If you want to prevent your computer from showing your printers on a website, which lets you print files, this guide will be handy for you. You can turn on or off internet printing in Windows 11 and Windows 10 using REGEDIT and GPEDIT.
At times, you might find some websites from where you can directly use your printer to print an image, document, or something else. It is handy when you need it badly. However, if someone else wants to use your computer to do that and you do not want to allow him/her to print anything using your printer, this guide will be handy for you.
What is Internet Printing Client?
Internet Printing Client in Windows 11/10 is a built-in functionality that helps you print files from a web browser using a connected or shared printer on the internet or LAN. Internet Printing is turned on in all Windows computers by default so that you can manage, view, and use printers across the internet. But, to use Internet Printing, Printing support and IIS (Internet Information Services) must be installed and enabled.
How to turn on or off Internet Printing in Windows using Registry
To turn on or off web or internet printing in Windows 11/10 using Registry, follow these steps:
- Press Win+R to display the Run dialog.
- Type regedit and press the Enter button.
- Click on the Yes option.
- Navigate to Windows NT in HKLM.
- Right-click Windows NT > New > Key.
- Name it as Printers.
- Right-click on Printer > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Set the name as DisableWebPrinting.
- Double-click on it to set the Value data.
- Enter 1 to turn off and 0 to turn on internet printing.
- Click the OK button and reboot your PC.
To learn more about these steps, you need to continue reading.
At first, you need to open the Registry Editor on your computer. To do that, press Win+R > type regedit > and hit the Enter button. Once the UAC prompt appears on your screen, click on the Yes button.
After opening the Registry Editor, navigate to this path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT
Here you need to create a sub-key. For that, right-click on Windows NT, select New > Key and set the name as Printers.
Then, right-click on the Printers key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it as DisableWebPrinting.
By default, it comes with a Value data of 0. If you want to turn on internet printing, you need to keep the Value data 0. However, if you want to turn off the internet printing, you need to set the Value data as 1.
Then, click the OK button and reboot your computer.
Enable or disable Internet Printing in Windows using Group Policy
To enable or disable internet printing in Windows 11/10 using Group Policy, follow these steps:
- Press Win+R.
- Type gpedit.msc and press the Enter button.
- Go to Printers in Computer Configuration.
- Double-click on the Activate Internet printing setting.
- Select the Enabled option to turn on and Disabled option to turn off internet printing.
- Click the OK button.
Let’s check out these steps in detail.
At first, you need to open the Local Group Policy Editor. For that, press Win+R to display the Run prompt, type gpedit.msc, and hit the Enter button. Then, navigate to this path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers
Find out the Activate Internet printing setting on the right-hand side and double-click on it. Choose the Enabled option to turn on internet printing and the Disabled option to turn off the internet printing.
Click the OK button to save the change.
That’s all!
Why can’t I print from the Internet on Windows 11/10?
This can happen either because of the change in your printer settings or driver conflicts. So, the first thing you should do is run the built-in Printer troubleshooter of Windows 11/10 to detect and fix the printing problems. You should also clear the print queue and make sure the Print Spooler service is running and then check again.
