Hey everyone! Let’s chat about the Print Management Console in Windows 10. This tool has been around for a while and is super helpful for managing printers on your system, but lately, some folks have noticed it’s gone missing.
So, how do you access the Print Management Console? Back in the day, it was part of the default Windows 10 setup. To check if it’s still there, right-click the Start button, hit Run, and type in PrintManagement.msc. If it’s available, it should pop right up.
Now, why does this matter? For many users, it’s not a big deal since you can still add and use printers without the console. But for those managing a bunch of printers, especially in an office, the console is a game-changer. It lets you control printer access, which is vital for expensive or specialized printers like those used for checks.
Instead of digging through the Printers and Scanners settings or the old Control Panel—which, by the way, is on its way out—the Print Management Console gives you a single place to manage all your printers. You can easily see both local and network printers, update drivers, and tweak various settings all in one place.
Another perk? You can check print queues for individual printers. If there’s a job that won’t go through, you can see what’s stuck, cancel it, or change the order of jobs waiting to print. The console also makes it easy to set permissions on who can print or manage print jobs.
But here’s the catch—sometimes this console is just not there. This usually happens for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not included in every Windows edition. You’ll find it in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, but it’s absent from Windows 10 Home. Secondly, starting with the May 2020 update, it became an optional feature, which means it doesn’t come installed by default anymore.
You might still see the console if your PC was updated from an earlier version of Windows 10, or if you installed it yourself before the update. However, if your machine was set up with version 2004 or higher from the start, you’ll need to install it manually.
So, how do you install the Print Management Console? There are a couple of ways. If you’re comfortable with PowerShell, open an elevated session and run this command:
Get-WindowsCapability -Name "Print.Management.Console*" -Online | Add-WindowsCapability -Online
This will install the console for you.
If the command line isn’t your thing, you can go through the Windows GUI. Open Settings, click on System, then go to the Optional Features tab. Scroll down, find the Print Management Console, check the box, and hit Add. It will install right from there.
That’s all there is to it. Hope this helps!