To fix the Windows cannot connect to the printer error, you just have to go to the Registry Editor. Then, disable the “RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled” value.
Let me quickly show you the detailed steps.
Disable the RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled Value
- First, go to the computer which is sharing the printer on the network.
- Open Registry Editor there.
- Go to this location as shown in the image below.
- Right-click on the Print folder and choose New > DWORD Value.
- You will see a new value will be created there.
- Rename it to RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled.
- Double click it and set Value data to 0. Click OK.
- After that, close the Registry Editor and open Services from Windows search box.
- Restart the Print Spooler service present there.
- Try adding the printer to your computer. You won’t face the Windows cannot connect to the printer error now.
Uninstall Microsoft Updates
Chances are rare that the above method does not work, but just in case that doesn’t, you can also try uninstalling the latest updates.
- Choose Uninstall a program from Control Panel.
- View installed updates.
- Go under Microsoft Windows and uninstall the latest updates listed there.
- On the contrary, you could also try updating Windows and see if that works.
Want to Know the Reason behind this Error?
If you want to learn more about this error, you can check out this article from Forbes.
It clearly explains how Microsoft released security patches to cope with the PrintNightmare vulnerability.
And how since then, you encounter the error when trying to add the network shared printer to your computer.
I hope now you have a clear idea of why this error occurs and also the only way to fix it.
Please let me know if you have any queries. PrinterArmy Deependra is always on your service🙂
