Can’t add a printer on your Windows 11/10 PC due to the Windows can’t open Add Printer error? Printer errors are common and this is another one of many. Several Windows users have reported that they are unable to add a printer to their computer because of this irritating error message. Whenever they try to use the Add a printer or scanner option in Settings, it throws a similar error message to the below one:
Windows can’t open Add Printer. The remote procedure call failed.
Some also have reported to be getting the following error message:
Why wont Windows let me add a printer?
If you can’t add a printer on your Windows PC, the problem could be caused due to an issue with the Printer Spooler service. In case the spooler service is inactive or stuck somewhere. Also, if a system component that the spooler service depends on is inactive, you may face this error. Besides that, a clogged-up printer spooler queue can be another reason for the same problem. It could also be that unnecessary printer processor entries trigger the problem.
Fix Windows can’t open Add Printer error
If you get the Windows can’t open Add Printer error while adding a printer on your Windows PC, here are the solutions you can use to fix it:
- Start/Restart the Printer Spooler service.
- Clear the printer queue.
- Run the service dependencies.
- Change the Spooler key.
- Delete unnecessary printer processor entries from your registry.
Before attempting the above fixes, we recommend running the Windows Printer troubleshooter and checking if it can address and fix the error. If not, follow the fixes as discussed below.
1] Start/Restart the Printer Spooler service
It could be the case that the Printer Spooler service is not running or is stuck in a limbo state which is causing the error. If the scenario is applicable, you can simply start the Printer Spooler service or restart it to fix the error. Here are the steps to do that:
Firstly, press Win+R to open the Run command box and type services.msc in its Open field. Then, press the Enter button to quickly open the Services app.
After that, locate the Printer Spooler service in the list and click on it.
Now, right-click on the service and choose the Properties option from the context menu.
In the Properties window, if the service is already running, click on the Stop button to stop the service and then click on the Start button to restart it. In case the service is not running, just tap on the Start button.
Next, click on the drop-down menu button associated with the Startup type option. And, set it to Automatic.
When done, press the OK button and reboot your PC to let the changes take place. You can now try adding a printer and see if the error is gone.
See: Fix Printer Error 0x8000fff, Catastrophic failure on Windows.
2] Clear the printer queue
The Printer Spooler generates a queue of print commands. Now, if there are too many print commands, it might cause issues in printing. And, you might get errors like Windows can’t open Add Printer. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can clear the printer job queue and see if the error is gone. Here are the steps to do that:
First, open the Services app and stop the Printer Spooler service as we did in fix (1).
Now, open the File Explorer using Win+E and move to the below location:
C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
Next, in the above PRINTERS folder, delete all the files, folders, and data present inside using the Delete function.
Once done, start the Printer Spooler service again by using the Services app. Also, make sure the startup type of this service is set to Automatic as told earlier in this post.
Finally, restart your computer and check if the error is resolved.
Read:
3] Run the service dependencies
If the above fixes didn’t help, it might be the case that a service that the Printer Spooler depends upon is not running. So, identify the dependencies and start the services if they are not running on your PC. Here’s how you can do that:
First, open the Services app, right-click on the Printer Spooler service, select the Properties option, and then restart the service as discussed in fix (1).
Now, in the Properties window of Printer Spooler, move to the Dependencies tab and expand the HTTP Service and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) options by clicking on the + icon, one by one.
Next, write down the service dependencies in Notepad or somewhere else.
After that, go back to the Services window and locate the identified services. Make sure the services are running. If not, start the services using the steps mentioned in solution (1).
See if the error is now fixed.
Related: Wrong paper size, Paper mismatch error in Printer.
4] Change the Spooler key
You can also try modifying the Printer Spooler key in your Registry and see if it helps in fixing this error. However, before doing that, make sure to create a backup of your Registry to avoid any severe system malfunction in case of making any incorrect modifications.
Now, follow the below steps:
First, open Run using Win+R and enter regedit in it to open the Registry Editor app.
Next, navigate to the following address:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Spooler
After that, double-click on the DependOnService DWORD from the right-side pane.
Now, in its Value data box, enter RPCSS and http, and press the OK button to save changes.
Finally, close Registry Editor and reboot your PC to check if the error is fixed.
See: We can’t install this printer right now, Error 740 on Windows.
5] Delete unnecessary printer processor entries from your registry
You can also try deleting unnecessary registry keys to fix the Windows can’t open Add Printer error. It could be corrupted registry keys and entries causing the error. So, in that case, deleting them should fix the error for you. Here are the steps to do that:
First, open the Registry Editor app (see fix(4)) and navigate to the following address in the address bar:
- 64-bit:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Print Processors - 32-bit:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x86\Print Processors
Now, in this locate, clear all the folders and keys except for winprint folder.
When done, reboot your computer to let the changes take place.
Hopefully, you can now add a new printer without the annoying Windows can’t open Add Printer error message.
Read: Printer Driver Error 0x000005b3, Operation could not be completed.
How do I get rid of Printer status error?
If the status of your printer shows an error like “Printer is in error state” or if it says “Printer status unknown” error, it basically indicates that there is an issue with your printer. You can check if the printer is switched on and connected properly. Also, ensure your printer is not running out of paper or ink, and the paper isn’t jammed. You can also update your printer’s firmware. If that doesn’t work, delete and reinstall the printer to fix the error.
Now read: Fix Printer settings could not be saved error on Windows PC.
