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The HP app replaces HP Smart, according to HP’s own support documentation. If the printer app on your computer or phone looks different, or you cannot find HP Smart in an app store, this is the reason. This guide explains what changed and what HP says about drivers and saved settings. It also lists what to check when the HP app cannot find your printer.

What it means that the HP app replaces HP Smart

HP now offers one app, called the HP app, for setting up and managing printers. HP’s community article describes it as the next generation of HP Smart. HP’s printer setup page says the app is available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

The same page says HP Smart is available for Windows 10 32-bit. It also warns that the HP app might not be available for your operating system. In that case, HP says HP Smart provides full-feature printer support.

HP’s article from July 2025 adds that the rollout is gradual. The app may not have reached every country yet. If the HP app is not shown for your printer, HP says to keep using HP Smart.

Can you go back to HP Smart?

According to HP, no. Once the HP app replaces HP Smart on your device, HP Smart becomes obsolete. HP says your printers and saved settings are migrated automatically. If your printer is missing after the switch, add it to the HP app again.

Do you still need a separate printer driver?

HP’s setup page includes a note on this. It says that installing the HP app automatically installs all the drivers needed to operate the printer. You do not need to install additional drivers afterwards.

However, that applies to printers the app supports. HP says the app supports most wireless-enabled HP printers released since 2014. If your printer is older, or the app does not support it, you may need the driver for your exact model instead. Our guide to installing an HP printer driver shows how.

How to install the HP app

1. Open a browser on the device you want to connect to the printer. Go to start.hp.com. HP’s community article names 123.hp.com for the same step.
2. Search for your printer model.
3. If HP offers the HP app, download it. If HP offers only HP Smart, install that instead.
4. Follow the on-screen setup steps.

Install apps only from HP’s setup page or your device’s official app store. HP’s July 2025 disclaimer says internet access is required and an HP account is needed for full functionality.

What to do when the HP app cannot find your printer

Most cases come down to the network. HP’s Wi-Fi troubleshooting pages suggest these checks. Some of those pages still use the name HP Smart, and menu names may differ in the HP app.

1. Restart everything. Restart your computer or phone, the printer and the router.
2. Use the same network. Put the device and the printer on the same network name. A solid blue wireless light on the printer means it is connected.
3. Check the 2.4 GHz band. Make sure the 2.4 GHz band of your router is on. If the router uses a separate name for each band, connect the printer to the 2.4 GHz name.
4. Unplug the USB cable. A USB connection can block Wi-Fi setup.
5. Avoid guest networks. Also avoid the printer’s own Wi-Fi Direct signal, which starts with DIRECT and ends with the printer model.
6. Turn on Bluetooth. Enable it on the computer or phone. On a phone, turn on location services too, so the app can detect the printer.
7. Restore Wi-Fi setup mode. Then add the printer again. HP says setup mode stays active for two hours during first-time setup. The steps differ by model.
8. Ask about wireless isolation. This router setting can make a printer look offline. Your router’s maker can tell you how to check it.

HP has pages for each step: troubleshoot a Wi-Fi connection to an HP printer, restore Wi-Fi setup mode, and Wi-Fi connection lost after a router or network settings change.

If the app still does not work

First, run Diagnose & Fix in the HP app. HP now recommends it instead of Print and Scan Doctor. Our page on the Print and Scan Doctor replacement explains what it checks.

Then try printing without the app. Our HP printer driver guide for Windows 11 covers the driver route. If Windows shows a driver status instead, see why a driver is unavailable for an HP printer.

Frequently asked questions

Is HP Smart gone?

Not everywhere. HP’s setup page still lists HP Smart for Windows 10 32-bit. It also says HP Smart is the fallback where the HP app is not available. The HP app replaces HP Smart once it is installed on your device.

Will I lose my printers when I switch?

HP says your printers and saved settings are migrated automatically. If a printer is missing, add it again in the HP app.

Does the HP app work with my printer?

HP says it supports most wireless-enabled HP printers released since 2014. Check HP’s compatibility page for your exact model.

Do I need an HP account?

HP’s July 2025 disclaimer says an HP account is required for full functionality. It also says internet access is required.

Sources: HP printer setup (HP app) and HP Support Community article Meet the All-New HP App (July 22, 2025). Both state that the HP app replaces HP Smart. HP may have changed these details since. hpdrivers.net is an independent website and is not affiliated with HP Inc.

