{"id":31021,"date":"2022-12-19T11:32:06","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T06:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=31021"},"modified":"2026-03-12T11:58:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T06:28:41","slug":"device-and-printers-in-windows-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/device-and-printers-in-windows-11\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Open “Device and Printers” in Windows 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Windows 11 22H2 and up, when you double-click “Devices and Printers” from the classic Control Panel, it redirects you to the Settings \u2192 Bluetooth & devices page. You may wonder how to access the classic Device and Printers Control Panel applet.<\/p>\n

Open “Device and Printers” in Windows 11<\/h2>\n

In Windows 11 22H2 and higher, the old Devices and Printers interface can still be accessed using one of the methods below.<\/p>\n

Option 1: Using the Run dialog<\/h3>\n

Right-click Start, and click Run. Type the following command and click OK.<\/p>\n

shell:::{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}<\/pre>\n
\"devices<\/p>\n
This opens the classic Devices and Printers applet.<\/p>\n
(See other shell commands<\/a> in Windows.)<\/em><\/p>\n
\n
Option 2: Using Settings<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Open Settings.<\/li>\n
  2. Select “Bluetooth & devices” in the left pane.<\/li>\n
  3. Click “Devices” in the right pane.<\/li>\n
  4. Click “More devices and printer settings.”
    \n\"devices<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    The above option launches the classic Devices and Printers page.<\/p>\n
    \n
    Option 3: Using the Devices and Printers shortcut icon<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Open Control Panel (control.exe<\/code>)<\/li>\n
    2. Select the “Small icons” view.<\/li>\n
    3. Right-click the “Devices and Printers” icon and click Create shortcut.<\/li>\n
    4. Click Yes when prompted to create a desktop shortcut for the item.
      \n\"devices<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      Double-clicking on the desktop shortcut will open the classic Devices and Printers page. You can also pin the shortcut to the Start menu.<\/p>\n
      \n
      Option 4: Add “Devices and Printers (Classic)” icon to Control Panel.<\/h3>\n
      To add “Devices and Printers (Classic)” to the Control Panel, you can apply the following registry fix.<\/p>\n
        \n
      1. Download devices-and-printers-classic-cpl.reg<\/a> (zipped)<\/li>\n
      2. Unzip and run the enclosed REG file.<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. Click Yes to confirm.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        Close and reopen the Control Panel. The newly added item will appear in the Category view as well as the “All Icons” view.<\/p>\n
        \"Add<\/p>\n
        \n
        Option 5: Using Device Manager<\/h3>\n
        Right-click Start, and click Device Manager.<\/p>\n
        Select a device or a category in Device Manager.<\/p>\n
        From the Action<\/strong> menu, select Devices and Printers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
        \"open<\/p>\n
        (Thanks to Jim for posting this method in the comments section of this article.)<\/em><\/p>\n
        The above methods were last tested in Windows 11 25H2.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
        In Windows 11 22H2 and up, when you double-click “Devices and Printers” from the classic Control Panel, it redirects you to the Settings \u2192 Bluetooth & devices page. You may wonder how to access the classic Device and Printers Control Panel applet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[869],"tags":[492],"class_list":["post-31021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows-11","tag-settings"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6385,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-share-files-and-printers-in-windows-10-homegroup-alternative\/","url_meta":{"origin":31021,"position":0},"title":"How to Share Files and Printers Without HomeGroup in Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The HomeGroup feature in Windows made it possible for novice users to share file and printer quickly. You could share pictures, music, videos, documents, and printers with other people in your home network. However, starting with this build (April 2018 - Version 1803), the HomeGroup service is no longer operational\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"why microsoft","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/microsoft-why.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28995,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/printer-error-0x00000bc4-0x00000709-windows-11-22h2\/","url_meta":{"origin":31021,"position":1},"title":"Fix: Printer Error 0x00000bc4 or 0x00000709 in Windows 11 22H2","author":"Ramesh","date":"October 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"After updating Windows 11 to version 22H2, your network printers may stop working. Also, the error code 0x00000bc4 (Desc: ERROR_PRINTER_NOT_FOUND) or 0x00000709 (Desc: ERROR_INVALID_PRINTER_NAME) appears when adding a new network printer. Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000bc4). No Printers Were Found. The printer name is invalid. Cause Windows 11\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 11"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 11","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-11\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"0x00000bc4 22h2 - printer gpo rpc connection","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rpc-printer-gpo-w11.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rpc-printer-gpo-w11.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rpc-printer-gpo-w11.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rpc-printer-gpo-w11.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1185,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-devices-and-printers-completely-empty-windows-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":31021,"position":2},"title":"Fix Devices and Printers Folder is Completely Blank in Windows 7","author":"Ramesh","date":"October 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open Devices and Printers applet, it may show up as an empty folder although the devices are correctly connected and their drivers are intact. This can be due to several reasons, and the possible causes (with appropriate fixes) are discussed in this post. We've observed that Devices and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 7"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 7","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-7\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-dev-empty-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-dev-empty-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-dev-empty-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23714,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/printer-prints-documents-in-inverted-color-black-background\/","url_meta":{"origin":31021,"position":3},"title":"[Fix] Printer Prints Documents in Inverted Colors","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"When you try to print a document or image using your printer, it may print the contents in an inverted color scheme (black background with white text). The result is the same when you print a test page via the printer properties, or print from Word, Open Office, Libre Office,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"printer inverted colors printing - laser type 1 class driver","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/brother-firmware-inverted-printing.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/brother-firmware-inverted-printing.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/brother-firmware-inverted-printing.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/brother-firmware-inverted-printing.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1484,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/stop-windows-10-change-default-printer-automatically\/","url_meta":{"origin":31021,"position":4},"title":"Stop Windows from Changing the Default Printer Automatically","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"On Windows 10 and 11, if you have multiple printers (including virtual printers, such as Microsoft Print to PDF and Foxit PDF) and set your preferred one as the default, the default printer changes automatically the next time you print to a non-default printer. Stop Windows from Changing the Default\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"sync settings - windows backup - windows 10","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sync-settings-windows-10.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sync-settings-windows-10.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sync-settings-windows-10.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sync-settings-windows-10.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27004,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/add-device-printer-or-scanner-closes-window\/","url_meta":{"origin":31021,"position":5},"title":"Add a Device\/Printer\/Scanner Flashes a Window; Settings Page Crashes","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open Devices and Printers in Control Panel and click on the \"Add a Device\" or \"Add a Printer\" button, a new dialog flashes on the screen and closes. Also, the Control Panel applet crashes immediately. The same happens when you open the modern Settings page and click \"Add\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"add printer scanner - error - flashes and closes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/wer-add-printer-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/wer-add-printer-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/wer-add-printer-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31021\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}