Printer error 0x0000011b, explained and fixed
Error 0x0000011b shows "Windows cannot connect to the printer" when adding or printing to a printer shared from another PC. It became extremely common after Microsoft's 2021 PrintNightmare security fixes, which raised the authentication level for printer sharing connections. When the PC hosting the printer and the PC connecting to it are at different patch levels, the connection is refused and this code is what the refusal looks like.
The fix, in order
- Update Windows on the host PC first, then on yours. The single most effective fix is both machines fully updated via Settings, Windows Update, including optional updates. The 2021 printing fixes only work cleanly when the print server (the PC sharing the printer) runs the corrected code.
- Restart the Print Spooler on both machines. In services.msc, restart Print Spooler on the host and on the client. A spooler that has been running since before an update sometimes keeps the old connection rules in memory.
- Remove and re-add the shared printer. Delete the printer from Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Printers and scanners on the client, restart, then add it again by browsing to the host (type \\HOSTNAME in Explorer's address bar) and double-clicking the shared printer.
- Check the share itself. On the host: Printer properties, Sharing tab, confirm the printer is shared and that your account is not blocked under the Security tab. A share that was recreated after an update sometimes loses its permissions.
- Add the printer by IP address instead. If the printer is a network printer being shared through a PC, adding it directly (Add device, The printer that I want is not listed, Add a printer using an IP address) with the printer's own IP sidesteps the sharing layer entirely.
- About the registry workaround. Guides often suggest setting RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled to 0 on the host. That value deliberately lowers the PrintNightmare protection and reopens the vulnerability the updates closed. Fully updating both machines is the proper fix; treat the registry change as a temporary, administrator-only last resort on a trusted network, and reverse it afterwards.
If it still happens
If the host PC cannot be updated because it runs an old Windows version, connecting by IP (step 5) or printing through a small print server is more durable than weakening the security setting permanently. In offices, this error at scale after Patch Tuesday is a known servicing issue and belongs with whoever manages updates.
Common questions
Is 0x0000011b caused by a bad driver? Usually not. The connection is refused before driver installation matters, which is why reinstalling drivers alone rarely fixes it. Patch-level mismatch between the two PCs is the cause to check first.
Why did this error appear right after a Windows update? Because the update changed the rules. The PrintNightmare fixes hardened how Windows accepts shared-printer connections, and machines that had not yet received matching updates began refusing or being refused, producing 0x0000011b.
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