In Windows 10 1511 there is a new feature which is enabled by default, “Let Windows Manage my default printer“. This setting will make the last printer you used the default printer.
Update: In Windows 10 1607 there is a new user group policy setting to turn this feature of called “Turn off Windows default printer management” under Control Panel\Printers
At many customers this is not a wanted scenario so here is the registry key you need to change to turn it off.
HKEY_Current_User\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\LegacyDefaultPrinterMode Dword: 0x00000001
Easiest way is to use a User Group Policy preference with the following settings:
When searching for registry settings I tend to use Regshot to find them, easy to use, nothing to install. Works great! http://sourceforge.net/projects/regshot/
Happy printing!
Thanks for this! This is required for legacy printer drivers to install and i expect will cause many normal users to buy new printers simply because the drivers stop working.
What a wasteful world!!……
Hi Jörgen!
Unfortunately, I’m one of the many people for whom neither solution works. In fact, after changing the setting to Off, Windows still kept changing the default printer. So I checked the register setting, and the value data was set to 1.
I know that for some — maybe most — people this solution works, but not for me (and for many others). Do you have any other idea?
Regards,
Mats
Hy guys, here is a homemade .admx/.adml for getting a nice GPO for this.
The group policy will appear in :
User -> Strategies -> Administrative Templates -> Printers -> “Do not let Windows manage default printer”
I’m french so there is a fr-FR .adml included. Maybe some mistakes in the en-US translations file.
“WindowsLegacyPrinterMode.admx” to put in your PolicyDefinitions directory :
http://pastebin.com/AHxXsKNG
“WindowsLegacyPrinterMode.adml” to put in your PolicyDefinitions/en-US/ directory :
http://pastebin.com/i2K9kvG1
“WindowsLegacyPrinterMode.adml” to put in your PolicyDefinitions/fr-FR/ directory for french translations :
http://pastebin.com/TT640Tdj
Regards,
Guillaume
Hi there,
Is there a way to change it for all new logged in users, as this registry key applies to the current user only.
Seems, using GPO and logon script will do but looking for other options.
This is now configurable via GPO in 1607 admx templates.
Hi Alan,
What is the path where I find this option in 1607 admx templates?
Thanks!
Hi,
It is a new user group policy setting to turn this feature of called “Turn off Windows default printer management” under Control Panel\Printers
/Jörgen