The HP printer driver error or “Driver is unavailable” means that the Windows operating system is unable to locate the correct driver for interpreting commands given to your printer. To interact with a printer, your computer requires specific programs known as drivers, which function as a communication channel between the PC and the printer. The drivers convert the operating system queries into directives that can be recognized and executed by the printer. If there is an issue with the driver, communication fails, resulting in driver error. Sometimes these issues are also because of a corrupted “HP printer software”
Common causes of HP printer driver errors
1. Corrupted Drivers: Drivers, like any other file on your computer, could find themselves corrupted as a result of malware, hardware issues, or software tampering.
2. Outdated drivers: HP Printer drivers can become incompatible with your computer and other devices if they are not updated regularly causing massive performance issues as well as driver errors.
3. Windows updates: Drivers are developed to function properly with a certain operating system, therefore modifications to the operating system through Windows updates may cause difficulties with compatibility.
4. Outdated operating system: An error stating “HP Printer driver error” may occur even if all of your drivers are up to date and completely working, The reason being you not using the latest update of your operating system
5. Incorrect installation: When you installed the HP printer driver, the message on the screen might have been” HP printer driver installation successful” but it might be the case that you have not installed the HP printer driver correctly
6. Corrupt HP printer Software: The HP printer software you are using might be corrected or have bugs that are not letting your HP printer driver function properly
Steps to Fix HP Printer Driver Errors
Step1- Roll back your printer driver
If you recently did a hp driver download and installed it, the driver issue is most likely to be because of the printer driver Follow the steps below to roll back your HP printer driver to the previous version
- Open “Control Panel”
- Click on “devices and printers”
- Locate the printer, right-click on it
- Select “Properties” from the menu
- Go to the “Hardware” tab and click on “Properties”
A pop-up window will appear
- Go to “Driver”
- Click on “Roll Back driver”
After clicking on rollback, hp driver download and installation to a previous version will be automatically done
Step 2- Update your printer driver
If you haven’t updated your printer driver recently or if trying to resolve the issue by reverting to an earlier version didn’t work, make sure you have the most recent version installed.
Follow the methods below for hp driver download
- Go to the HP printer website
- Go to “Support” section
- Enter your device model name in the search box
- A list of software will appear on the screen.
- Click on “Printer Driver”
After the HP driver download is done, run the installation file by following the on-screen instructions.
Step 3- Update Windows
Compatibility issues may arise if you are not running the most recent version of Microsoft Windows or if your HP printer driver is incompatible with the version of Windows you are using.
Follow the steps below to make sure your operating system is fully updated:
- Open Settings
- Click on “Update & Security.”
- Select Windows Update
- Click on “Check for updates”
Install any updates that are available by following the on-screen directions.
Step 4- Uninstall your printer driver
You may need to start over if your HP printer driver was installed incorrectly or has been corrupted.
Here’s how to uninstall your printer driver:
- Open Settings
- Click Devices.
- Select Printers and Scanners.
- Select Print Server Properties.
- Click the Drivers tab
- Select the printer driver and click Remove.
- Select Remove driver and driver package
Step 5- Install a new printer driver
After uninstalling your printer driver, it’s time to make sure you have the right one installed for your specific make and model of printer. Follow Step 3 of this Guide for hp driver download.
