When attempting to manually delete and move a printer driver and/or its driver package from Windows operating systems, including Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, from Print Management, Devices and Printers or Printers & Scanners of Settings, the printer driver deletion and removal process may failed with one of the following error messages:
Failed to remove driver <Printer Name>. The specified printer driver is currently in use.
Failed to remove package <driver.inf>. Driver package is in use.
The selected driver cannot be deleted.
The specified printer driver is currently in use.
Unable to remove <Printer Name>x64, Type 3 – User Mode Driver. The specified printer driver is currently in use.
To ensure successful deletion of the printer driver and its associated package, please follow the steps outlined below:
Step 1: Remove the printer from the system in Control Panel or Settings.
Step 2: Open Print Management.
Step 3: Go to Print Servers > <Computer Name>(local) > Drivers
Step 4: Right click on the printer driver that you want to delete, and select Remove Driver Package. DO NOT click on Delete yet.
Step 5: Open Services administrator tool in Control Panel.
Step 6: Stop the Print Spooler service.
Step 7: Start the Print Spooler service, and while the service is starting, immediately click on Delete button on the Remove Driver Package window in Print Management.
Step 8: Restart the computer if the removal of printer is successful.
Alex Lim
Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook
