This is especially helpful if you are working in a corporate environment with multiple printers available, or you tend to switch between printers to change the type of print you require since you will not have to manually configure each and every printer. By backing up and restoring your printer settings, drivers, queues, and ports, you will not need to reconfigure each of them individually on your new computer. Moreover, the technique that we are about to discuss can also be adapted when adding a new computer. Let us show you how you can save time and avoid a headache simply by using the same printer configurations on your new PC in a few easy steps.
Printer Migration utility in Windows 10
The application PrintBrmUI.exe, also known as Printer Migration, was first introduced in Windows Vista back in 2009. This application has been dedicated to backup and restore printer drivers and settings from the very beginning. Up until a while back, the Printer Migration utility was a part of all the Windows versions and editions. However, Microsoft recently removed this feature from its Windows 10 Home edition with an update, the reason still unknown.
How to backup printer drivers and queues using PrintBrmUI
You can use the built-in utility PrintBrmUI that will automatically backup your printer drivers, ports, and queues on your current PC, and create a file with the relevant information. This file can then be used on other computers to restore the same settings, or you may use it as a backup if something were to happen to the current configurations. To create a backup, follow the guide below: You have now successfully backed up your printer configurations that can be used on other computers to restore the same settings.
How to restore printer drivers and queues using PrintBrmUI
Now that you have a backup file containing your printer drivers, ports, and print queues, you can use it to have the same settings on any other computer. Here is how you can do so: You may now continue commencing your printer jobs that were in the queue on the old computer, using the same printers and ports.
Closing words
Although backing up and restoring the printer configurations can be of great help, especially for corporate users, it does have its limitations. Printer driver(s), ports, and queues backed up from a 32-bit Operating System cannot be restored on a computer with 64-bit architecture, and vice versa. Hence, if you are planning to upgrade your PC in terms of architecture, this methodology to backup and restore your printer settings might not work for you. In that case, you will still need to manually install the drivers and configure the ports on your new computer. Also see:
How to Use File History And Backup & Restore In Windows 10How To Add/Remove Windows Components From ISO Images Using MSMG ToolkitHow to Backup and Restore Application Settings in Windows 10How To Install, Backup and Restore Windows 10 DriversHow to Create Windows Recovery Drive
