Printer sharing cannot be enabled - tips

By setting up printer sharing for your printer, other users on the same network can also use the device to print. However, sometimes this causes problems so that printer sharing cannot be enabled. Get an overview of what you can do.

How Printer Sharing Works Again

Once you have connected a printer to your computer, you can share it with other users for printing. However, this only works if the other people are on the same network as you and you properly enable printer sharing. To enable it, please navigate to "Network and Sharing Center" > "Advanced Sharing Setting" in your PC's Control Panel and click "Enable File and Print Sharing". Once you have saved the changes, you can share the printer under "Control Panel" > "Devices and Printers" "Printing Properties".

These are the reasons why printer sharing cannot be activated

If problems occur when trying to activate printer sharing, this can have several causes.

1. Often the firewall blocks printer sharing and temporarily disabling it can help. To do this, go to "System and Security" in your computer's Control Panel and disable the Windows Defender Firewall.
2. If it's not the firewall, disconnect the printer from the PC and reboot the PC. Then reconnect the printer.
3. If the printer's drivers are out of date, this can also hinder the release. Therefore, check whether driver updates are available for your printer and install them if necessary.
4. If the problem persists, it makes sense to uninstall the printer via the Control Panel and reinstall it completely.