Why Does Windows Search for Printers?
By default, Windows 10 is designed to be as user-friendly as possible on home networks. If you connect your PC to a Wi-Fi router, a background service immediately begins broadcasting discovery packets across the local subnet, searching for any wireless or Ethernet-connected printers. When it finds one, it automatically downloads the drivers and silently installs the printer in the background so it is ready to use immediately.
While convenient at home, this is incredibly annoying if you take your laptop to a coffee shop, a university library, or a large corporate office. You might suddenly find your “Devices and Printers” menu cluttered with dozens of random printers belonging to other people. It also creates a minor security risk by constantly announcing your presence on the network. You can stop this automatic discovery process entirely.
How to Disable Automatic Printer Discovery
You can turn off automatic device discovery within the Network and Sharing Center settings.
- Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press
Windows Key + I). - Click on Network & Internet.
- Ensure you are on the Status tab in the left-hand sidebar.
- Scroll down on the right side and click the link labelled Network and Sharing Center. (This opens a classic Control Panel window).
- In the left-hand sidebar of this new window, click Change advanced sharing settings.
- Under the “Private” network profile (and “Guest or Public” if applicable), look for the “Network discovery” section.
- Select the radio button next to Turn off network discovery.
- Click the Save changes button at the bottom of the window.
Once network discovery is disabled, Windows will completely stop scanning the local network. It will never install another printer automatically. To add your own printer, you must go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners, click “Add a printer,” and explicitly type in its IP address.