Printer Error 0x0000011b, 0x00000709 or 0x00000bc4 on Windows? What Each Means and How to Fix It

Quick answer: these three Windows printer errors almost always come from Windows' printing security changes, not from a broken printer. 0x0000011b ("Windows cannot connect to the printer") appears when one PC connects to a printer shared from another PC and the two have mismatched security updates. Update both computers first. 0x00000bc4 ("No printers were found") and 0x00000709 ("Operation could not be completed") on Windows 11 are usually fixed by switching the printer's RPC connection to RPC over named pipes, either in Group Policy or with the registry value RpcUseNamedPipeProtocol = 1. If 0x00000709 appears when you try to set a default printer, turn off "Let Windows manage my default printer" first. The fastest fix of all is often to skip the shared connection and add a network printer directly by its IP address.

Updated October 11, 2026 · By William Elward, founder of Castle Ink (helping people with printers and ink since 2005)

Why Do These Printer Errors Happen?

When you print to a printer that's shared from another computer (or a print server at work), Windows uses a protocol called RPC to talk to the print spooler on that other machine. Over the past few years Microsoft has tightened RPC printing security several times, mostly in response to the "PrintNightmare" family of vulnerabilities. Each change made printing safer, and each one broke printing for some people whose two computers didn't agree on the new rules.

That's the important point: your printer, ink and toner are fine. Nothing on the printer itself needs replacing. These are Windows-to-Windows connection errors. If the printer prints a configuration page from its own control panel, the hardware is working.

Which Error Do You Have?

Before You Change Any Settings

Try these in order. They fix a surprising share of cases and carry no risk:

1. Run Windows Update on every computer involved: yours, and the one sharing the printer. Install optional quality updates too, then restart both. Mismatched update levels are the root cause of 0x0000011b.
2. Restart the Print Spooler on both machines. Our guide to restarting the print spooler shows how.
3. Check the printer is actually reachable. Print a network configuration page from the printer's control panel and confirm it has an IP address on the same network as your PC. If it shows as offline, start with why your printer keeps going offline.

The Fix That Avoids All Three Errors: Add the Printer by IP Address

If your printer has Wi-Fi or an Ethernet port, you don't need to go through another computer at all. Connecting directly avoids the shared-printer RPC path that causes these errors.

1. Find the printer's IP address. Our guide to finding your printer's IP address covers HP, Canon, Epson and Brother, including printers without a screen.
2. In Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Add device. Wait a few seconds, then click Add manually ("The printer that I want isn't listed").
3. Choose Add a printer using an IP address or hostname, type the IP address, and follow the prompts to install the driver.
4. Remove the old shared copy of the printer so Windows doesn't keep trying it.

Full walk-through, including Windows 10: how to add a printer in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If the printer is USB-only and has to be shared from another PC, keep reading.

How to Fix Error 0x0000011b

What it means: Microsoft's update for vulnerability CVE-2021-1678 raised the authentication level that a print server (the PC sharing the printer) demands from clients. Microsoft's support article KB4599464 explains that updates from January 2021 added the setting, and updates from September 14, 2021 onward enforce it by default. A client that can't meet the higher level gets 0x0000011b.

Fix 1: Update both computers

Microsoft's own guidance is that every client needs the January 12, 2021 update or later before the host enforces the stricter mode. On any reasonably current Windows 10 or 11 PC, that's long since installed, so in practice "update both, restart both" clears most cases.

Fix 2: Connect directly by IP address

As above. If the printer is networked, this sidesteps the problem permanently.

Fix 3 (last resort): Lower the authentication requirement on the host

Microsoft documents a registry value that controls this, but it does not recommend turning the protection off, because it leaves the printing connection open to the vulnerability it was designed to fix. Use it only as a temporary bridge on a trusted home network, and only on the computer that is sharing the printer:

• Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print
• Value: RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled (DWORD)
• Data: 0 disables enforcement; 1 enables it
• Restart the PC or the Print Spooler service afterwards

Back up the registry before editing it (in Registry Editor, File > Export). If you're on a work network, don't do this yourself; it's a decision for your IT team.

How to Fix Error 0x00000bc4 (No Printers Were Found)

What it means: Windows 11 version 22H2 switched printer connections to RPC over TCP by default and added a policy called Configure RPC connection settings to control it. RPC over TCP doesn't work with some older hosts and shares, so Windows can't see printers that worked before the update. The printer may vanish from your list, and adding it manually fails with "No printers were found."

