Printer Connected to a PC Without Using a Homegroup

If you have computers or mobile devices on your network that run an Bone other than Windows 7, 8, or ten–or you merely don't want to use Homegroup for some reason–you tin always use the sharing tools that take e'er been a part of Windows to share a printer with the network. Once more, your first stride is making certain the printer is connected to a PC and that y'all tin can print to information technology.

Click Start, blazon "devices and printers," and and so striking Enter or click the result.

Right-click the printer you want to share with the network and then select "Printer properties".

The "Printer Backdrop" window shows you all kinds of things y'all can configure about the printer. For now, click the "Sharing" tab.

RELATED: Customizing Your Network Sharing Settings

Yous are informed that the printer will not be available when your reckoner sleeps or it is close down. As well, if you are using password protected sharing, you are informed that merely users on your network with a username and password for this computer tin can print to it. Credentials are a ane-time thing you'll accept to enter the first time you connect some other PC to the shared printer; you won't have to do it each time you impress. If you'd prefer, you can make sharing bachelor to guests and so that passwords aren't necessary, merely that setting will also apply to any files yous have shared. We suggest you read upwards on customizing your network sharing settings before making that decision.

To proceed, enable the "Share this printer" option and, if you lot desire, requite the printer a friendlier proper name so that others on the network tin more easily place the printer.

The other option y'all can set here is whether yous would like to return print jobs on client computers. If this setting is enabled, all the documents that volition be printed are rendered on the computers where people are doing the printing. When this setting is disabled, the documents are rendered on the computer to which the printer is attached. If it's a PC that someone uses actively, we recommend enabling this setting so that organization functioning is non impacted every time something gets printed.

When you're done setting things up, become ahead and click "OK."

Now that you've shared the printer, other PCs on your network should be able to connect to information technology. And so, you lot're gear up to motion on to step two.

Step 2: Connect to Your Printer from Whatever PC on the Network

Now that yous've got your printer continued to the network using i of the above methods, information technology's time to turn your attending to the second office of the process: connecting other PCs on the network to that printer. How you do that really but depends on whether you lot're using Homegroup or not.

Connect to a Printer That's Shared by a PC Using a Homegroup

This is probably the easiest step in this whole tutorial. If you've got the printer continued to a PC and that PC is sharing the printer as part of a Homegroup, all you have to do is make sure that other PCs on the network are too joined to the Homegroup. You lot can use the same process we went over in Stride One to get them joined. When PCs are part of the same Homegroup, Windows will automatically connect to any printers shared from other PCs. They'll just bear witness upwardly in your Devices and Printers window automatically and any PC in the Homegroup tin can print to them. Super elementary.

Connect to a Printer Without Using Homegroup

If your printer is connected directly to a network, or is shared from a PC without using Homegroup, you'll take to do a little more work to connect to it from other PCs on the network. It'south still pretty straightforward, though. Click Starting time, blazon "devices and printers," and then hit Enter or click the result.

The Devices and Printers window shows a collection of devices on your PC. Click the "Add a printer" link to go started adding your network printer.

Windows will perform a quick scan of your network for discoverable devices that are not even so installed on your PC and display them in the "Add a device" window. Chances are high that you'll see your printer on the list, whether it'southward directly continued to the network or shared from another PC. If you lot meet the printer you're looking for, then your job just got super like shooting fish in a barrel. Click the printer y'all want to install. Windows volition handle the installation, download drivers if needed, and ask y'all to provide a proper name for the printer. That'south all you lot have to practise.

If you don't see the printer you want to install–and yous're certain you've got it properly connected to the network–click the "The printer that I desire isn't listed" link. The adjacent window will present you with several options for helping you find it:

• My printer is a little older. If you select this selection, Windows will perform a more than thorough scan of your network looking for the printer. In our feel, though, it rarely finds anything that it didn't already detect during its initial browse. It's an easy enough option to endeavour, but information technology may take a few minutes.
• Select a shared printer by name. If the network computer is shared from another PC, this is the all-time pick for finding it. If yous know the verbal network proper name of the reckoner and printer, yous can type it here. Or you lot can click the "Browse" button to expect through the PCs on your network that have sharing enabled and encounter if you tin find the printer that way.
• Add together a printer using a TCP/IP accost or hostname. If your printer is fastened straight to the network and you know its IP accost, this is probably the simplest and surest option. Virtually network printers take a function that lets y'all decide their IP address. If your printer has an LCD display, y'all may be able to find the IP accost by scrolling through the printer settings. For printers without a brandish, you can ordinarily perform some sequence of button presses that volition print the settings for you. If all else fails, you tin always utilize an IP scanning app like Wireless Network Watcher to locate devices on your network. Check out the last department of this guide for more than information on how to do that.
• Add a Bluetooth, wireless, or network discoverable printer. If you choose this option, Windows will browse for those types of devices. Once more, we've rarely seen information technology choice up a device that it didn't find during the initial scan. Simply, information technology nevertheless may be worth a try.
• Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings. This option may help you lot become a printer added if zilch else works. It's mostly for configuring a local printer past specifying verbal port information, simply there is one setting in particular that can assistance with network printers if you know the model. When asked to specify a port, you can choose a Windows Cocky Discovery choice, which is listed toward the bottom of the available ports as "WSD" followed by a cord of numbers and letters. When you choose that, Windows will inquire you lot to specify a model and so that it can install drivers. When you're done, Windows volition and then monitor the network for that printer. It'south a longshot, simply information technology's worth a endeavour if all else fails.

You'll find all these options are pretty straightforward and feature short wizards for walking you through the process. Since TCP/IP is the surest way to become a printer added, we're going to continue with that every bit our instance.  Select "Add together a printer using a TCP/IP accost or hostname" and and then click "Adjacent."

Type the IP accost for the printer into the "Hostname or IP address" box. Brand sure the "Query the printer and automatically select the commuter to utilize" bank check box is selected then click "Next."

Type a new proper noun for printer if the default name doesn't arrange yous and then click "Side by side."

Choose whether to set the new printer as the default, print a test page if you want to make sure everything's working, and then click "Terminate" when you're washed.

Hopefully, you never need to bother with most of this stuff. If your network printer is properly connected to the network, the chances are high that Windows will pick it upwards and install it for you right off the bat. And if your network is mostly Windows machines and you utilize Homegroup for sharing files and printers, things should also happen mostly automatically. If it doesn't–or if you have a more than complicated setup–at least yous know you have some options.

How To Add A Printer On Windows 7,

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-7/share-files-and-printers-in-windows-7-with-homegroup/

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