When Windows lists your HP printer with the status “Driver is unavailable”, the message is about the driver attached to the printer entry, not about the printer’s hardware. Windows has a printer queue with that name, but no working driver is connected to it. This guide goes through the causes in the order that is quickest to check, including one that Microsoft has documented for several HP models and that most guides skip.

What it looks like when the driver is unavailable

You will see it in the status column under Devices and Printers in Control Panel, where a working printer normally shows “Ready.” Printing usually fails, and removing and re-adding the printer can bring the same message back. That repeat is the clue: Windows keeps attaching the same broken driver entry.

Step 1: Look for the leftover “Null Print” driver

Microsoft has acknowledged that some HP printers can end up in the “Driver is unavailable” state after the printer is uninstalled. According to Microsoft, the current HP driver for these models also installs a file called a “Null Print” driver. When the printer is uninstalled, that file stays behind. When the printer is added again, Windows treats the file as the printer’s driver and stops looking for the real one.

Microsoft’s answer lists these affected models, and says the list is not complete: HP DeskJet 4670, ENVY 5000, ENVY 5660, ENVY Photo 7800, OfficeJet 3830, OfficeJet 5740, OfficeJet Pro 8600 and OfficeJet 8730. The note was written for Windows 10 in 2019. The same commands exist in Windows 11, and we have not seen Microsoft update the note, so treat it as a check that may or may not apply to your printer.

1. Type cmd in the taskbar search box, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.
2. Run pnputil /enum-drivers. This only lists the driver packages on your PC.
3. Scroll through the list and look for an entry whose Original Name is nullprint.inf. If there is none, this is not your problem. Go to Step 2.
4. Note the Published Name of that entry (for example oem12.inf).
5. Run pnputil /delete-driver <published name>, replacing the placeholder with the name you noted.
6. Remove your HP printer and add it again. Windows should now search for the proper driver.

Delete only the entry whose Original Name is nullprint.inf. Do not remove other packages from that list.

Step 2: Remove the printer and its old driver package

Removing only the printer leaves the driver package in Windows. A damaged or outdated package can then be reused the next time you add the printer.

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the HP printer and choose Remove.
2. Press Windows + R, type printui /s /t2 and press Enter. This opens Print Server Properties on the Drivers tab.
3. Select the old driver entries for your HP printer, choose Remove, and pick the option to remove the driver and driver package.
4. Restart Windows.

Step 3: Install the full package for your exact model

A Windows-supplied driver often covers only basic printing. In one Microsoft Q&A thread about this message, an independent adviser gave the same answer and sent the user to HP’s full feature software for the printer. Use HP’s driver download page and search for the exact model name, for example “OfficeJet Pro 8600” rather than “OfficeJet.” Different HP families use different packages.

If you use the printer on more than one PC, install the software on every PC where you see the message. One report describes a printer that worked over USB on one laptop but showed “Driver is unavailable” over Wi-Fi on a second laptop that had no HP software installed. For installation details see our guide to installing an HP printer driver.

Step 4: If it still fails

• Restart the Print Spooler. Open Services, find Print Spooler, and restart it. If jobs are stuck, HP has a page on fixing a print job stuck in the queue.
• Run HP’s Diagnose & Fix. It is the tool HP now recommends instead of the discontinued Print and Scan Doctor. See our page on the replacement.
• Check which driver Windows chose. On Windows 11, newer printers may be installed with the built-in Microsoft IPP Class Driver, and Windows Protected Print Mode can limit third-party drivers. Our Windows 11 HP printer driver guide covers both.

Frequently asked questions

Does “Driver is unavailable” mean my printer is broken?

The message describes the driver attached to the printer entry in Windows. By itself it does not say the printer hardware has failed.

Why does the message come back after I remove and re-add the printer?

Because removing the printer does not necessarily remove the driver package or a leftover nullprint.inf entry. Windows can attach the same entry again.

Is deleting nullprint.inf safe?

It is the step Microsoft’s own answer describes for this problem. Run the listing command first, delete only the entry whose Original Name is nullprint.inf, and only if you see it.

Where do I get the right driver?

From HP’s driver download page for your exact model. hpdrivers.net is an independent website. Our model pages link to HP’s own servers.

Source for the Null Print behaviour: Microsoft Q&A, “Unable to install HP Printer. Status shows as ‘Driver is unavailable’” (answer dated February 21, 2019).