How to set default printer on Windows 11

To choose a default printer on Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, choose the printer, and click the “Set as default” button.
If the option isn’t available, turn off the “Let Windows manage my default printer” toggle switch on” Printers & scanners” and then choose the printer and click the “Set as default” button.

On Windows 11, when you install multiple printers, the system will automatically configure the most recent device as the default with the “Let Windows manage my default printer” feature.

Although this could be a convenient feature for many users, it’ll keep changing the default printer, increasing the chances of sending the print job to the wrong device. Also, if you try to change the settings, you will find that setting a printer as one of the defaults is missing from the Settings app. However, if you must change the default printer manually, Windows 11 lets you modify this behavior. You only need to disable the feature that controls your printers to make the “Set as default” option available.

This guide will teach you the steps to choose the default printer on Windows 11.

Set default printer on Windows 11
Set default printer on Windows 11 from Command Prompt

Warning: It’s very important to note that modifying the Windows Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and that you have created a full backup of your system before proceeding.

Set default printer on Windows 11

To change the default printer on Windows 11, use these steps:

Open Settings on Windows 11.
Click on Bluetooth & devices.
Click the Printers & scanners tab.
Under the “Printer preferences” section, turn off the “Let Windows manage my default printer” toggle switch to enable the option to choose a default printer. (Otherwise, you will be unable to set a printer as default.)
Select the printer to make the new system default.
Click the “Set as default” button to change the default printer on Windows 11.

Once you complete the steps, the selected printer will become the new default on Windows 11.

Set default printer on Windows 11 from Command Prompt

To change the default printer from Command Prompt on Windows 11, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
(Optional) Type the following command to disable the “Let Windows manage my default printer” feature and press Enter:
```
Reg Add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows" /v LegacyDefaultPrinterMode /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
```
Quick note: You must disable this feature before running the command to change the default printer. Otherwise, the system will not change settings. If you already have this feature disabled, you can skip this step.
(Optional) Type the following command to determine the printer’s name and press Enter:
```
wmic printer list brief
```
Quick tip: You can also run the “Get-Printer | Format-Table” command on PowerShell. If you already know the printer’s exact name, you don’t need to run this command.
Type the following command to change the default printer on Windows 11 and press Enter:
```
RUNDLL32 PRINTUI.DLL,PrintUIEntry /y /n "PRINTER-NAME"
```
In the command, change PRINTER-NAME for the name of your printer (see step 4). For example, this command set the “Office HP Printer” as the system default:
```
RUNDLL32 PRINTUI.DLL,PrintUIEntry /y /n "Office HP Printer"
```

After you complete the steps, the command will set the new default printer on Windows 11.