Printers are frequently used in day-to-day lives to convert digital text and graphics outputs to paper. However, some Windows 10 users have reported an error whenever they try to print something from their printer, with the message reading, “Port in use, please wait”.
Here I shall discuss how you can solve this error message easily using the solutions provided here.
[SOLVED] Printer Port In Use Error
Users have reported that they usually get this error when trying to print from their Windows 10 devices. Waiting for a long duration gives no response as well, but the printer responds to wireless printing jobs. This suggests there might be some connection problems between your Windows 10 device and your printer.
Solution 1: Run The Printer Troubleshooter
There is a built-in troubleshooter to determine any potential issues, which may be causing the error emulating the printer is in use. If you see this error on your device, there might be some internal error that can be solved using the built-in troubleshooter. There are two ways to launch the troubleshooter, and here I shall show you both of them.
From the settings app
- Open the Windows 10 Settings You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + I.
- Click on Update & Security
- From the left pane menu, click on Troubleshoot.
- Locate Printer from the right pane and click on it to expand the options.
- Click on the ‘Run the troubleshooter’
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the check for any lingering issues, and to resolve them from within the troubleshooter.
From command prompt
- Open an elevated Command Prompt. To do this, press Win + R to launch a Run dialog, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
- Enter the following command in the command line editor to launch and run the built-in troubleshooter:
msdt.exe /id PrinterDiagnostic
Solution 2: Set The Correct Port For Your Printer
To configure the correct port for your printer, you need to change some simple properties, which should set the correct port for your printer, therefore relieving you of your error.
- Open Windows Search by using the key combination Win + S.
- Here, type control panel and press Enter to launch the Control panel console.
- Locate and click on Devices and Printers.
- In the list of printers listed, right-click on your printer to reveal the context menu.
- Click on Printer Properties.
- Switch over to the Ports Here, look at the list of the ports and make sure the port type matches the connection currently in use.
- If the printer is using a USB connection, the port has a USB or DOT 4 in the description.
- On the other hand, if the printer is using a network connection then, the port has either WSD, Network, or IP in the description.
- If there are multiple listings for the same port type, change the selection to a different port and click ‘OK’ to accept the changes.
Changing the port should solve the port in use printer error on your Windows 10 device. However, if this fails to solve your error, here are some additional steps that you can follow to solve the printer port in use error on your device.
Solution 3: Check Connectivity Of Your Printer
Check for any lights on your printer, which indicates any poor connection between the two. These can be caused by poor connections, broken cables or malfunctioning ports on either the printer or your computer.
There is usually an indicator for the same on your printer. Check for any LEDs that indicate any error on your printer. You can also try restarting your printer by disconnecting it from the power supply and your computer, and then reconnecting it after some time has passed.
Solution 4: Uninstall Printer Software And Install Again
If the solutions provided above did not help you solve the error on your device, you need to uninstall the printer to solve your printer port in use error. You need to follow these steps to delete your printer:
- Unplug your printer from your device.
- Open an elevated command prompt window. To do this, open a Run window by pressing Win + R, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
- Type the following command and press Enter to fetch the list of all available printers on your device:
wmic printer get name - Locate the name of your printer.
- Type the following command to uninstall your printer:
printui.exe /dl /n “<YOUR-PRINTER-NAME>”
- Restart your device.
The printer that you specified in the command should be deleted from your computer.
Next, plug your printer back into your system, and install the latest version of the software. Now attempt the printing job, which should complete without any errors.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how to solve the printer port in use error on your Windows 10 device using the solutions provided above. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.
