To remove old printer drivers on Windows, open Print Management (printmanagement.msc), expand Print Servers › your-PC › Drivers, right-click each obsolete driver, and choose Remove Driver Package — then uninstall the matching vendor utility from Settings > Apps > Installed apps.

TL;DR

  • Best method: Print Management › Print Servers › [PC] › Drivers › right-click › Remove Driver Package.
  • Windows 11 Home has no Print Management — use Print Server Properties > Drivers instead.
  • Always pick Remove Driver Package, not just Delete, to clear the .inf/.sys files too.
  • Then uninstall leftover vendor apps (HP Smart, Canon IJ, Brother Control Center) via Settings > Apps.
  • Typical savings: 500 MB – 2 GB plus fewer driver conflicts.

Why do old printer drivers pile up on Windows?

Windows registers a printer driver in the local driver store the first time you connect a printer, and it leaves that driver in place even after you unplug the device or uninstall the manufacturer's utility. Over years, the Print Management console (the admin tool that lists every driver on your PC's print server) fills with a dozen orphaned entries. Beyond wasting space, these ghost drivers can confuse Windows when you add a new printer, causing the wrong driver to load or print jobs to stall.

How do I open Print Management and see installed drivers?

Print Management is an admin-only console that lists every driver registered on your local print server — active, disconnected, or orphaned.

  1. press Windows + R, type printmanagement.msc, and press Enter
  2. in the left pane, expand Print Servers
  3. expand your PC's name
  4. click Drivers

Note: Print Management is not included on Windows 11 Home editions. If printmanagement.msc reports "not found," skip to the Settings-based path below.

How do I remove obsolete drivers without leaving files behind?

For each driver you no longer use:

  1. right-click the driver
  2. choose Remove Driver Package… (not just Delete)
  3. confirm

Remove Driver Package deletes the associated .inf and .sys files from the driver store; plain Delete only removes the registration and leaves the multi-MB files behind. If Windows reports "the driver is in use," first remove the printer device itself via Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, then retry.

Settings-based alternative (Windows 11 Home)

  1. open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners
  2. click each obsolete printer, then Remove
  3. open Print Server Properties at the bottom of that page, then the Drivers tab
  4. select each unused driver, click Remove…, and choose Remove driver and driver package

How do I uninstall the leftover manufacturer software?

Removing the driver usually leaves the vendor's companion app behind, so clean that up too:

  1. open Settings > Apps > Installed apps
  2. search for the printer brand (HP, Canon, Brother, Epson)
  3. uninstall items like HP Smart, Canon IJ Network Utility, and Brother Control Center
  4. reboot so any orphaned background services stop

Typical savings from the combined cleanup: 500 MB – 2 GB across the system drive, plus a cleaner "Add printer" experience.

Is it safe to remove printer drivers?

Yes — removing a driver for a printer you no longer own is safe and only affects that printer. If you remove a driver for a printer you still use, Windows simply re-downloads it the next time you connect the device, so nothing is permanently lost. The one rule: never delete a driver that's currently in use; remove the printer under Printers & scanners first. None of these steps touch your documents, photos, or other applications.

FAQ

What is the difference between Delete and Remove Driver Package?

Delete only removes the driver's registration, leaving its .inf and .sys files in the driver store. Remove Driver Package deletes those files too, so it's the option that actually frees space and fully cleans up the driver.

How much space do leftover printer drivers and software use?

Driver packages plus vendor utilities like HP Smart or Canon IJ typically total 500 MB to 2 GB across the system drive. The bigger benefit is often fewer driver conflicts when adding a new printer.

How do I remove printer drivers on Windows 11 Home?

Windows 11 Home lacks Print Management. Instead, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, remove the printer, then open Print Server Properties > Drivers and choose Remove driver and driver package.

Is it safe to delete old printer drivers?

Yes. Deleting drivers for printers you no longer use is safe and only affects those printers. If you remove one you still need, Windows re-downloads it automatically the next time you connect the printer.

Clearing out printer drivers is one step in a broader Windows tidy-up. Keep going with deep cleaning Windows 11/10 without third-party utilities, reclaim gigabytes with how to disable hibernation to save space, find the biggest folders using what TreeSize Free is and how to use it, and understand the hidden cache with what the AppData folder is and whether you can delete it. For a guided route, follow the clean up phone storage hub, and if your phone is just as cluttered, Cleanor clears duplicates and junk locally with nothing uploaded.