How to Back Up and Restore Printer Queues and Drivers in Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise

The process is most useful for printers hosted on the computer you’re backing up. It is not a full Windows backup, and a successful import still needs a print test.

Before you start​

This guide focuses on Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise. Print Management is an optional feature and is not available on Windows 11 Home, according to TechTarget. Menu wording can vary slightly between Windows versions.

You’ll need:

• Administrator access on the source and destination PCs.
• The Print Management Console installed on each PC where you’ll run the wizard.
• A place to save the export, preferably outside the PC being backed up.
• A compatible destination system and access to the printers for testing.

If you’re moving to a different computer, note its processor architecture and Windows version. Microsoft documents cases where a printer driver cannot be restored because the destination uses a different architecture or a required driver file is missing.

Check for Print Management​

• Press Windows + R.
• Type printmanagement.msc and press Enter.
• If Print Management opens, you’re ready to export.

If Windows cannot find it, open Settings > System > Optional features. Look for Print Management Console in the installed features. If it is missing, select View features next to the option to add a feature, search for Print Management, select it, and install it. Then try opening printmanagement.msc again.

If the feature is unavailable or installation is blocked on a work PC, check with your IT administrator rather than copying console files from another machine.

Export your printer queues​

• Open Print Management.
• Select Print Management in the left pane, then choose Action > Migrate Printers.
• Select Export printer queues and printer drivers to a file, then click Next.
• Choose This print server to back up printers hosted on the current PC.
• Review the items listed by the wizard, then click Next.
• Choose a destination and filename ending in .printerExport.
• Finish the wizard and check its results for errors.

Copy the completed file to a secure external drive or another protected backup location. If the PC fails and the only copy is on its internal drive, the backup may be difficult to retrieve.

Microsoft’s Printer Migration documentation says the export includes queues, ports, and drivers for both TCP/IP and WSD devices. That’s valuable configuration data, but it does not guarantee that every driver or printer will work on a different machine.

Important distinction: A printer connection that your account uses from an organization’s print server is not the same thing as a queue hosted on your PC. Check the wizard’s item list rather than assuming every printer visible in Windows is included. Your organization may need to restore or redeploy shared printers from its print server.

Import the backup​

On the same PC after a rebuild—or on a compatible destination PC—make the .printerExport file accessible and then:

• Open Print Management and select Action > Migrate Printers.
• Choose Import printer queues and printer drivers from a file, then click Next.
• Browse to the .printerExport file and continue through the review screens.
• Choose the destination print server. For a restore onto the PC you’re using, select This print server.
• Review the import options before continuing. Pay particular attention to what the wizard will do if a printer already exists.
• Finish the wizard and review any warnings or errors.

If the destination already has important printer configurations, back those up first. Avoid overwriting an existing queue unless you understand what will change.

Also review printer-sharing settings after the import. Microsoft notes that restored printers can retain their previous sharing arrangement, which may not be appropriate on a different PC or network.

Verify the restore​

A queue appearing in the console is a good start—not proof that paper will come out of the printer.

• In Print Management, expand Print Servers, select the destination computer, and open Printers. Compare the list with the source or the wizard’s export review.
• Check each important queue’s status and printer properties, including its assigned port.
• In Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select a restored printer and print a test page.
• For network printers, confirm the PC can reach the device on the intended network. For USB printers, connect the device and check that the restored queue uses the correct port.
• Test important features such as duplex printing or paper size rather than assuming every preference transferred correctly.

Microsoft recommends checking migrated queues and confirming that their associated printers are online.

If a printer is missing or won’t print​

• Check the migration log. Open Event Viewer and look under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > PrintBRM > Admin for details about failed queues, ports, or drivers.
• Check the port. Microsoft documents a failure in which a queue can be restored to FILE: if its original port cannot be restored. If that happens, recreate the appropriate port and assign it to the queue.
• Check the driver. If the driver failed to import, obtain a compatible driver for the destination PC from the printer manufacturer, install it, and review the queue’s driver assignment.
• Check the spooler. Press Windows + R, run services.msc, and find Print Spooler. If it is stopped, start it; if it is running but printing is stuck, restarting it may help. A restart can interrupt active print jobs.
• Check the backup file. If the import reports a corrupt or incomplete file and the source PC is still available, make a fresh export and try again.

Keep the export file until you’ve tested the restored printers. The wizard can save a lot of setup time, but the final backup check is still delightfully low-tech: print a page and see what happens.

Correction (November 12, 2026): The Event Viewer path for the PrintBRM migration log previously omitted the Windows level; it is Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > PrintBRM > Admin.