Sharing a printer in Windows means anyone on your home or office network can print to it without plugging in a cable. Once it’s set up, it just works in the background. Here’s how to do it step by step.
Before You Start
For printer sharing to work, you’ll need:
- The printer connected to one PC (the host PC) — via USB or WiFi.
- Both PCs on the same network (same router/WiFi, not a guest network).
- The host PC switched on whenever someone wants to print.
If your printer is a network printer (it connects directly to your WiFi or router), you don’t need to share it through a PC — just add it directly on each computer instead. See our guide: How to Add a Printer in Windows 11.
Part 1: Share the Printer from the Host PC
Do this on the PC the printer is physically connected to.
Step 1 — Enable Network Discovery and File Sharing
- Go to Settings > Network & internet.
- Click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
- Make sure Network profile type is set to Private (not Public).
- Then go to Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings.
- Under Private networks, turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing.
Step 2 — Share the Printer
- Press Windows key + R, type
control printersand press Enter. - Right-click your printer and select Printer properties.
- Click the Sharing tab.
- Tick the box for Share this printer.
- Give it a share name (keep it short and without spaces, e.g.
OfficeHP). - Click OK.
The printer is now shared on the network.
Part 2: Connect to the Shared Printer from Another PC
Do this on any other PC that needs to use the printer.
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
- Click Add a printer or scanner.
- Wait for the scan to complete. If the shared printer appears in the list, click it and select Add device.
If it doesn’t appear:
- Click The printer that I want isn’t listed.
- Select Select a shared printer by name.
- Enter the path in this format:
\\HOSTNAME\PrinterShareName - Replace
HOSTNAMEwith the host PC’s name (found in Settings > System > About > Device name) andPrinterShareNamewith the share name you set in Part 1. - Click Next and Windows will install the driver automatically.
Troubleshooting Shared Printer Issues
Can’t find the host PC on the network
- Make sure the host PC is switched on.
- Confirm both PCs are on the same network (not one on WiFi guest and one on main).
- Check that network discovery is enabled on both PCs.
Access is denied when connecting
This happens when the two PCs use different user accounts with different passwords. The easiest fix:
- On the host PC, go to Advanced sharing settings and turn on Turn off password protected sharing under All Networks.
For office environments where security matters, set up matching user accounts on both PCs or use a network printer instead.
Shared printer disappears after the host PC restarts
Windows sometimes turns sharing off after updates. Re-enable it using the same steps in Part 1. To reduce this happening, make sure the host PC’s network profile is always set to Private.
Related Guides
- How to Add a Printer in Windows 11
- Printer Showing Offline — How to Fix It
- Printer Connected to WiFi But Not Printing
