Microsoft Edge crashes when printing in Windows 11/10

If Microsoft Edge crashes when printing in Windows 11/10, the solutions provided in this article will be sure to help you resolve the issue. According to the affected users, Edge crashes every time they give the print command. Some users also stated that the problem started occurring after installing the latest Windows Update. There could be many reasons for the Edge browser crashing or freezing issues, like a corrupted printer driver, a corrupted Edge user profile, corrupted system image files, corrupted cache and cookie data, etc. If you experience this issue, follow the suggestions provided in this post.

Microsoft Edge crashes when printing in Windows 11/10

You can try clearing your browser cache and cookie. If Edge still crashes when printing on your Windows 11/10 computer, use the following fixes.

1. Repair your system files
2. Restart Print Spooler Service
3. Change your default printer
4. Delete the User Data folder
5. Uninstall the latest Windows Update
6. Remove all devices with the Driver is not available message
7. Uninstall and reinstall your printer driver

Let’s see all these fixes in detail.

1] Repair your system files

One of the causes of this issue is the corrupted system files. Hence, we suggest you repair your system files by using the System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management tools. Run these two tools one by one. After the scan gets completed, check if the issue persists.

2] Restart Print Spooler Service

One fix that you can try is to restart the Print Spooler Service. Print Spooler Service manages print jobs and handles the interaction with the printer. If you turn off this service, you won’t be able to print or see your printers. We also suggest you restart the Print Spooler Service. Go through the following instructions:

1. Open the Services Manager.
2. Look for the Print Spooler Service.
3. Right-click on it and select Stop.
4. Open Microsoft Edge and give the Print command (Ctrl + P). This will open the Print Preview. Do not click on the Print button.
5. When the Print Preview is loaded, go to the Services app, right-click on the Print Spooler Service, and select Start.
6. Now, go to Microsoft Edge and click on the Print button.

This should work.

Read: Microsoft Edge crashes when playing a video

3] Change your default printer

If the issue still persists, change your default printer and select the virtual printer, like Microsoft Print to PDF or Microsoft XPS Document Writer. After making any of these two printers as your default printer, the page you want to print will be saved on your disc when you print from Edge. Now, you can easily print that file.

4] Delete the User Data folder

If your Edge user profile is corrupted, you will experience issues in Edge like this one. The corrupted user profile in Edge can be fixed easily by deleting the User Data folder. This folder is located at the following location:

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge

Copy the above path in the address bar of the File Explorer and hit Enter. Replace the UserName in the above path with your user name. You will see the User Data folder there. Now, open the Task Manager and end all the Microsoft Edge Processes.

After terminating all the Microsoft Edge processes, delete the User Data folder. Edge will recreate the User Data folder when you launch it. Before you delete this folder, make sure that you have synced your data to your Microsoft account. After deleting the User Data folder, open Microsoft Edge and sign in using your Microsoft account. After signing in to Microsoft Edge, all your bookmarks will be restored.

5] Uninstall the latest Windows Update

Some users reported that the issue started occurring after installing the Windows Update. Updating the Windows operating system to the latest version not only provides new features but also makes users’ systems more secure than before. Hence, Microsoft always recommends users to install the latest updates. Sometimes, Windows Updates may cause issues. In such cases, you can uninstall the recently installed update.

If you are experiencing this issue after installing the Windows Update, uninstalling that Windows Update will fix the problem. If it does not help, you can perform a System Restore.

6] Remove all devices with the Driver is not available message

All the printers and scanners that you connect to your system are available on the Printers & scanners page in Windows 11/10 Settings. If you have installed more than one printer on your system, the problem might have been occurring due to a bad driver conflict. Follow the steps written below:

1. Open Windows 11/10 Settings.
2. Go to “System > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.”
3. Remove all those devices which show the “Driver is not available” message.

When you are done, restart your computer and see if it helps. If this does not work, we suggest you remove and add your printer again.

Read: Edge closes automatically immediately after opening

7] Uninstall and reinstall your printer driver

All the hardware devices that we connect to our Windows computers need a dedicated driver to work properly. If this driver gets corrupted, the affected device stops working. If none of the above solutions fixed your problem, we suggest you uninstall and reinstall your printer driver. The following steps will help you with that:

1. Open the Device Manager.
2. Expand the Print queues branch.
3. Right-click on your printer driver and select Uninstall device.
4. Visit the manufacturer’s website and download the latest version of your printer driver.
5. Install the driver manually.

Is Microsoft Edge good for Windows 11?

Yes, Microsoft Edge is good for Windows 11. It is the default web browser in Windows 11/10 computers and it is loaded with a lot of unique and helpful features. Microsoft does not force its users to use Edge. If you do not like Edge, you can install other browsers, like Firefox, Chrome, etc.

I hope this helps.

Read next: Quick Links not showing or Button missing or greyed out in Edge.