Windows cannot connect Printer, Operation failed error 0x0000011b

If when you were trying to take a printout from your Network-shared printer or add a new Printer and end up seeing the following error message, then this post will be able to help you:

Windows cannot connect to the printer, Error Operation failed with error 0x0000011b

Fix Network Printer Error 0x0000011b

If you are seeing Network Printer Error 0x0000011B, then the first thing you should do is update your computer. This issue is persistent in some of the Windows updates, so, if Microsoft has issued an update to fix the bug then installing it is what you need. To update Windows, open Run (Win + R), type “ms-settings:windowsupdate”, and click Ok. Now, click Check for Updates or Download, depending on the button that you are seeing.

These are the things you need to do to resolve the error.

Uninstall Windows Update
Tweak the Registry
Run Printer Troubleshooter

Let us talk about them in detail.

Fix Operation failed error 0x0000011b

1] Uninstall Windows Update

This might sound a bit contradictory to some of you, but this issue can be solved by uninstalling Windows Update. If you are on Update KB5005565, KB5005573, etc, you may experience this issue as it is a problematic update and if you want, you can come to this solution after trying all the other fixes mentioned in this article, but if you want to resolve the error straight away, then uninstalling is what you need.

To uninstall Windows Update, follow the given steps.

Open Control Panel from the Start Menu.
Make sure that View by is set to Large icons.
Click Program and Features > View installed updates.
Now, look for the latest Windows Update, right-click on it and select Uninstall.

Now, restart your computer and check if the issue persists. If it does, then Hide that update for some time and see.

2] Tweak the Registry

CVE-2021-1678 mitigation is one of the reasons why you could be seeing Error Code 0x0000011B, this is not a permanent solution but while you are waiting for Windows to release a fix for this problem, you can try this.

Open Registry Editor from the Start Menu. Go to the following location.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print

Right-click on Print and select New > DWORD(32-bit) value. Name the newly created value “RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled”, and set the Value data to 0, and click Ok.

Now, restart the computer and check if the issue persists.

Read: Fix Printer Error 0x00000bcb, Cannot connect to printer

3] Run Printer Troubleshooter

Printer Troubleshooter is a built-in feature in Windows 11 and 10 and running it can resolve the issue.

To run Printer Troubleshooter in Windows 11 follow the given steps.

Open Settings from the Start Menu.
Go to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
Look for the Printer troubleshooter, and click on the Run button.

To run Printer Troubleshooter in Windows 10 follow the given steps.

Open Settings by Win + I.
Click Update & Troubleshooter > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooter.
Click Printer and then Run the troubleshooter.

Let the troubleshooter do its job and check if the persists.

How to reset a Printer?

Sometimes, just resetting Printer can resolve some of your issues. Just turn off your Printer, unplug the power cables, wait for 15-30 seconds, plug it back in, and see if your issue persists.