Cannot add a printer

Question

In Windows 11, I cannot add a new device or printer. After clicking the button, the screen just goes away.

Answer 1

Hi Victoria, I'm John, a fellow Microsoft user like you.

I understand how frustrating it must be not being able to add a printer in Windows 11. Let’s work together to figure this out.

When you say "the screen just goes away," could you clarify what happens? Does the Add Printer from Settings app screen close unexpectedly, or does nothing appear at all after you click the button?

Also, are you seeing any error messages or unusual behavior during the process? If not please look for any errors under Reliability Monitor. Press Start and search for "Reliability Monitor", please let me know what you find there.

The more details you can share, the better I’ll be able to assist you! Looking forward to helping you resolve this.

Click "Reply" below to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

Hi Earl,

Thanks for the detailed explanation and for sharing the logs! I see what you mean, it’s great that you’ve found a USB workaround, but I understand why you’d still want to get the Wi-Fi interface working.

Since this issue is specific to Vicky’s Intel NUC, it might be worth checking if there’s anything interfering with the printer discovery over Wi-Fi. Let’s try these steps to narrow it down:

Run the Printer Troubleshooter:

> Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters.

> Find the Printer troubleshooter and run it to see if it detects any issues.

> This will open the Get Help app. Scroll down to the information and click "Yes" and continue with the automated steps prompt.

> Click "No" in Get Help app prompt if it initially didn't help and further continue with the automated prompt.

If issue still persists, please try to disable Third-Party Software Temporarily:

> If there’s antivirus or firewall software running on the Intel NUC, try temporarily disabling it to check if it’s blocking the connection.

Manually Add the Printer:

> Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.

> Click on "Add device" instead to add the printer manually.

> Check Wi-Fi Configuration:

> Ensure the printer and the Intel NUC are on the same Wi-Fi network and that there are no dual-band conflicts (e.g., one on 2.4 GHz, the other on 5 GHz).

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, let me know. I’ll review the logs and help you dig deeper into what might be causing this!

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Answer 3

Thanks John for the quick reply. We are not rear that computer for a few days

Answer 4

	Vicky M Nied <******@gmail.com>	<br>	---		7:40 PM (14 minutes ago)
	to Microsoft	<br>	---

Hi John - this is Earl Nied, Vicky’s husband. To answer your question, when you click on add a device. Within about 15 seconds, the window simply closes without doing anything. I’ll check the log you suggested (Logs attached). This problem is only happening on Vicky‘s computer, which is an Intel Nuc running windows 11 (Windews and all drivers fully updated). All other indows and Apple computers, iPhones, etc. have no problem seeing and using the printer. I was able to do a workaround using a USB cable but still hope to get the Wi-Fi interface working.
I can send more but essentially the same thing...

Answer 5

	Vicky M Nied <******@gmail.com>	<br>	---		7:40 PM (14 minutes ago)
	to Microsoft	<br>	---

Hi John - this is Earl Nied, Vicky’s husband. To answer your question, when you click on add a device. Within about 15 seconds, the window simply closes without doing anything. I’ll check the log you suggested (Logs attached). This problem is only happening on Vicky‘s computer, which is an Intel Nuc running windows 11 (Windews and all drivers fully updated). All other indows and Apple computers, iPhones, etc. have no problem seeing and using the printer. I was able to do a workaround using a USB cable but still hope to get the Wi-Fi interface working.
I can send more but essentially the same thing...