How to Share a Printer on Windows Home Network

You don’t have to buy one printer for every computer in your home. Likewise, you don’t have to transfer documents from all of your various computers and devices to a single machine every time you need a document printed out. You don’t even need to buy a specialized wireless printer to allow all of your equipment to use the same device. If your computers and devices are all connected to each other via the same home wired or wireless network, you can share a single printer among all of your electronics in just a few quick moments. Any computer connected to the network will then be able to access the printer the same way they would if they were physically attached to it via a USB cable.

Step 1

Open the “Start” menu on the computer that is physically attached to the printer you’re trying to share. The only computer that needs configured for this process is the one where the printer is installed.

Step 2

Open the Control Panel. Navigate through the icons on screen until you find the one reading “Devices and Printers.” Click this icon one time to view a list of all the printers and similar devices that are installed on this computer. Your printer will have an icon in this window in the section labeled “Printers and Faxes.”

Step 3

Right click with your mouse on the icon for the printer you want to share. Click the “Printer Properties” button from the context menu on screen to advance to the next part of the process.

Step 4

Click the tab at the top of the window that reads “Sharing.” Check the box next to the phrase “Share this printer.” Note that under certain circumstances this box may be greyed out. In the event that this happens, click the button labeled “Change Sharing Options” to enable the sharing of printers and other devices on your computer.

Step 5

Click the “OK” button to finish the process. The printer you have selected will now be available to all other computers on your home network without the need of things like USB cables.

If you’re local to Buckinghamshire and need help with home networking and printer sharing call Nexus IT Support and Repair on Gerrards Cross 01753 884700 or Beaconsfield 01494 730120.