Canon MG2500: How to Fix the “Driver is unavailable” Error in Windows 11 and Windows 10

Last Updated on 22.07.2026 by DriverNew

After connecting a Canon PIXMA MG2500 series device, the “Driver is unavailable” message may appear under Printers & scanners. Windows detects the connected multifunction printer, but printing does not work, the scanner is not detected, or the device appears several times.

The error most often occurs when the USB cable is connected before the Canon installer is started. Windows attempts to configure the multifunction printer automatically, but installs only some of the required components or assigns an unsuitable driver.

This guide applies to the following models:

Canon PIXMA MG2510, MG2520, MG2522, MG2525, MG2540, MG2540S, MG2541S, MG2550, MG2550S, MG2555, MG2560, MG2570, MG2570S, MG2577S, MG2580, MG2580S, and MG2590.

All the devices listed above belong to the Canon PIXMA MG2500 series family and use the same MP Drivers package for Windows.

Why Windows displays the “Driver is unavailable” message

The error may appear for the following reasons:

• the USB cable was connected before the official Canon driver was installed;
• Windows automatically added the multifunction printer as a standard USB printer;
• the MP Drivers installation was interrupted;
• the driver stopped working correctly after a Windows update;
• damaged components from a previous installation remain in the system;
• only XPS Printer Driver is installed;
• there are several copies of Canon MG2500 series in the list;
• the wrong USB port is assigned to the printer;
• a Windows mode that prevents the use of third-party printer drivers is enabled;
• the computer has an ARM processor, which may not be compatible with the standard Canon package.

Method 1. Remove the incorrectly added printer and install the official driver

Start with this method. In most cases, completely removing the device from Printers & scanners and reinstalling MP Drivers is sufficient.

Step 1. Disconnect the multifunction printer

1. Turn off the Canon MG2500 series using the power button.
2. Disconnect the USB cable from the computer.
3. Leave the multifunction printer’s power cable connected to the electrical outlet.

Step 2. Remove the printer in Windows 11

1. Click the Start button.
2. Open Settings.
3. Go to Bluetooth & devices.
4. Open Printers & scanners.
5. Find Canon MG2500 series or Canon MG2500 series Printer.
6. Click the device name.
7. Click Remove.
8. Confirm the removal.

Step 3. Remove the printer in Windows 10

1. Click the Start button.
2. Open Settings.
3. Go to Devices.
4. Select Printers & scanners.
5. Find Canon MG2500 series.
6. Click the device name.
7. Click Remove device.
8. Confirm the removal.

If several identical Canon MG2500 series devices are listed, remove each copy.

Step 4. Restart the computer

1. Click the Start button.
2. Click the power button.
3. Select Restart.
4. After Windows starts, do not connect the USB cable.

Step 5. Download the Canon MG2500 series MP Drivers package

1. Open the official Canon page:
   Download Canon MG2500 series MP Drivers
2. Click the red Download button.
3. Save the file to the Downloads folder.
4. Wait until the download is complete.
5. Make sure that the filename begins with:

mp68-win-mg2500-

Step 6. Reinstall the driver

1. Open the Downloads folder.
2. Right-click the installation file.
3. Select Run as administrator.
4. If a User Account Control window appears, click Yes.
5. In the “Welcome” window, click Next >.
6. In the “License Agreement” window, click Yes.
7. Wait for the “Connect Cable” window to appear.
8. Connect the USB cable to the computer only after this window appears.
9. Turn on the multifunction printer.
10. Wait for the device to be detected.
11. Wait until the installation is complete.

After the installation, open Printers & scanners again. The “Driver is unavailable” message should disappear.

Method 2. Remove the old Canon MG2500 series MP Drivers package

If the error remains, remove the previously installed Canon package from the list of apps.

Removal in Windows 11

1. Disconnect the multifunction printer’s USB cable.
2. Open Settings.
3. Go to Apps.
4. Open Installed apps.
5. Enter Canon in the search box.
6. Find Canon MG2500 series MP Drivers.
7. Click the three-dot button next to the name.
8. Select Uninstall.
9. Click Uninstall again to confirm.
10. Follow the uninstaller instructions.

