You were forced to completely reset your computer but, in a hurry, you did not realize that you no longer have the printer driver installation CD available. After looking all over it, you have given up on the idea of having permanently lost it and, right now that you need to print that important document, you feel a bit “lost” because you have no idea how to fix the situation.
Don’t worry: there is a solution and you’ve come to the right place. In fact, below I will provide you with all the appropriate instructions on how to install a printer without a CD on various computer operating systems. What you need is an Internet connection and a few minutes of time: it is a very simple operation, which does not require complex interventions and which is really within everyone’s reach.
All you have to do is make yourself comfortable, take some time out for yourself and pay close attention to what I have to say on this topic: I’m sure that, by the end of the tutorial, you will be perfectly able to install the printer on your computer and use it to perfection, exactly as you did before. Having said that, I just have to wish you good reading!
Index
- How to install a printer without a CD on Windows
- Download the drivers from the Internet
- Use the Settings
- Use Device Manager
- How to install a printer without a CD on macOS
- Download the drivers from the Internet
- Manually add the printer
- How to install a CD-less printer on Linux
How to install a printer without a CD on Windows
Since you are looking for a method on how to install a printer without a CD , say that it is okay to start with the Windows operating system , as there is a good chance that you want to proceed with the latter.
Before starting with the various indications, I would like to underline that, thanks to Windows Update and the Windows 10 and Windows 11 update manager , it is possible to install numerous printers even simply by connecting them to a USB port and turning them on , waiting for the Install Exit Drivers notification to appear on the screen .
In short, in some contexts everything could happen almost “automatically”, given that the operating system may be able to find the necessary drivers “by itself”, but in general I recommend that you follow the procedures indicated below to be sure to actually succeed to configure the printer, even directly wirelessly (since Wi-Fi printers are very popular nowadays ).
Download the drivers from the Internet
The main method that allows you to use any printer on Windows is to install the drivers , which can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s official portal .
Clearly there are many variables based on the printer model in your possession , but at a general level you just need to do a specific search on Google using the keywords [printer name] Windows driver , then clicking on the result of the company ‘s official website involved (and not a third-party website, as the risk of running into malware is around the corner).
Usually, after downloading a specific driver installation file , all you have to do is start it and follow the guided installation procedure : don’t worry, since everything is generally reduced to a few clicks (just press Next / Next ). If you want to make sure you’re not wrong, you might want to check out my guides on the major printer manufacturers.
- How to install a Canon printer without a CD .
- How to install an Epson printer without a CD .
- How to install an HP printer without a CD .
- How to install a Samsung printer without a CD .
- How to set up a Brother printer without CD .
In any case, net of the single most popular brands, if you are wondering, for example, how to install an OKI printer without a CD , how to install a Lexmark printer without a CD or how to install a printer from any other manufacturer , the steps are those mentioned above. Therefore, you shouldn’t have any problems proceeding, finding through the web, for example, the official OKI portal and the official Lexmark website , then downloading the right drivers for your printer model and operating system and installing them .
If you just can’t find your printer drivers in this way, I recommend that you carefully read my guide on how to find missing drivers and take advantage of one of the solutions mentioned in it.
If you have a modern multifunction printer, I also recommend that you follow the instructions in my tutorials on how to set up a Wi-Fi printer and in general on how to connect a printer .
Use the Settings
Net of the driver installation , you should know that Windows integrates some settings that can allow you to add a printer .
In this regard, in the most recent versions of the OS, for example Windows 11, you just need to press the Start button , located at the bottom of the taskbar, then clicking on the Settings icon . Then, move to the Bluetooth and devices tab and press on the Printers and scanners item .
At this point, you just have to press the Add device button located at the top right, so as to see if the printer is detected ; then press on the box relating to the latter to continue. Alternatively, you can click on the Add manually item , being able to then select the various options on the screen.
In this regard, the available items are The printer is not recent and needs assistance to find it , Select a shared printer by name , Add a printer using an IP address or host name , Add a Bluetooth, wireless or network discoverable printer o Add a local or network printer with manual settings .
In short, the possibilities to add a printer on Windows are certainly not lacking. Generally, if the printer was already in operation before or if you are already using it with other devices, Add a Bluetooth, wireless or network discoverable printer may be the one for you.
In any case, after pressing the Next button , just follow the instructions that appear on the screen to complete the configuration. For the rest, if you want to learn more, you can do it through my specific guide on how to connect a printer on the network .
Use Device Manager
Finally, again with regard to Windows, a method that is generally not necessary, but which could be useful if you have not managed to achieve your goal by means of the aforementioned procedures for installing the drivers and adding the printer , is the one that consists in passing for Device management .
