How to Add a Mopria Network Printer Without an OEM Driver on Windows 11

You have a network printer that supports Mopria but you cannot find or install the original manufacturer driver. This is common with newer printers that rely on the Mopria standard or with older printers whose vendor has stopped updating drivers for Windows 11. The built-in Windows print stack does not include Mopria support by default, which means the printer may appear as an unknown device or fail to print. This article explains how to add a Mopria network printer on Windows 11 without any OEM driver by using the free Mopria Print Service from the Microsoft Store. You will learn the exact steps to discover, install, and print to a Mopria-certified printer over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

What Mopria Is and Why Windows 11 Needs a Helper App

Mopria is an industry standard for wireless printing that lets mobile devices and computers send print jobs directly to printers over a local network. The standard uses IPP Everywhere, which is a protocol that Windows 11 supports natively for some printers. However, Windows 11 does not include a built-in Mopria discovery service. This means that when you plug a Mopria printer into your network, Windows may not see it in the Add a device wizard.

The Mopria Print Service app fills this gap. It adds the necessary discovery and driver components so that Windows 11 can find and communicate with any Mopria-certified printer. The app is developed by the Mopria Alliance, which includes printer manufacturers such as Canon, HP, Brother, Epson, and Samsung. Once installed, the app registers itself as a print provider in Windows. From that point on, adding a Mopria printer works the same way as adding any IPP-based printer.

No OEM driver is needed because the Mopria Print Service uses the IPP Everywhere driver that ships with Windows 11. This driver supports color, duplex, stapling, paper size, and resolution settings for any Mopria-compliant device. The printer must be connected to the same network as your Windows 11 PC, either through wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The printer must also have Mopria certification, which most consumer and business printers released after 2018 include.

Steps to Install the Mopria Print Service on Windows 11

1. Open the Microsoft Store
   Click the Store icon on the taskbar or search for Microsoft Store from the Start menu. Wait for the store to load fully.
2. Search for Mopria Print Service
   In the Microsoft Store search box, type Mopria Print Service and press Enter. The app appears as the first result with a blue and white printer icon.
3. Click Install
   Select the app and then click the Install button. The download is about 8 MB. The installation completes within 30 seconds on a typical broadband connection.
4. Launch the Mopria Print Service
   After installation, click Open from the Store page. Alternatively, find Mopria Print Service in the Start menu and open it. The app shows a simple interface with a toggle switch and a status message.
5. Enable Mopria Print Service
   If the toggle is off, click it to turn it on. The status changes to Mopria Print Service is running. This switch must remain on for Windows to detect Mopria printers. You can close the app after enabling it; the service runs in the background.

Steps to Add the Mopria Printer in Windows 11

1. Open Settings
   Press Win + I to open Windows Settings. Go to Bluetooth & devices and then select Printers & scanners.
2. Click Add device
   Next to Add a printer or scanner, click the Add device button. Windows 11 begins scanning the local network for printers.
3. Wait for the Mopria printer to appear
   The scan may take 10 to 30 seconds. Your Mopria printer should appear in the list with its model name or a generic name such as Mopria Printer. If it does not appear, ensure the printer is powered on and connected to the same network as your PC.
4. Select the printer and click Add device
   Click the printer name and then click Add device. Windows installs the IPP Everywhere driver automatically. No OEM disc or download is required.
5. Set as default printer optional
   After the printer appears in the Printers & scanners list, click on it and select Set as default if you want this printer to be the primary device for all print jobs.

Common Issues When Adding a Mopria Network Printer

Printer Does Not Appear in the Add Device List

This is the most frequent problem. The cause is usually network isolation or a disabled Mopria setting on the printer itself. Check that your printer is set to use DHCP and is on the same subnet as your Windows 11 PC. Many printers have a Network or Wi-Fi menu where you can view the assigned IP address. If the IP address starts with 169.254, the printer did not get a valid IP from the router. Restart the printer and the router to resolve this. Also verify that Mopria is enabled in the printer’s network settings. On some HP printers, this is called Mopria or IPP Everywhere under Advanced Networking.

Mopria Print Service Toggle Turns Off Automatically

This happens when the app is closed without saving the state. Open Mopria Print Service again and confirm the toggle is on. If the toggle still turns off, reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store. Click the three-dot menu next to the app name on the Store page and select Uninstall, then install it again. This resets the service registration in Windows.

Printed Output Is Blank or Garbled

A blank page usually indicates that the printer is using a non-Mopria driver that Windows installed previously. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, click the printer, and select Printer properties. On the Advanced tab, change the driver to IPP Everywhere if it is available. If the driver list does not include IPP Everywhere, remove the printer and add it again following the steps above. Garbled output can also result from a corrupted print spooler. Run the Print Spooler troubleshooter by searching for Find and fix printer problems in the Start menu.

Mopria Print Service vs OEM Driver: Key Differences

Item	Mopria Print Service	OEM Driver
Installation source	Microsoft Store free app	Manufacturer website or disc
Driver used	Windows IPP Everywhere built-in driver	Proprietary driver from vendor
Supported printers	Any Mopria-certified printer	Only that vendor’s models
Advanced features	Basic print options color, duplex, stapling	Full vendor-specific features like borderless, booklet, custom tray
Size	About 8 MB	Often 100 MB to 1 GB
Update method	Automatic via Microsoft Store	Manual download and install
Compatibility with Windows 11	Guaranteed by Mopria Alliance	Depends on vendor support

The Mopria Print Service provides a lightweight, universal solution for printing on Windows 11. OEM drivers offer more printer-specific options but require ongoing maintenance. For most home and small office users, the Mopria service covers all essential printing tasks without the bloatware that often accompanies vendor driver packages.

You can now add any Mopria-certified network printer to Windows 11 without hunting for an OEM driver. The Mopria Print Service handles discovery and driver installation through the built-in IPP Everywhere stack. For a next step, open the printer properties after adding the device and verify that options such as duplex and paper size match your printer’s capabilities. If you manage multiple printers on the same network, the Mopria app lets you add each one individually without installing separate vendor software for each.