Removal in Windows 10

1. Disconnect the multifunction printer’s USB cable.
2. Open Settings.
3. Go to Apps.
4. Open Apps & features.
5. Enter Canon in the search box.
6. Select Canon MG2500 series MP Drivers.
7. Click Uninstall.
8. Confirm the removal.

After removing the package, restart the computer. Then reinstall MP Drivers, connecting the USB cable only when prompted by the program.

Method 3. Remove the malfunctioning device in Device Manager

Windows may retain an incorrect Canon entry even after the printer is removed from Settings.

Step 1. Open Device Manager

1. Disconnect the USB cable from the computer.
2. Right-click the Start button.
3. Select Device Manager.

Step 2. Show hidden devices

1. Open the View menu at the top of the window.
2. Select Show hidden devices.

Step 3. Find old Canon entries

Expand the following sections one at a time:

• Print queues;
• Printers;
• Imaging devices;
• Other devices;
• Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Look for entries with the following or similar names:

• Canon MG2500 series;
• Canon MG2500 series Printer;
• Canon Scanner;
• USB Printing Support;
• Unknown USB Device;
• Unknown Device.

Step 4. Remove the incorrect entry

1. Right-click the device.
2. Select Uninstall device.
3. If the Delete the driver software for this device checkbox appears, select it.
4. Click Uninstall.
5. Repeat this action for other old Canon MG2500 series entries.
6. Close Device Manager.
7. Restart the computer.

After restarting, reinstall MP Drivers while the USB cable is disconnected.

Method 4. Remove the driver package through Print Server Properties

If standard removal did not help, the old package may remain in the Windows driver store.

1. Disconnect the Canon USB cable from the computer.
2. Remove all Canon MG2500 series copies from Printers & scanners.
3. Press Windows + R.
4. Enter the following command:

printui /s /t2

5. Click OK.
6. The “Print Server Properties” window will open on the Drivers tab.
7. Find Canon MG2500 series in the list.
8. Select the driver.
9. Click Remove.
10. If a choice appears, select Remove driver and driver package.
11. Click OK.
12. Close the window.
13. Restart the computer.

After restarting, perform a clean installation of the official MP Drivers package.

What to do if Windows reports that the driver is in use

1. Close Word, the browser, the PDF viewer, and other applications that were used for printing.
2. Remove all Canon MG2500 series devices from Printers & scanners.
3. Restart the computer.
4. Open Print Server Properties again using the printui /s /t2 command.
5. Try removing the package again.

Method 5. Remove extra copies of Canon MG2500 series

After several installation attempts, the following entries may appear in Windows:

• Canon MG2500 series;
• Canon MG2500 series Printer;
• Canon MG2500 series Copy 1;
• Canon MG2500 series Copy 2;
• USB Printer;
• unknown printer.

Extra copies may use the wrong driver or port.

1. Disconnect the USB cable from the computer.
2. Open Printers & scanners.
3. Remove all entries related to Canon MG2500 series.
4. Restart the computer.
5. Reinstall MP Drivers.
6. After installation, only one working Canon MG2500 series Printer entry should remain in the list.

Method 6. Check whether only XPS Printer Driver is installed

XPS Printer Driver may also be offered on the Canon website. It does not replace the main MP Drivers package.

If only the XPS driver is installed:

• Windows may show an incomplete installation;
• the scanner will not work;
• IJ Scan Utility will not appear;
• the standard Canon MG2500 series printer may be missing.

To fix this:

1. Disconnect the USB cable.
2. Remove the XPS driver through Apps if it is installed.
3. Restart the computer.
4. Download the package whose name begins with mp68-win-mg2500-.
5. Start the installation.
6. Connect the multifunction printer only after the “Connect Cable” window appears.

Method 7. Check the USB port assigned to the printer

If the driver is installed but Windows continues to display the error or the printer does not print, check the port.

1. Turn on the multifunction printer and connect it to the computer.
2. Press Windows + R.
3. Enter:

control printers

4. Click OK.
5. Find Canon MG2500 series Printer.
6. Right-click it.
7. Select Printer properties.
8. Open the Ports tab.

