Turn-off automatic default printer management in Windows 10/11

Setting up a new printer is easy, especially if you are using the default Windows 10 configuration wizard. The drivers for the new printer are scanned and applied automatically, so you will not have to download the drivers by yourself.

Of course, depending on each printer, you might have to use the original installation CD for properly setting up the hardware. Anyway, in some situations, while using more than one printer from the same computer you might receive the following message: ‘Setting this printer as default means Windows will stop managing your default printer in Windows 10’. Well, during this tutorial we will show you what to do in order to prevent this alert or similar other system errors.

Understanding how Windows 10 sets the default printer

Windows 10 has extremely useful features which can assist you while adding a new printer to the system. Additionally, the Windows OS offers intuitive troubleshooting solutions to apply when problems with a certain printer are found. And everything can be initiated and completed by using built-in system settings.

However, there is a small problem that might affect some users. As you might know the Windows firmware is choosing the default printer based on certain, yet intuitive, algorithm: Windows 10 marks the last printer you used as the default printer. Of course, this process is done automatically each time you print something. Actually the OS will reconfigure the printer each and every time you print.

Now, this can turn out to be a real issue especially if you use different printers at once – the Windows 10 message / prompt that will be displayed when you will try to switch from one printer to another will be this one: ‘setting this printer as default means Windows will stop managing your default printer in Windows 10’. The message can be translated in one sentence: if you choose to set the default printer manually, Windows will stop automatically assigning the default printer as explained above.

So, for preventing such prompts you should choose to turn off automatic default printer management in Windows 10. This process is explained below.

How to turn-off automatic default printer on Windows 10

1. Open the Windows 10 Settings app interface – press the Win+I keyboard keys at once.
2. From the main Settings window click on ‘Devices (Bluetooth, printers, mouse)’.
3. All the printers and scanners that are currently in use will be listed there.
4. Scroll down until you see the ‘Let window manage my default printer’ option.
5. Turn off this feature.
6. That’s all.

Don’t forget: switching from different printers might bring other problems which might not be easily addressed through the built-in Windows 10 troubleshooting wizard. The fastest way in which you can fix a printer malfunction is by reinstalling associated drivers or removing and reconfiguring the hardware.

Now Windows will no longer reconfigure the default printer each time you will switch from one printer to another in the printer dialog. And, of course, you will no longer receive the ‘Setting this printer as default means Windows will stop managing your default printer in Windows 10’ error message.

If you have other problems with your printers, use the comment section below to tell us more about the issues that you encountered.

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