Fix 0x00000bc4, No printers were found error in Windows 11

This post features solutions to fix 0x00000bc4, No printers were found error. It’s a common error user face while trying to print from their Windows 11/10 computers. Fortunately, you can fix this by following some simple steps. The error message reads:

Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000bc4). No printers were found.

What causes 0x00000bc4 printer error?

Windows 11 2022, and later, is prevented from finding your network printers by default. If you try to add the printer manually, error 0x00000bc4 can appear. To resolve the issue, you need to change the Group Policy setting or tweak the Registry. The other reasons for this error could be:

The user is trying to add a wireless printer
A problem with the printer’s wireless connection
An error within the printer spooler

Fix Error Code 0x00000bc4, No printers were found

Follow these suggestions to fix 0x00000bc4, No printers were found error on Windows 11 computers:

Change Group Policy Setting
Tweak the Registry
Clear and Reset the Printer Spooler
Run Printer Troubleshooter
Add the printer manually

Now let us see these in detail.

1] Change Group Policy Setting

Open Group Policy Editor and navigate to the following setting:

Administrative Templates > Printers > Configure RPC connection settings.

Select Enabled and then select RPC over named pipes from the dropdown, and click OK.

This policy setting controls which protocol and protocol settings to use for outgoing RPC connections to a remote print spooler.

By default, RPC over TCP is used and authentication is always enabled. For RPC over named pipes, authentication is always enabled for domain joined machines but disabled for non domain joined machines.

Protocol to use for outgoing RPC connections:
— “RPC over TCP”: Use RPC over TCP for outgoing RPC connections to a remote print spooler
— “RPC over named pipes”: Use RPC over named pipes for outgoing RPC connections to a remote print spooler

Use authentication for outgoing RPC over named pipes connections:
— “Default”: By default domain joined computers enable RPC authentication for RPC over named pipes while non domain joined computers disable RPC authentication for RPC over named pipes
— “Authentication enabled”: RPC authentication will be used for outgoing RPC over named pipes connections
— “Authentication disabled”: RPC authentication will not be used for outgoing RPC over named pipes connections

If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the above defaults will be used.

2] Tweak the Registry

If your Windows does not have GPEDIT, you can fix the 0x00000bc4 printer error by changing some values in the Registry Editor. Create a System Restore Point, as even a tiny error in the registry can cause various problems.

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type regedit and hit Enter.
Navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC

Right-click on RpcOverNamedPipes and select Modify.
Now enter the Value data as 1 and click Ok to save the changes.
In the same way, change the value data of RpcOverTcp (default) to 0.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

3] Clear and Reset the Printer Spooler

If none of the above steps were able to help you, clear and reset the Printer spooler. Doing so can clear pending print jobs and potentially resolve the issue.

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.

Type services.msc and hit Enter.

Scroll down and right-click on Print Spooler.

Click on Stop.

Next, navigate to the following folder and delete all the CONTENTS of this folder.

C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

Now right-click again on the Print Spooler service and restart it.

See if this helps.

4] Run Printer Troubleshooter

Before getting started with different methods to fix this issue, run Microsoft’s built-in Printer troubleshooter. Here’s how:

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Scroll down and select Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters.
Click on Run beside Printer.
Once the process is complete, restart your device to see if the printer error has been resolved.

5] Add the printer manually

If nothing works, you can add the printer manually

How do I fix error 0x0000011b?

The error code 0x0000011b occurs when a user attempts to print something on a network-shared printer. The primary reason behind this is 40 security patch updates. You will have to uninstall the latest Windows update to fix this error. Apart from that, you can try the aforementioned solutions as well.

Why my printer is not showing in devices and Printers?

You can fix the printer icon not showing in devices and printers by downloading and installing the latest printer drivers. However, you can also try to reset the printer spooler to fix this issue. Before doing all these, make sure that your printer is getting the proper power supply or not. If yes, you can disconnect and reconnect your printer.

Fix: Printer Error 0x00000077, Operation could not be completed.