In fact, in case you got for some reason, a bit the “old way”, a ZIP file that does not have any installer or executable, it could be a package to install manually . In this regard, just right-click on the Start button (present at the bottom of the app bar on Windows), then selecting the Device Manager item .
In this way, a window will appear on the screen showing the list of devices linked to the computer . At this point, if you notice the presence of a yellow exclamation point icon , it could be the printer that does not have appropriate drivers. In general, I recommend that you expand the Print Queues item , then right-clicking on the name of the printer involved and pressing the Update Driver option .
Then, click on the Search my computer for drivers box , press the Browse button and select the folder where the driver file mentioned above is located. Then press the Next button and you will see that, if everything is correct, the printer will be installed . For the rest, if you are interested in obtaining more information on this possibility, you can refer to my tutorial on how to install drivers manually on Windows .
How to install a printer without a CD on macOS
How do you say? you don’t care so much about installing a printer without a CD on Windows , as you are wondering how to install a printer on a Mac without a CD instead ? No problem, I am going to explain everything there is to know in this context. Before starting with the instructions, as already done previously, you may be interested first of all to physically connect the printer to the Mac , as in certain cases the installation of the drivers may take place automatically . For the rest, below you can find the appropriate procedures, also for Wi-Fi printers .
Download the drivers from the Internet
As for downloading drivers from the Internet on your Mac, the procedure is extremely similar to that already seen for Windows . I therefore recommend that you follow the instructions provided above.
In this case, however, once you have reached the manufacturer’s official portal and selected the right printer model , you will clearly have to select macOS as the operating system . For the rest, generally you could get a DMG file to open, and then maybe you have to press the PKG icon twice and follow the instructions that appear on the screen to complete the installation of the drivers .
In short, it’s all extremely simple even in this case, but I suggest you continue reading the guide, so as to be sure that the printer is added to the Mac .
Manually add the printer
After making sure you have installed the printer drivers , I recommend that you proceed to add the printer at the operating system level.
Performing this operation is very simple: in fact, just click on the Apple logo icon , present at the top left of macOS, then reaching the System Preferences> Printers and Scanners path . At this point, press the + button , then selecting the printer model name .
For the rest, you just have to click on the Add button , so that the printer appears in the list . In short, there is nothing complex, but if you have doubts or need more information, you can refer to my tutorials on how to add a printer on Mac and on how to print from Mac .
How to install a CD-less printer on Linux
To conclude this tutorial, after dealing with Windows and macOS , I would say that it is good to dwell on Linux as well . In this regard, until a few years ago installing a printer without a CD on Linux could be a sort of “nightmare” for the less experienced: the fault of the rather poor compatibility of the print server included in the various distros and the difficulty of recovering and correctly install the drivers from the Internet. Fortunately, things have changed nowadays and printer installation, especially on the most modern Linux operating systems, is really very simple!
Before continuing and providing you with the necessary instructions, I want to point out that the operating system used in this guide is Ubuntu 17.10 , however you can easily replicate the procedure on many other recent Linux distributions . Having made this necessary premise, it’s time to get to work: to begin with, connect the printer to the PC and turn it on , or start the network printer. After a few seconds, the printer will be automatically detected and, when the installation is complete, a message will be displayed notifying you that the printer has been added to the system .
If this does not happen, you can manually add the printer: open the Settings panel by recalling it from the Activities view or from the appropriate button located in the management panel, which can be recalled by clicking on the down arrow icon located in the top corner . top right of the screen (the Settings button is marked with a crossed screwdriver and hammer).
Once the panel is started, first press on the Devices section located in the left panel, then on the Add Printer button : wait for the printer to be automatically detected, select it from the list and click on the Add button located at the top right. If necessary, also manually type the IP address of the printer in the box below.
If your printer needs additional drivers (a notification message will be shown about it), or if you have an MFP and need access to additional features (scanner, ink level management, and so on), you can install specific drivers as follows: still from the Printers panel, press the ⚙ icon corresponding to the printer just added, select the Printer Details item from the proposed menu and finally press the Search Driver button , following the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
If the procedure is not successful, you can manually choose the printer driver from the internal database: press the Select from database button , choose the printer manufacturer from the left panel and the complete model from the right panel and click the Select button to complete the driver setup.
Take your time to choose the exact driver for your device, even if the list to scroll through is long, as this is a one-time operation: after completing this step, the printer will be perfectly configured and ready to use. In short, as you can see, now even on Linux there is nothing so complex.