Many users agree that printers have the worst reputation among consumer electronics. They are often unreliable, buggy, and come with many security issues. While you can deal with bugs, security holes are serious issues no one should ignore. Security patches often cause other troubles, resulting in software glitches and other problems. The 0x0000011b “Windows cannot connect to the printer” is one of the most common errors Windows customers can face today. This article will show you to fix 0x0000011b. Fortunately, solving the “Windows cannot connect to the printer” problem is not difficult.
0x0000011b Windows cannot connect to the printer — how to fix?
CVE-2021-1678 is the reason why your PC cannot connect to the printer. That cryptic code probably says nothing to you, so let us explain. CVE-2021-1678 is a Windows Print Spooler Spoofing vulnerability. Microsoft released a security patch to mitigate it, but, unfortunately, the fix has a side effect: it causes the 0x0000011b error.
Unlike other Windows updates, you cannot uninstall patches responsible for mending CVE-2021-1678 (KB5005565, KB5005652, and KB5006670). However, you can work around the limitations to repair your broken printer. Note that you must consider security issues before proceeding.
Important. Fixing 0x0000011b requires a Windows profile with Administrative privileges since it involves modifying the operating system’s registry. Another thing you should keep in mind is that you need to change the registry on a PC connected via a cable to the troubled printer.
- Launch Windows Registry Editor using any method you prefer. For example, press Win + R and type regedit.
- Paste the following path into the address bar: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print. Pasting the address will ensure you edit the correct registry values without getting lost and causing unwanted damage. Still, keep in mind that only you are responsible for your computer.
- Right-click the Print folder (key) and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value. Rename the value to RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled.
- Open the value and change its Value Data to 0.
- Click OK to save the modified value and then restart your computer so that it can apply the changes.
If you are not comfortable with working in Windows Registry Editor (its vast amounts of registry keys and values might look intimidating to newcomers), launch command Prompt as Administrator and execute the following command:
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print" /v RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
That is the main way to fix the 0x0000011b error Windows cannot connect to the printer. However, some users might still experience issues, even after modifying the registry as described above. In such a case, try the following:
- Create a System Restore Point. It is a failsafe measure that will help restore your computer if something breaks.
- Relaunch Windows Registry Editor and navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers. The key (folder) should not contain any values inside it.
- Delete all values inside the Printers key.
- Right-click the Printers key (folder) and select New > Key.
- Rename the key to PointAndPrint.
- Right-click the new key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value.
- Rename the new value to RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators.
- Open the new value and change its Value Data to 0.
Similar to the previous method, you can automate the procedure above by launching Command Prompt and executing the following command:
reg add " HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers" /v RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
That should be enough to fix the 0x0000011b error.
