How to set or change your default printer
Set the default printer on Windows 11, Windows 10, macOS or a Chromebook, and stop Windows from changing your default printer by itself.
Your default printer is the one apps choose automatically when you press Print. Windows can switch it for you based on which printer you used last, which is why it sometimes seems to change by itself. Setting it yourself saves you picking the right printer every time and stops jobs going to the wrong place.
Steps
Windows 11 / 10
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Turn off automatic default switching
Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and, under Printer preferences, turn off Let Windows manage my default printer. On Windows 10, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners and clear the same checkbox. While it's on, Windows makes the printer you used most recently at your current location the default.
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Choose your default
On Windows 11, select your printer and click Set as default. On Windows 10, select it, click Manage, then Set as default. The printer list should now show Default under its name.
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Or use Control Panel
Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers, right-click your printer and choose Set as default printer. A green tick marks the default. On newer Windows 11 versions, this may open the Settings page instead.
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Set it with a command (optional)
If you're comfortable with Command Prompt, the command below sets the default. Replace Printer name with the name exactly as it appears in Settings, keeping the quotation marks.
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /y /n "Printer name" -
Check in an app
Open Notepad and choose File > Print; your printer should be selected. Some apps, including web browsers and office suites, remember the last printer you used, so you may need to choose it once in each of them.
macOS
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Choose the default printer
Open Apple menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners and pick your printer from the Default printer menu. Avoid Last Printer Used if you want the default to stay fixed. On macOS 12 and earlier, the same menu is at the bottom of System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
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Set the default paper size
In the same place, set Default paper size to Letter or A4 to match the paper you normally load. A mismatch here is a common cause of paper size errors.
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Check the print dialog
Open any app and press Command + P; your printer should already be selected. If an app uses a saved preset tied to another printer, choose yours once from the Printer menu.
Chromebook
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Save the printer
Open Settings and search for Printers. Your printer should appear in the saved printers list; if it only shows as available, click Save or Set up next to it.
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Print to it once
Press Ctrl + P, open the Destination menu, choose See more and select your printer.
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Let ChromeOS remember it
Print preview selects the most recently used printer next time. Most personal Chromebooks don't have a separate default printer setting; school or work Chromebooks may have one chosen by the administrator.
Tips
- If your default printer keeps switching on Windows, the Let Windows manage my default printer setting is almost always the reason.
- If a virtual printer such as Microsoft Print to PDF becomes the default, pages are saved as files instead of printed. Set your real printer as the default again.
- On Windows, each user account has its own default printer, so set it while signed in to the account that needs it.
Common questions
Why does my default printer keep changing?
Windows is managing it for you and switching to whichever printer you used last. Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer and set your choice again.
Why is there no Set as default button in Windows 11?
The button is hidden while Let Windows manage my default printer is turned on. Turn that setting off and the button appears on the printer's page.
Does the default printer affect which paper size is used?
Indirectly. Each printer has its own default paper size in its preferences, so check it is set to Letter or A4 to match what you load.