How to Delete Printer Ports on Windows: 3 Quick Ways
Ensure you restore your PC before deleting printer ports on Regedit
- Deleting the printer ports on your PC will remove the ports you’re not using in the printer package.
- It is essential to restart the Printer Spooler to be able to delete the printer port.
- Users can force delete the printer port by uninstalling the printer device.

Connecting a printer device will install the printer’s drivers and TCP/IP port before it can use it. However, changing printers will leave the unused ports on your system even free uninstalling the driver. Hence, it is essential to keep your system clean by deleting printer ports you don’t use.
Also, users may run into printer port is in use errors, making it inaccessible.
How do I remove a printer port in Windows 10?
There are some ways to remove the printer port stored in your system. However, the first thing to do before proceeding with any steps for deleting the Printer port is to restart the Printer Spooler service.
Likewise, It can be a problem if a reference to the printer still exists in the registry, making the computer think it’s in use. So, restarting the Printer Spooler service will refresh its service.
1. Stop and restart the Printer Spooler
- Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type services.msc, and click on OK to open the Service Manager.
- Double-click on the Print Spooler service, select Stop from the new window and click OK.
- Right-click on Print Spooler again, select Start from the new window and click OK.
Restarting the Printer Spooler will break any impediments that may prevent you from deleting the Printer port. Check our article on what to do if the Local print spooler service is not running on your PC.
2. Uninstall Printer using the Control Panel
- Left-click the Start button, type Control Panel, then select it from the result.
- Navigate to Hardware and Sound.
- Click on Devices and Printers and select the printer device you want to remove.
- Right-click on the printer, select Remove device from the drop-down and click Yes to confirm the action.
The above steps will uninstall the printer driver and remove the printer port in the process. Read our guide on fixing the Windows driver not available error on your PC if you cannot access the printer driver.
How do I force delete a printer port?
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To force delete a printer port if the procedures above don’t work, follow the steps below:
1. Delete the Printer port from Control Panel
- Left-click the Start button, type Control Panel, then select it from the result.
- Navigate to Hardware and Sound and click on view Devices and Printers.
- Tap on any listed printer devices, then select Printer server properties.
- Click on the Ports tab, select the port you want to delete, and then click Delete port.
The above steps will remove the Printer port from your PC. However, there’s a possibility that you will run into an error saying delete printer port access denied.
Alternatively, you can read our guide on ways to fix can’t remove the Printer in Windows 10 if you run into any issues.
2. Uninstall the printer device
- Press Windows + I key to open the Settings app.
- Click on Apps, search for the printer driver, and click the three dots button against it.
- Select Uninstall from the drop-down and click on Uninstall to confirm the action.
- Repeat the previous steps for other drivers associated with the printer port you want to delete.
- Restart your PC.
Uninstalling the printer device will force delete the port automatically.
3. Remove the Printer Port from the Registry
- Press Windows + R keg to open the Run dialog box, type regedit, and click on OK to open the Registry Editor.
- Copy and paste the following path into the registry box:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Currentcontrolset\Control\Print\printers\
- Right-click on the Printer Name and select Delete from the drop-down.
- Restart your PC and check if the printer port is completely deleted.
Removing the Printer port via the Registry Editor will delete it from the Printer package folder.
Further, you can read our guide on fixing the problem with the printer setup on the PC. Also, our readers may be interested in our article about what to do if your printer won’t recognize your router.
In conclusion, follow all the solutions to find the best way to delete the printer port. If you have any questions on this guide or other queries in general, kindly leave them in the comments section.
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