-
×InformationNeed Windows 11 help?Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
Windows 11 Support Center. -
-
×InformationNeed Windows 11 help?Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
Windows 11 Support Center. -
- HP Community
- Printers
- Printer Setup, Software & Drivers
- Latest Driver Update

Create an account on the HP Community to personalize your profile and ask a question
05-03-2026 07:17 AM
Hi @Time2643,
Thanks for your response and thank you for sharing these details with us. I understand how this situation must be, especially since location services are greyed out and the HP software is insisting on using them to detect your printer.
Here are a few steps you can try to move forward:
Check Windows account type: Since you mentioned that after upgrading to Windows 11 you lost admin rights, please confirm whether your current account is listed as an Administrator. You can do this by going to Settings > Accounts > Your info. If it shows “Standard user,” you’ll need to either log in with the original admin account or create a new admin account.
Manually add printer via Windows: You can try adding the printer directly through Windows. Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners > Add device. If your printer doesn’t appear, select Add manually and enter the IP address there. This bypasses HP Smart’s location requirement.
I hope this helps.
I'm an HP Employee.
If this reply helped resolve your issue, please select the Accept as Solution as it helps others in the community quickly find the answer they’re looking for.
And if you found this reply helpful, clicking Yes below is a great way to let us know we’re providing the support you need, as it encourages us to keep improving and sharing helpful guidance.
05-03-2026 09:03 PM
OK, so I checked to see if I was an admin or not, and I am listed as an admin, and yet I have ZERO access to the location services, which means that something glitched when I upgraded the OS from 10 to 11, and Microsoft isn't going to be of ANY help. I could call them (or at least try to call them, since many services are getting rid of their call centers an opting for everything to be online or A.I. crap, no I don't like A.I.), but I doubt that's going to help things there.
05-07-2026 03:17 AM
Hi @Time2643,
Thanks for your response and I understand your concern how it must be to see that your account is listed as an Administrator but still not have access to certain features like location services after upgrading to Windows 11.
While this issue is tied to the Windows operating system itself rather than HP software, I can share a few steps that may help you move forward:
Create a new admin account: Even though your current account shows as Administrator, corruption during the upgrade can cause hidden restrictions. Creating a fresh admin account may restore full access to features.
Manually add printer: Since HP Smart requires location services, you can bypass this by adding your printer directly in Windows. Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners > Add device. If your printer doesn’t appear, select Add manually and enter the printer’s IP address.
I hope this helps.
I'm an HP Employee.
If this reply helped resolve your issue, please select the Accept as Solution as it helps others in the community quickly find the answer they’re looking for.
And if you found this reply helpful, clicking Yes below is a great way to let us know we’re providing the support you need, as it encourages us to keep improving and sharing helpful guidance.
05-07-2026 05:35 PM
OK, so I talked to Microsoft over the phone, and the rep helped things out. Turns out that my OS had a bad install period. We had created a second account on my computer to see if we could reenable the location services, and even that didn't work. So the conclusion was that the OS had a bad install, and that's why I don't have location services on my computer. Their solution was to redo the install of the OS of Windows 11 to reenable the location services. However that will be done at a FAR later date.
So out solution is that my other half's laptop can scan things, all the while mine can print things and that's it. So despite everything that's happened, it's all on my computer with a bad OS install when I did the upgrade from Windows 10 to 11. So I thanks for all your help, but sadly that's literally the ONLY solution we have for this situation. Again, thanks for all your help
05-10-2026 03:19 AM
Hi @Time2643,
Thanks for your response.
I appreciate you taking the time to share all the details with me. I can imagine how it must have been to troubleshoot so many different angles, only to discover that the root cause was a faulty OS installation
I’m glad to hear that you were able to connect with Microsoft support and get clarity on the situation, even if the reinstall will have to wait until later.
Thank you again for your patience and persistence through this process. If you ever need guidance on your HP devices in the future whether it’s setup, troubleshooting, or just tips to make things easier we’ll be here to support you.
Regards
Deep_World
I'm an HP Employee.
If this reply helped resolve your issue, please select the Accept as Solution as it helps others in the community quickly find the answer they’re looking for.
And if you found this reply helpful, clicking Yes below is a great way to let us know we’re providing the support you need, as it encourages us to keep improving and sharing helpful guidance.
- « Previous
- Next »