A port with a name similar to the following is usually used for a USB connection:

USB001

or another existing virtual USB port whose description shows Canon MG2500 series.

9. If the appropriate USB port is not selected, select its checkbox.
10. Click Apply.
11. Click OK.
12. Try printing a test page.

Method 8. Check Windows protected print mode in Windows 11

Windows protected print mode can be enabled in some versions of Windows 11. When it is enabled, the system removes third-party printer drivers and uses only compatible built-in printing components.

Canon MG2500 series is an older-generation USB device and requires its own Canon driver. Therefore, MP Drivers may be removed or blocked when this mode is enabled.

1. Click the Start button.
2. Open Settings.
3. Go to Bluetooth & devices.
4. Open Printers & scanners.
5. Scroll down the page.
6. Find the section related to Windows protected print mode.

If the mode is enabled, review the Windows warning and turn it off if you need to use Canon MG2500 series. After turning it off, reinstall MP Drivers.

If this option is not available in Settings, skip this method.

Method 9. Check the computer’s processor type

To check the computer type:

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Select System.
3. Find the System type line.

If x64-based processor is shown, the standard Canon package should be compatible.

If ARM-based processor or ARM64 is shown, the error may be caused by the absence of a compatible low-level USB driver.

How to check the result

After reinstalling, complete the following steps:

1. Turn on the multifunction printer.
2. Make sure that the USB cable is connected directly to the computer.
3. Open Printers & scanners.
4. Find Canon MG2500 series Printer.
5. Make sure that the “Driver is unavailable” message is no longer displayed next to the device.

Print a test page

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Enter control printers.
3. Click OK.
4. Right-click Canon MG2500 series Printer.
5. Select Printer properties.
6. On the General tab, click Print Test Page.

Check the scanner

1. Click the Start button.
2. Enter IJ Scan Utility in the search box.
3. Open the program.
4. Make sure that Canon MG2500 series is selected.
5. Place a document on the platen glass.
6. Click Auto or Document.

If printing and scanning work, the driver is installed correctly.

If the error appears again after disconnecting the USB cable

If the device works until it is disconnected for the first time, but the “Driver is unavailable” message appears again after it is reconnected:

1. Connect the multifunction printer to the same USB port that was used during installation.
2. Do not connect it through a USB hub.
3. Try another working USB cable.
4. Check whether a new printer copy is created each time the device is connected.
5. Remove the extra copies.
6. Check the printer port on the Ports tab.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Windows install the printer automatically but display “Driver is unavailable”?

Windows was able to identify the connected USB device but did not install the complete Canon package. To make the device work correctly, remove the automatically added printer and install the official MP Drivers package.

Should I connect the USB cable before starting the installer?

No. Start the program with the cable disconnected. Connect the multifunction printer only after the “Connect Cable” window appears.

Why does the printer work while the scanner is not detected?

Windows probably installed only the printing component. Remove the automatically added device and reinstall the complete MP Drivers package, which includes the scanner driver.

Do I need to install XPS Printer Driver?

No. The MP Drivers package is required for normal printing and scanning. XPS Printer Driver is an additional component and does not install the scanner driver.

Why are several Canon MG2500 series devices shown in the list?

Windows may create a new copy after the device is connected to another USB port or after repeated installations. Remove all old copies, restart the computer, and perform a clean installation.

Can the error be fixed without reinstalling the driver?

Removing an extra printer copy or selecting the correct USB port sometimes helps. However, if Windows displays “Driver is unavailable,” it is more reliable to remove the old components completely and reinstall the official Canon package.

Conclusion

The “Driver is unavailable” error usually means that Windows detects Canon MG2500 series but cannot use the correct driver.

First, disconnect the USB cable, remove the device from Printers & scanners, restart the computer, and reinstall the Canon MG2500 series MP Drivers package. Connect the multifunction printer only after the “Connect Cable” window appears.

If a standard reinstallation does not help, remove the old entries in Device Manager and remove the driver package through Print Server Properties. After a clean installation, test printing a test page and scanning with IJ Scan Utility.