If you regularly print documents, you can add the printer to the Send To context menu to make it easy. Here is how to do it in simple steps.
Most don’t use it that often, but the Send To option in the right-click context menu is practical and versatile in many situations.
Though the default options in the Send To menu are not that helpful for general users, you can customize them. i.e., add or remove the Send To menu items. For example, you can add folders to Send To menu. You can even add programs to the Send To menu.
Recently, one of you emailed me asking how to add a printer to the context menu. The good thing is that you can add the printer to the Send To context menu.
One of the primary use cases for adding a printer to the Send To menu is that it makes printing that much easier. After adding, simply sending the document to the printer from the Send To menu will do the job—no need to open the Printer app or use awkward shortcuts.
So, let me show you how to add a printer to the Send To context menu in Windows.
The steps below work the same in Windows 10 and 11.
Add Printer to Send To Context Menu
There are two significant steps to adding a printer to the Send To context menu. First, we must create the printer shortcut and add it to the Send To folder. It’s that simple. Let me show you how to do it in simple steps.
- Use “Win + R” to open Run.
- Type “shell:PrinterFolder” in the blank field.
- Press the “Ok” button.
- Find and then drag & drop the printer to the desktop.
- This will create the printer shortcut.
- Select the shortcut and press “Ctrl + C” to copy.
- Open the Run window again with “Win + R.”
- Type “shell:SendTo” in the blank field.
- Press the “Ok” button.
- Paste the copied shortcut in the SendTo folder.
- Close the File Explorer.
- You will see your printer in the Send To context menu.
Steps with more details:
First, we need to create a shortcut for your printer. Thankfully, all the printers are stored in a single folder. To open the printer folder, we will use a Windows Shell command. Press “Win + R,” type “shell:PrinterFolder“ in the blank field, and press the ”Ok“ button.
The above action will open the Printers folder. This folder hosts all your printers. If you have multiple printers, find the printer of your choice and drag and drop it onto the desktop.
When you drag and drop, Windows will automatically create the printer shortcut. You can rename the shortcut to whatever you want if you want to. For instance, I renamed the shortcut to My Printer. Renaming helps if you add multiple printers to the Send To menu.
We now need to add the shortcut to the Send To folder. To open the Send To folder, press the “Win + R" shortcut type ”shell:SendTo” and click the ”Ok“ button.
Copy and paste the printer shortcut we created earlier in the Send To folder. Once done, close the folder.
That is it. You will see the newly added printer in the Send To menu when you right-click on a file or folder.
Windows 11 users might need to click the “Show more options” option in the right-click menu or hold the Shift key and right-click on the file or folder to see the full context menu.
If you don’t see it immediately, restart explorer or reboot the system.
If you ever want to remove the printer from the Send To menu, delete the shortcut you added to the Send To folder.
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That is all. It is that simple to add a printer to the context menu in Windows.
I hope this simple Windows how-to guide helped you.
If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.
