How to fix Windows cannot connect to the printer error, cannot connect to the printer

The error " Windows cannot connect to the print " mainly occurs on Windows 7 . There are many causes of the error, it can be due to the printer driver, . causing the computer to not be able to connect to the printer. Continue reading TipsMake's article below to learn how to fix the "Windows cannot connect to the printer" error.

Error "Windows cannot connect to the printer"

Windows cannot connect to the printer error often occurs with error code 0x0000007e , 0x00000002 or 0x0000007a.

Instructions on how to fix "Windows cannot connect to the printer" error

Here are some ways to fix Windows cannot connect to the printer error that you can refer to:

Method 1: Relaunch the Print Spooler service

Step 1 : Press Windows + R to open the Run command window.

Step 2 : Enter services.msc there and press Enter or click OK.

Step 3 : On the Service window, in the Name box, find and double-click the Print Spooler service.

Step 4: On the next window, in the Service Status section , click the Stop button.

Step 5: Next click the Start button to relaunch the service.

Step 6: Finally click OK and add the printer again to see if the error still occurs.

If the error still persists, refer to the next error correction methods below.

Method 2: Create a new Local port

Follow the steps below to create a new Local port and fix the "Windows cannot connect to the printer" error:

Step 1: Open Control Panel.

Step 2 : In the View by section , set it to Large icons , then find and click Devices and Printers.

Step 3: Click Add a printer in the top corner of the window. Note, you will have to log in to the computer under Admin.

Step 4: Select Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer.

Step 5 : Select Create a new port ,set the Type of port to Local Port and then click Next.

Step 6: Enter the port name in the box, the port name is the printer address, then click OK.

Step 7: Select the printer model and then click Next.

Step 8 : Follow the on-screen instructions to complete adding the printer and check if the Windows cannot connect to the printer error persists or not.

Method 3: Delete the printer driver

Sometimes the cause of the error may be the printer. Try deleting the printer driver and reinstalling to see if the error persists.

Step 1: Open the Run command window by pressing Windows + R.

Step 2: Enter printmanagement.msc there and press Enter or click OK.

Step 3: In the left pane, find and click All Drivers.

Step 4: In the right pane, find and right-click the printer driver and select Delete.

Follow the same steps to remove other printer drivers.

Step 5: Finally add the printer driver again and check if the Windows cannot connect to the printer error still exists or not.

Method 4: Copy "mscms.dll" manually

Step 1: Open C:Windowssystem32 and find the file named " mscms.dll ".

Step 2: Copy the file to the path below:

C:windowssystem32spooldriversx643 if you are using 64-bit windows

C:windowssystem32spooldriversw32x863 if you are using 32-bit windows

Step 3: Try connecting to the printer and check if the error persists or not.

Method 5: Delete Subkey

Warning: Improperly editing Registry keys can cause serious system problems, so you should backup the registry before starting.

Step 1 : Stop the Print Spooler service.

Step 2: Open the Run window by pressing Windows + R.

Step 3 : Enter regedit there and press Enter.

Step 4: On the next window navigate to the path below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionPrintProvidersClient Side Rendering Print Provider

Find and right-click Client Side Rendering Print Provider , select Delete .

Step 5: Relaunch the Print Spooler service.

Step 6: Restart the computer and add the printer again to see if the error persists.

The above article TipsMake has just shown you how to fix the error "Windows cannot connect to the printer". If you have any questions or concerns that need to be answered, such as how to fix the error of the printer not receiving print commands on the computer , readers can leave their comments in the comments section below the article.

Micah Soto

Update 14 June 2024