Microsoft Print to PDF: How to Use It and How to Fix It When It's Missing or Not Working

Quick answer: Microsoft Print to PDF is a "printer" built into Windows 10 and Windows 11 that makes a PDF file instead of a paper copy. To use it, press Ctrl + P in almost any program, choose Microsoft Print to PDF from the printer list, click Print, then give the file a name and pick a folder in the Save Print Output As window. You don't need to download or install anything. If it's missing from your printer list, it has been switched off or its driver is damaged, and you can bring it back in about two minutes (steps below).

We get asked about this one a lot, usually by someone who just wants to save a receipt, a boarding pass or a web page and can't work out why nothing came out of the printer. Nothing came out because nothing was supposed to. The "print" went to a file. Below is how it works, when to use it (and when not to), and how to fix the handful of problems that trip people up.

What Microsoft Print to PDF Actually Is

Windows ships with a few virtual printers. They show up in your printer list next to your real HP, Canon, Epson or Brother, but they don't send anything to hardware. Microsoft Print to PDF takes whatever the program would have sent to paper and writes it into a PDF file.

That makes it handy for:

• Saving web pages, order confirmations and receipts as a permanent file instead of a screenshot.
• Proofing before you print for real. Make a PDF, check the page breaks and margins, then print. It's a cheap way to avoid wasting a stack of paper and a chunk of your cartridge on a layout that's wrong.
• Turning something that can't be edited into something you can share. Old programs, photo viewers and some web apps can print but can't export. If it can print, it can make a PDF.
• Combining odd-sized content onto letter pages so the recipient can print it cleanly.
• Getting anything into Acrobat Reader, which is the easiest way to print a poster across multiple pages or print a folded booklet.

How to Use Microsoft Print to PDF (Step by Step)

1. Open the document, web page, email or photo you want to save.
2. Press Ctrl + P, or go to File > Print.
3. In the printer list (Chrome and Edge call it Destination), select Microsoft Print to PDF.
4. Set the page range, orientation and paper size just as you would for a real printer.
5. Click Print. The Save Print Output As window opens.
6. Choose a folder, type a file name, and click Save.

One thing catches nearly everyone the first time. The Save window sometimes opens behind the program you're printing from. If you click Print and "nothing happens," check the taskbar for a flashing icon, or press Alt + Tab. The job is sitting there waiting for a file name.

Where does the PDF get saved?

Wherever you pointed the Save window. On most PCs it opens in Documents by default. If you saved without looking, open File Explorer, click Documents, and sort by Date modified. Your file will be at the top.

Printing in Chrome, Edge or Firefox

Browsers have their own "Save as PDF" destination as well as Microsoft Print to PDF. Either works. The browser version is usually faster and keeps clickable links, which Microsoft Print to PDF does not. If you're saving a web page someone will click through, use the browser's Save as PDF. If you want a consistent result from every program on the PC, use Microsoft Print to PDF.

Microsoft Print to PDF vs. "Save as PDF" in Office

Word, Excel and PowerPoint can also go File > Save As > PDF or File > Export. For Office documents that's normally the better choice. Here's how they compare:

What you need	Microsoft Print to PDF	Office "Save as PDF"
Works from any program	Yes	Office only
Keeps clickable hyperlinks	No	Yes
Creates bookmarks from headings	No	Yes (option)
Accessibility tags for screen readers	No	Yes
Control over file size / quality	No	Standard or Minimum size
Password protection	No	Word can encrypt the PDF

Short version: Office documents go through Save as PDF. Everything else goes through Microsoft Print to PDF.

How to Change the Paper Size or Orientation

By default the PDF comes out Letter in the US and A4 in most other countries. To change it:

1. In the print window, with Microsoft Print to PDF selected, click Printer Properties, Preferences or More settings (the wording depends on the app).
2. Set Orientation to Portrait or Landscape.
3. Click Advanced and choose the Paper Size: Letter, Legal, A4, Tabloid and so on.

If your pages come out with the edges chopped off once you print the PDF on paper, the PDF is probably fine and your printer is the one clipping it. Our guide to a printer cutting off the edges or bottom of the page covers that. Not sure which size you need? See Letter vs. Legal vs. A4 vs. Tabloid.

