Windows Print Management is one of the most valuable features in most versions of Windows. However, many don’t know about it since it’s primarily useful in scenarios involving more than one person or computer.
That’s because Windows Print Management is designed primarily for installing and managing multiple printers, especially in multi-user environments. This is also why Windows Print Management is not available in the Windows Home Editions for the average consumer, who’s probably using a single computer and printer.
However, the “one computer in every household” mantra is a thing of the past nowadays. Especially with the recent explosion of remote working and education, many have found themselves in multi-computer households, sometimes fighting for the same computing resources. “Resources” like the printer.
That’s why it’s worthwhile knowing how to access Windows Print Management. Even if, as a tool designed primarily for administrators, it’s somewhat… well… “hidden” would be apt in this case. So, without further ado, let’s see all the ways you can open Print Management in Windows 10.
Method 1. Open Print Management in Windows 10 from Run Command Window
Print Management is part of Windows, so, despite being hidden in a folder you rarely visit, it’s globally accessible from anywhere. Thus, the most direct way to open Print Management in Windows 10 is by “running it” through the operating system’s “Run” dialog.
Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to have Window’s Run dialog pop up. Type “printmanagement.msc” and either press Enter or click on OK to run the command.
The Print Management window will pop up on your screen. You’ll find your printers by expanding “Print Servers” on the left. You can manage all your printers from here, install drivers, print test pages, etc.
Method 2. Open Print Management in Windows 10 by Searching
As an operating system, Windows is the platform on which “we run stuff”, from its own tools to third-party applications and games. Since this “stuff” can turn into a pile of entries in the Start menu, Windows has a search function that you can use when you can’t easily find something. This “something” could very well be, in our case, Print Management!
To find and launch Windows Print Management with a simple search, either click on Windows 10’s start button and type something, or press Windows Key + S on your keyboard. The Search dialog will appear. Start typing “print management,” and Windows 10 will locate and show you its entry. Click on Print Management’s entry, choose “Open” from the right of the Search dialog, or navigate with the cursor keys on the keyboard to highlight the entry and press Enter to run it.
Note that you can also type the executable’s actual name, “printmanagement.msc”, instead of “Print Management.”
Method 3. Open Print Management in Windows 10 from Control Panel
Windows 10 Print Management is the solution when you want to manage your printers. To expand on this, printers are hardware, and Windows 10 offers options to control your hardware in its Control Panel. Thus, Print Management is also accessible through Windows 10’s Control Panel. However, it’s not front and center among the rest of the Control Panel’s entries, and you’ll have to dig a bit to find it.
Step 1. Open Windows 10’s Control Panel in whichever way you prefer. We like using the Search function (Windows Key + S) and typing “Control Panel.”
Step 2. By default, Control Panel displays its entries grouped in categories for easier access. However, this hides some entries. Solve the problem by changing how you view Control Panel’s entries from the pull-down menu on the top right. Click on it and choose “Large icons.”
Step 3. Although the Control Panel will now look more chaotic, it will be easy to find the entry you need since it’s the first one: Administrative Tools. Click on it to access the administrative settings of your computer.
Step 4. If the Administrative Tools window that will show up isn’t maximized, you might have to scroll down a bit to locate Print Management. Double-click on it to open it.
Method 4. Open Print Management in Windows 10 Using Command Prompt
Print Management is accessible as a command from anywhere on Windows 10. So, you can launch it from the Command Prompt just like we saw above when using the operating system’s Run dialog.
Step 1. Open Window 10’s Command Prompt window. As mentioned above, we usually rely on Windows’ built-in search functionality to quickly “get to things” and launch programs. If you’d like to do the same, press Windows Key + S and start typing “Command Prompt” or “cmd”, then choose the entry to run it.
Step 2. In Command Prompt, type “printmanagement.msc” or simply “printmanagement” (you don’t have to type its extension). Press Enter to run Print Management.
Note that you don’t have to keep Command Prompt open after launching Print Management in Windows 10 – you can safely close it to reduce clutter on your screen.
Method 5. Open Print Management in Windows 10 Using Windows Powershell
If you prefer Windows PowerShell to the plain old Command Prompt, launching Windows Print Management from it is pretty much identical.
Step 1. Run PowerShell however you prefer. We find the quickest and easiest way is through Windows 10’s quick menu of administrative tools. That’s accessible by pressing Windows Key + X at the same time. Choose Windows PowerShell (Admin) from its entries.
