Where are the printer settings?
Printers are the clearest surviving division between systems that expect to be plugged into office equipment and systems that do not. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
9 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use four different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Printers | 3 |
| 3 | |
| Printers & Scanners | 1 |
| Printers & scanners | 1 |
| Printing | 1 |
The most common is Printers, on 3 of the 9. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Some of those rows differ only in capitalisation — 5 spellings for four actual names. We have kept them apart because that is what is printed on the screen, and a settings search that matches case will tell them apart too.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 7 of the 9 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | Printers & Scanners | 1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Printers | 1 |
| Windows 98 98 SE | Printers | 1 |
| ChromeOS 151 | Device › Print | 2 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | More connections › Print | 2 |
| HyperOS 4.0 | Connection and sharing › Print | 2 |
| Windows 11 | Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners | 2 |
| One UI 9 | Connections › More connection settings › Printing | 3 |
| Windows 7 SP1 | Network and Internet › HomeGroup › Create a homegroup › Printers | 4 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Desktop systems give printers a top-level entry because adding one is a routine administrative task. Mobile systems either hide printing inside the share sheet or leave it to the app, which is why the entry often does not exist in settings at all.
Printers & Scanners is the giveaway that a system expects a multifunction device; the bare Print is usually a per-app action rather than a hardware list.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to running a software update, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where are the printer settings on most systems?
On 7 of the 9 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Printers”, used by 3 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are four different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
9 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.