Microsoft Print to PDF Is Missing: How to Get It Back

If it isn't in your printer list, one of three things happened: the Windows feature was turned off (some "PC cleanup" tools do this), the printer entry was deleted, or the driver got corrupted during an update. Work through these in order.

Fix 1: Turn the Windows feature off and back on

1. Click Start and type Windows features. Open Turn Windows features on or off.
2. Scroll to Microsoft Print to PDF. If it's unticked, tick it and click OK. You're done.
3. If it's already ticked, untick it, click OK, and restart the PC.
4. Go back in, tick it again, click OK, and restart once more.

Toggling it forces Windows to reinstall the driver, which clears most "it's there but doesn't work" problems too.

Fix 2: Add it back as a printer manually

If the feature is ticked but the printer still doesn't show up:

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners (Windows 10: Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners).
2. Click Add device, wait a few seconds, then click Add manually (Windows 10: The printer that I want isn't listed).
3. Choose Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings.
4. Pick Use an existing port and select PORTPROMPT: (Local Port).
5. Under Manufacturer choose Microsoft. Under Printers choose Microsoft Print To PDF.
6. Choose Use the driver that is currently installed, keep the name, and finish.

Fix 3: Reinstall it with PowerShell

For the comfortable-with-a-command-line crowd, this does the same job as Fix 1 in one go. Right-click Start, choose Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin), and run these one at a time:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"

Restart when it's finished.

Microsoft Print to PDF Not Working: Common Problems and Fixes

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Click Print, nothing happens	Save window opened behind other windows	Check the taskbar or press Alt + Tab
Save window never appears, job stuck in queue	Print spooler is jammed	Restart the Print Spooler, then try again
PDF file is 0 KB or won't open	Saved to a synced or restricted folder mid-sync	Save to Desktop with a short, plain file name, then move it
Error when saving	Special characters or a very long path in the file name	Use letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores only
Links don't work in the PDF	Normal for this printer	Use the browser's or Office's Save as PDF instead
Text can't be selected or searched	The app sent the page as an image	Print from a different app (e.g. a browser instead of a photo viewer)
Wrong page size	Default is Letter or A4	Printer Properties > Advanced > Paper Size
Printer missing after a Windows update	Feature disabled or driver damaged	Fix 1 or Fix 2 above

If your real printer has also gone missing or shows as unavailable, that's a separate driver problem. See printer driver is unavailable or our printer troubleshooting center.

Things Microsoft Print to PDF Can't Do

• Combine several files into one PDF. Each print job makes its own file. You'll need a PDF editor or an online merge tool.
• Edit an existing PDF. "Printing" a PDF to PDF just flattens it. It won't make it editable.
• Password-protect or compress. No options for either.
• Scan paper into a PDF. That's your scanner's job. Here's how to scan to PDF from your printer.

What About Mac and Chromebook?

Macs don't need it. In any print window, click the PDF drop-down in the bottom-left corner and choose Save as PDF. On a Chromebook, choose Save as PDF as the destination in the print preview. Our Chromebook printing guide has the details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to download Microsoft Print to PDF?

No. It's part of Windows 10 and 11. Be wary of websites offering a "Microsoft Print to PDF download." You don't need one, and third-party installers are a common way to pick up adware. If it's missing, use the fixes above.

Does Microsoft Print to PDF use ink?

No. Nothing goes to your physical printer. It's actually one of the easiest ways to save ink: proof a document as a PDF first and only print the pages you need. For more on stretching a cartridge, read why printer ink is so expensive and how to spend less.

What's the difference between Microsoft Print to PDF and Microsoft XPS Document Writer?

Both are virtual printers. XPS Document Writer makes .xps files, a Microsoft format hardly anyone uses anymore. Choose PDF unless someone specifically asked for XPS.

Can I set Microsoft Print to PDF as my default printer?

You can, but it gets confusing fast. Every quick-print button will make a file instead of paper. Most people are better off leaving their real printer as the default and choosing PDF when they need it.

Why is my PDF blurry?

The program sent a low-resolution image, which happens most with photo viewers and some web apps. Try printing the same thing from a browser, or use the app's own Export or Save as PDF option if it has one.

Once your PDF looks right and you're ready for paper, make sure the printer is ready too. You can find the correct cartridges for your model in our find ink by printer directory, and every order over $50 ships free.