Step 2. Like with Command Prompt, you can either type in PowerShell’s window “printmanagement” or “printmanagement.msc”, with or without quotation marks, and then press Enter to run Print Management.
Method 6. Open Print Management from 3rd-Party Launcher
Are you using a third-party launcher, like Launchy or Wox, for easier access to your apps? Apart from indexing everything you’ve installed yourself and any extra files you “tell them”, such launchers also “know” where to find Windows’ built-in tools. Thus, you can also launch Print Management from such a solution like you would through Windows 10’s built-in search function.
Press the shortcut that makes your launcher of choice pop up on the screen. Usually, it’s something like Alt+Space or CTRL+Space. Start typing “Print Management,” and your launcher will soon locate what you’re trying to find and allow you to run Print Management by pressing Enter.
Note: Have you got many files and tools with similar names to Print Management? Then, you might have to use the cursor keys to navigate among your launcher’s suggestions to select Print Management before hitting Enter to launch it.
Method 7. Create Print Management Shortcut on Windows 10 Desktop
Do you find yourself revisiting Print Management daily? Then, you might need an even quicker way “to get there” compared to the methods we saw. Why not use a shortcut?
Windows 10 allows you to create custom shortcuts for any file, and Windows Print Management is no exception. With such a shortcut, you’ll be able to open Print Management with a double click on your desktop.
Step 1. To create a shortcut for Windows Print Management, right-click on an empty spot on your desktop. Then, choose “New > Shortcut” from the menu that pops up.
Step 2. The typical way to create a shortcut is to click on the “Browse…” button of the window that will appear next.
Step 3. Then, browse for the file to which you want to link the shortcut. You can find Print Management inside “C:\Windows\System32”.
Step 4. However, it’s easier to type Windows Print Management’s full path. So, instead of looking for it, copy “C:\Windows\System32\printmanagement.msc” from here. Then, paste it in the field where the Create Shortcut wizard prompts you to “Type the location of the item:”. Click on Next to accept the location you entered.
Step 5. Enter a name for your shortcut – we suggest you use something easy to recognize, like “Print Management” or a shorter “Printers”. Click on “Finish” to create your shortcut.
You’ll find your new shortcut to Print Management on your desktop. Windows 10 will have added Print Management’s icon to your new shortcut to make it easier to recognize. From now on, you can double click on that icon whenever you want to visit Print Management.
FAQs About Print Management in Windows 10
Question: How is Windows 10 Print Management useful?
Answer: In multi-printer, multi-user environments, Windows Print Management can help you manage everything from “a bird’s eye view” instead of having to deal with each printer or user individually.
Question: What’s the quickest way to open Windows Print Management?
Answer: If you don’t use Print Management on a daily basis, we believe typing Windows 10’s Run function is the quickest way to launch it. If you need to visit Print Management daily, though, it’s probably better to create a shortcut for it on your desktop.
Question: What’s this “printmanagement.msc” you mention in the article?
Answer: Print Management appears as an individual tool, but it’s a Microsoft Management Console Snap-In – the equivalent of an integrated add-on for what you could refer to as Windows’ core settings system. So, “printmanagement.msc” is Print Management’s file name. It consists of the actual app’s name, “Print Management,” followed by an “msc” extension for “Microsoft Saved Console.”
Question: I can’t find Windows 10 Print Management!
Answer: If you’re using Windows 10 Home Edition, unfortunately, Print Management is omitted. However, there’s an alternative way to manage your printers.
Use the search function (Windows Key + S) or press/click on Start and begin typing “Control Panel.” Choose the Control Panel entry to run it. When Control Panel’s window shows up, change the way its contents appear from “View by” on the right, to “Large icons.” What you’re seeking is “Devices and Printers,” from where you can manage each printer’s properties, check its print queue, etc.
Conclusion
Most users don’t share their computers with others, and printers, like paper, are considered by many as relics. Still, many modern households have nowadays turned to the equivalent of small multi-user, multi-device home offices. There, the average mom and dad find themselves in the shoes of The Administrator.
Others may be taking the next step after solo freelancing, setting up small offices for themselves and a few coworkers. Or you might have just started your printer-testing YouTube channel and would appreciate an easy way to access and control everything.
In such scenarios, knowing how to access Print Management in Windows 10 quickly can save minutes of your time. “Minutes,” which, in the long run, add up. Especially if you create a desktop icon for it.
