Which Folder Has the Printer Driver Files in Windows 7?

Whether you're troubleshooting a malfunctioning printer in your office or getting to know the internals of your Windows 7 operating system better, finding the folder that contains the printer driver files may take some time if you don't know where to look. Looking through the file system won't get you far, so you need to know the path to the folder to open it. If you edit or delete printer drivers, your computer may not be able to connect to the printer anymore. You'll need to reinstall the drivers if this happens.

Click "Start" and click "Computer" to open Windows Explorer.

Select the system drive in the left pane. The system drive is the drive that contains the Windows operating system.

Open the "Windows" folder, then open the "System32\DriverStore\FileRepository" folder. Alternatively, paste "C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository" into the address bar of Windows Explorer and press "Enter."

Open the folder that contains the driver files for your printer. For example, if your printer is HP, the folder that stores its files starts with "hp." If you are using a Canon printer, you will find the drivers in the folder that starts with "cn."