Why Does Windows Install Unwanted Printers?
Windows 10 is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, which means it constantly scans your local Wi-Fi network for available devices. If it detects a wireless printer connected to your home or office network, it will often quietly download the drivers and add that printer to your system automatically.
While this is convenient for a home user with a single printer, it is an absolute nightmare in a corporate office or a college dorm. Your “Devices and Printers” menu can quickly become cluttered with dozens of random printers belonging to other people, making it impossible to find your own. You can stop this automatic network polling.
How to Stop Windows from Automatically Adding Network Printers
You can disable the automatic network discovery and driver installation from the Windows settings.
- Click the Start button and open the Settings app (the gear icon).
- Click on Devices.
- In the left-hand sidebar, select Printers & scanners.
- Look under the main list of printers for a checkbox that says Let Windows manage my default printer. Ensure this is unchecked so Windows doesn’t randomly switch your default device.
- To stop the automatic installation of new devices, you must dive into the Control Panel. Press the Windows Key, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
- Go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
- On the left side, click Advanced sharing settings.
- Under the “Private” and “Guest or Public” network profiles, look for the Network discovery section.
- Check the box that says Turn off network discovery (or specifically uncheck the box for “Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices” if available in your version).
- Click Save changes at the bottom.
By restricting network discovery, Windows 10 will stop actively hunting for hardware on the Wi-Fi network, ensuring your printer list remains exactly as you manually configured it.