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How to Share a USB Printer Over Your Wi-Fi Network

Published on April 17, 2026 • 4 min read

Networking Equipment

Not every printer comes with built-in Wi-Fi. If you have a reliable, older USB printer directly connected to a desktop computer, you don't need to throw it away just to print from your laptop.

Windows has a built-in feature called Printer Sharing that essentially turns your desktop computer into a print server. As long as your desktop PC is turned on and connected to the home Wi-Fi, any other Windows laptop or Mac on the same network can send print jobs to it wirelessly.

Here is how to set up Local Printer Sharing in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Step 1: Enable Network Sharing on the Host PC

Before you can share the printer, you must explicitly tell Windows that it is okay to allow other computers on the private local network to see your desktop PC.

  1. On the desktop PC where the printer is plugged in via USB, press the Windows Key + R.
  2. Type control.exe /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter and press Enter.
  3. On the left sidebar, click Change advanced sharing settings.
  4. Expand the Private network section.
  5. Turn on Network discovery (and check the box for automatic setup of network connected devices).
  6. Turn on File and printer sharing.
  7. Click Save changes at the bottom.

Step 2: Share the Specific Printer

Now that sharing is enabled system-wide, you must select the specific hardware you want to broadcast to your family's laptops.

  1. Open Windows Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
  2. Click on the USB printer you want to share.
  3. Click on Printer properties.
  4. Select the Sharing tab at the top.
  5. Check the box that says "Share this printer".
  6. Give the printer a short, simple Share Name (e.g., "FamilyPrinter") with no spaces.
  7. Click Apply and OK.

Step 3: Connect from the Laptop

The "Host" computer is now acting as a server. The final step is to connect your laptop (the "Client") to it over the Wi-Fi.

  • Ensure the host desktop PC is powered on and awake.
  • On your laptop, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
  • Click Add device.
  • Because you enabled Network Discovery in Step 1, the laptop should automatically see the shared printer pop up in the list (it will likely say something like "FamilyPrinter on Desktop-PC").
  • Click Add device. Windows will automatically pull the necessary drivers over the local network and install it!