Fix 1: Group Policy (Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, Education)

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers.
3. Open Configure RPC connection settings, select Enabled, and set Protocol to use for outgoing RPC connections to RPC over named pipes.
4. Click OK, restart the PC, and add the printer again.

Fix 2: Registry (Windows 11 Home, or if the policy didn't stick)

1. Back up the registry (File > Export in Registry Editor).
2. Open Registry Editor (regedit) and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC. If the Printers or RPC keys don't exist, right-click the parent key and choose New > Key to create them.
3. Right-click in the right pane, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it RpcUseNamedPipeProtocol.
4. Set its value to 1 (RPC over named pipes). 0 is the default, RPC over TCP.
5. Restart the computer and add the printer again.

Make this change on the computer that is connecting to the shared printer. If the computer sharing the printer is also on Windows 11 22H2 or later, it also needs to accept named-pipe connections. On that computer, set Configure RPC listener settings (same Printers folder) to RPC over named pipes and TCP; on Home editions the equivalent is the DWORD RpcProtocols = 7 in the same RPC key. Microsoft's article on Windows 11 RPC printing changes notes that named-pipe connections may also require the 0x0000011b workaround on the host, so try connecting by IP address before going down this road.

How to Fix Error 0x00000709

0x00000709 means Windows thinks the printer name is invalid. It shows up in two different situations, and the fix depends on which one you hit.

If it appears when you set a default printer

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and turn off Let Windows manage my default printer. With that on, Windows keeps switching the default to whichever printer you used last.
2. Click your printer and choose Set as default. Our guide to changing your default printer covers Windows 10, Mac and Chromebook too.
3. If Windows still refuses, the stored default is corrupt. In Registry Editor, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows and look at the Device value. It holds the default printer as PrinterName,winspool,PortName. Back up the key first, then replace the printer name with the exact name shown in Printers & scanners, keeping the rest of the value as it was. If Windows won't let you save it, right-click the Windows key, choose Permissions, and give your account Full Control. Restart and try again.

If it appears when you connect to a shared printer

On Windows 11, this is usually the same RPC change behind 0x00000bc4. Apply the RPC over named pipes fix above, restart, and reconnect. Some users who changed the setting have reported the error switching to 0x0000011b, which means you've moved on to the authentication mismatch; update both PCs or connect by IP address.

Still Getting an Error?

• Reinstall the printer driver. A damaged driver can surface as any of these codes. Remove the printer, then follow how to uninstall a printer driver completely before reinstalling the latest driver from the manufacturer's site.
• "Driver is unavailable" next to the printer is a separate problem. See printer driver is unavailable.
• "Printer in error state" is a printer-side message (paper, cover, cartridge), not an RPC problem. See printer is in an error state.
• Printer not responding at all? Try printer not responding: how to fix it on Windows and Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my printer broken if I get error 0x0000011b?

No. It's a Windows connection error between two computers. The printer, cartridges and toner are unaffected, and the printer will usually print fine from a PC that connects to it directly.

Is it safe to set RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled to 0?

Microsoft doesn't recommend it, because it turns off the protection added for CVE-2021-1678. It's a temporary workaround at best. Updating both PCs or connecting by IP address is the better fix.

Does the 0x00000bc4 registry fix work on Windows 11 Home?

Yes. Windows 11 Home doesn't include the Group Policy Editor, so the registry value RpcUseNamedPipeProtocol is the way to make the same change.

Will a Windows update undo these fixes?

The registry values stay in place, but Microsoft can change defaults in future updates. If printing breaks after a big update, check these settings first.

Do these errors affect Mac or Chromebook?

No. These codes are specific to Windows' print spooler. A Mac or Chromebook on the same network can usually print to the same printer without issue.

Keep Printing

Once Windows can see your printer again, make sure it has ink or toner to print with. Find the right cartridges on our Find Ink by Printer page, or shop HP, Canon, Epson and Brother ink, or laser toner. Something else wrong? The printer troubleshooting center has a fix for nearly every common printer problem.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: Managing deployment of Printer RPC binding changes for CVE-2021-1678 (KB4599464)
• Microsoft Learn: RPC connection updates for print in Windows 11
• Microsoft Q&A: PrintNightmare update causing problems with network printers mapped on a print server
• Winhelponline: Printer error 0x00000bc4 / 0x00000709 after Windows 11 22H2
• TechRepublic: How to fix network printer connection issues in Windows 11 22H2