How to Fix Windows Printer Error 0x0000011b

Quick Tips

• Use Task Manager to restart the Print Spooler service.
• Remove recent Windows updates if the error began after an update.
• Modify the Windows Registry to disable Print Spooler RPC Encryption.

1. Restart the Printer Spooler From the Task Manager

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Task Manager, and click Open. 

Step 2: Under Process Name, scroll down, find Spooler SubSytem App, and expand the process by clicking the chevron (arrow) icon. 

Step 3: Right-click on the Print Spooler, and choose Open Services.

After opening the Services, return to the Task Manager.

Step 4: Right-click on the Print Spooler once more and select Stop to end the process. 

Once it has been stopped, it will be removed from the Task Manager. Finally, go back to the Services tab.

Step 5: In the Services tab, scroll down, find Print Spooler, and right-click on it. 

Step 6: From the context menu, choose Start.

After that, you should be able to connect your Windows machine to the Printer without problems. If this method didn’t fix the error, move on to the next one. 

Also Read: How to fix printer driver is unavailable error on Windows 11

2. Update your Windows Machine

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Settings, and click Open.

Step 2: In the Settings window, go to Windows Update.

Step 3: On the right pane, click the Check for updates button. 

You may receive a prompt to download the Windows update. After downloading, the update will install automatically, and you’ll receive a prompt to restart your Windows PC.

If this error occurred after you updated your Windows machine, continue reading.

3. Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Control Panel, and click Open. 

Step 2: In the Control Panel window, click Programs and Features.

Step 3: Under Uninstall or change a program, click on View installed updates.

You will be taken to Windows Settings, where you can uninstall the updates. 

Step 4: View and click on the Windows Update you want to uninstall. 

Using the latest security updates should resolve any issues relating to errors on shared printers or any other problems associated with being unable to access the Printer. If this method doesn’t work, maybe the next one will.

Also Read: Ways to fix printer not showing up on Mac

4. Manually Add the Printer Using Its IP Address

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Settings, and click Open.

Step 2: In the Settings window, navigate to Bluetooth & devices.

Step 3: Under Bluetooth & devices, scroll down and click on Printer & scanners. 

Step 4: Click on the Printer that is causing the issue.

Step 5: On the next screen, remove the Printer from your Windows machine.

With this, the issue causing your Printer will be removed from your PC, and you will be returned to the Printers & scanners page. Now, it’s time to add it back. Continue with the below steps.

Step 6: Click Add device.

Step 7: Windows searches for the Printer connected via the intranet or locally. If Windows is unable to find it, click Add manually.

Step 8: In the Add Printer window, select any one of the options you prefer.

For demonstration, we go with Add a printer using an IP address or hostname and click Next.

Step 9: Now, choose the device type, type the Printer’s hostname or IP address, and click Next.

That’s it. Windows will look for the Printer with the IP or hostname in your local network and add it to your machine. This should resolve the errors if it doesn’t check out the next and final method.

5. Disable Print Spooler RPC Encryption Using Windows Registry

Step 1: Open the Start menu, type Registry Editor, and click Run as administrator. 

In the prompt, select Yes.

Step 2: In the top address bar, enter the mentioned address and hit Enter.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print

Step 3: Under the Print folder, right-click, select New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. 

Step 4: Type RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled in the name field.

Step 5: Double-click the new value, type 0 in the Value Data field, and press OK. 

Finally, reboot the system to implement the changes. And that’s it! Any issues relating to the printer error should be resolved upon booting up your PC again. 

If there are any queries we missed addressing in this article, check out the FAQ section below.

FAQs on Fixing Windows Printer Error 0x0000011b

Now that you know how to fix printer error 0x0000011b on Windows, you can easily tackle printer errors related to a problematic printer driver, printer spooler service, or connectivity problems.