Before creating a shortcut to your printer, make sure it is installed and connected to your computer. If not, then first, install or add a local printer or connect a wireless printer, or some other printer on your Windows 11/10 computer so that you can create and use its shortcut.
How to create a Printer shortcut in Windows 11/10
Here are the steps to create a printer shortcut on your Windows 11/10 computer:
Open Windows 11/10 Settings app using Win+I hotkeyNow, if you are using Windows 11 computer, then click on the Bluetooth & devices category.If you are on Windows 10, then access the Devices categoryAccess the Printers & scanners page or sectionA list of all the installed printers along with their names will be visible to you in the right section. Remember or copy the name of the printer because the exact name of the printer is needed for which you want to create the shortcutGo to the desktop of your Windows computer and right-click on an empty areaAccess the New menuClick on the Shortcut option. It will launch a Create Shortcut windowIn that window, you will see a text field for the Type the location of the item section. In that text field, enter the following string:
Replace PrinterName in that string with the actual name of the printer. After that, press the Next buttonIn the next step, provide a name to your printer (any custom name)Press the Finish button.
This will add a printer shortcut to your desktop. You can also pin the printer shortcut to the taskbar to make it more convenient to access that printer.
If you are using Windows 10 computer, then right-click on the printer shortcut and select the Pin to taskbar option.If you are using a Windows 11 computer, then right-click on your printer shortcut, and select Show more options. This will open the classic context menu where you can use the Pin to taskbar option.
Set a custom icon for the Printer shortcut
The printer shortcut on the desktop or any other desktop shortcut is assigned a default icon. You might not like this. So, if you want, you can set a custom icon for the printer shortcut. Thankfully, Windows 11/10 provides a built-in feature to change file and folder icons (including desktop shortcuts). Here are the steps to set a custom icon for your printer shortcut: That’s it! Now printer shortcut will show the icon set by you.
How do I put a printer shortcut on my desktop?
Adding a printer shortcut on Windows 11/10 desktop is pretty easy. All you need is the name of the printer and shortcut wizard. The printer’s name can be accessed using the Settings app of Windows 11/10 and the shortcut wizard is needed to add the required string and printer name to create the printer shortcut. You can check this post that includes step-by-step instructions for creating a printer shortcut on Windows 11/10 computer.
How do I create a shortcut for Devices and Printers in Windows 10?
Below are the steps to create a desktop shortcut for Devices and Printers in Windows 10. These steps work for Windows 11 OS also. The steps are:
Right-click on the desktopSelect the New menuUse the Shortcut option available in the New menu to open the shortcut wizardCopy and paste the string mentioned below in the available text field:
Hit the Next buttonAdd a name for your shortcut. You can give a name like Devices and Printers or any other namePress the Finish button to close the shortcut wizard.
Now, you will see the Devices and Printers shortcut on the desktop. Hope this is helpful. Read next: How to add Printer to Send to Desktop context menu.
