How to Fix HP Printer Printing After Driver Removal?

Removing a printer driver can sometimes cause your HP printer to stop printing, appear offline, or fail to respond to print commands. If your HP printer is not working after driver removal, don’t worry.

Why HP Printer Stops Printing After Driver Removal

When you uninstall or accidentally remove the printer driver:

The computer can no longer communicate with the printer.
The printer may show as “Offline” or “Driver Unavailable.”
Print jobs may get stuck in the queue.
The printer may not appear in the device list.

HP printers require proper drivers to function correctly. Without the driver, your system cannot send print commands.

Check Printer Connection Before Reinstalling Driver

Before reinstalling the driver, make sure:

The printer is powered ON.
USB cable is properly connected (for wired setup).
Wi-Fi is connected to the same network (for wireless setup).
No error lights are blinking on the printer panel.

Restart both your computer and printer once before proceeding.

Download HP Printer Driver After Removal

To restore printing functionality, you must download the correct driver version for your printer model.

Steps to Download HP Printer Driver

Identify your HP printer model number.
Go to the official HP support page.
Enter your printer model in the search field.
Select your operating system (Windows or macOS).
Download the latest full feature driver package.

Make sure you download the complete driver software instead of a basic driver for full functionality including scanning and wireless setup.

Install HP Printer Driver Properly

After downloading the driver, follow these steps:

Locate the downloaded file.
Double-click the setup file.
Select “Install Automatically” (recommended).
Follow on-screen instructions.
Connect printer when prompted.
Complete installation and restart your system.

Running the installer as Administrator can prevent permission-related errors.

Activate HP Printer After Driver Installation

Once installation is complete:

Open Control Panel > Devices and Printers
Set your HP printer as Default Printer
Print a test page to confirm functionality
Ensure printer status shows “Ready”

If activation fails, remove the printer from devices and add it again manually.

HP Printer Login and Setup (If Using HP Smart)

If you are using HP Smart:

Open HP Smart app.
Sign in or create an HP account.
Add your printer.
Complete the guided setup process.

This ensures cloud printing, firmware updates, and remote management features work properly.

Update HP Printer Driver

If your printer still does not print after reinstalling:

Open Device Manager.
Expand Printers.
Right-click your HP printer.
Select Update Driver.
Choose “Search automatically for drivers.”

Installing the latest update ensures compatibility with your current operating system.

HP Printer Not Working After Driver Removal – Troubleshooting

If your printer is still not printing, try these fixes:

1. Clear Print Queue

Open Devices and Printers.
Double-click printer.
Cancel all pending print jobs.

2. Restart Print Spooler Service

Press Windows + R.
Type services.msc.
Locate Print Spooler.
Restart the service.

3. Remove Ghost Printer Entries

Sometimes old printer entries remain in the system.

Remove all unused HP printer devices.
Restart computer.
Reinstall driver again.

4. Check Windows Updates

Outdated system files can affect printing.

Go to Settings > Update & Security.
Install pending updates.

HP Printer Customer Support and Service

If reinstalling the driver does not fix the issue, you may need professional assistance. HP customer support can help with:

Driver installation errors
Activation problems
Printer offline issues
Firmware update failures
Hardware diagnostics

You can contact HP support through the official HP support portal or via HP Smart app.

Prevent Future Printing Issues

To avoid printer problems after driver removal:

Do not uninstall drivers unless necessary.
Always install official HP drivers.
Keep drivers updated regularly.
Avoid using third-party driver software.
Create a system restore point before removing drivers.

Conclusion

If your HP printer stops printing after driver removal, the issue is usually related to missing or improperly installed drivers. Downloading the correct driver, reinstalling it properly, activating the printer, and updating system settings will restore normal printing functionality.