How do I remove old printers from the printer list?

QB no longer stores printers; it access the operating system's Devices.

QB 2002 reached end of life in 2005. Unfortunately, it also is from Before the flat data tables was changed to a true relational database, which was in 2006.

I'm surprised you got the program to run at all. W10 gets updates every 1st and 3rd Tuesday. Ever time you use that program and that data file might be the Last time you can get into it, and might be the date it becomes too corrupt to even update.

You cannot reinstall the program; it won't register with Intuit and it won't load into the Operating System correctly.

When you buy QB 2018, I recommend you ask Intuit to update that file for you.

I tried using  the Quickbooks Tool Hub printer repair option Quickbooks print & pdf repair tool under the 

program problem main category choice.

For me, running this tool DID EDIT and REMOVED printers in the QB list that had been unistalled from my computer for years.

Not sure why the "experts" and "team" didn't recommend this as first option.

Hope it works for others.

I found and used a QB item QuickBooks Tool Hub.

Not sure how it ended up in my computer or program start menu, however, shouldn't be too hard to download from Intuit.

Hopefully, anyway.

Once the "QuickBooks Tool Hub" is installed, 

Choose "Program Problems"

Then choose "QuickBooks Print & PDF Repair Tool"

Click on the link box below the description.

When I ran it Windows 10 opened a DOS window (or whatever it's called now; I'm old) and ran an exe program that went through all of my installed QuickBooks programs folders (I have 12 versions residing on my computer, only to QB2004 though) and spit out a list of files it could or couldn't find until it ended with a C:\ prompt.

When I restarted the 2020 version I'm currently using for most work, I went back to the same invoice I was working with, clicked on the drop down menu and the available printer list was considerably shorter than before using the repair tool, including the printer that I had deleted 4 years ago in windows that was still stuck in QB printer list.

I just wish the QuickBooks Team members answering on this thread and several other similar threads asking for help had suggested it and saved all of us accountants and bookkeepers a lot of frustration and time.

I'm specifically calling out the"QuickBooks Team Member(s)" that are so quick to tell us regular people to reinstall the QB program as the cure.  When I was a kid, using the reinstall program approach as first choice would have been referred to as "using a bazooka to kill a fly".

Using QB Desktop PRO 18.

I tried the PRINTER REPAIR tool & the other 3 tools in the FIX kit.

All to no avail. The GHOST printer still appears, but perhaps the program will run more effectively now.

Hi there, Pilotgal8,

The options you see in the drop-down of your print page feed directly from the list of printing devices in your Windows control panel. There aren't any QuickBooks settings that will exclude the older printers, so you'll have to make sure the device is properly disabled in your settings.

Even if you've uninstalled any software suites or drivers associated with the printer, the device will remain on the list. I suggest consulting an IT specialists who can properly removed or disabled the ghost printer.

You also may want to download the latest update of QuickBooks Desktop. This will help you get the newest features and fixes with the software. If you've already done this process, check out this link QuickBooks 2018 to see if you have the latest release for your version.

If not, feel free to access the Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release page for instructions and detailed steps.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with. I'm always right here to help.

Thank you and stay safe!

Thank you MaryLandT but you're not quite correct. LaserJet 4050 appears in the QB printer list. This physical printer graduated to the printer dumpster THREE years ago and it does NOT appear in the Win8 printer list.

Some REAL help would be appreciated.

Having spent 30 + years in IT, I would not have posted the question if it was as simple as you make it sound.

I look forward to a  more helpful answer when you have the time.

Hello there, @Pilotgal8.

When the tool doesn't work you can manually rename the QBPrint.QBP file. I'll guide you how:

1. Locate the QBPrint.qbp.

• Windows 10,8.1, and 8: C:\Program Data\Intuit\QuickBooks 20xx(20xx represents the version of your QuickBooks.)
• Server 2008 and Server 2012: C:\Program Data\Intuit\QuickBooks YEAR and C:Users\**remoteuser**\AppData\Roaming\Intuit\ YEAR VERSION\TSPrinterSettings.

You might need to Display hidden files and folders to find in Windows.

1. Right-click the QBprint.qbp file for your QuickBooks version and select Rename.
2. Add the word old to the file name.
3. Open your QuickBooks Desktop.
4. From the File menu, select Printer Setup.
5. Select any transaction in the Form Name list and click OK. This will create a new QBprint.qbp file.
6. Try to open and print any transaction.

If the issue persists, you can clean install your QuickBooks Desktop.

You can always ask for my help if you need assistance in printing your forms. Thanks.