Error 0x0000011b: why Windows cannot connect to a shared printer, and the safe fixes

Error 0x0000011b usually appears as “Windows cannot connect to the printer. Operation failed with error 0x0000011b” when you try to add or print to a printer that another Windows PC shares on the network. The printer itself is fine, and it often prints normally from the PC it is plugged into. What fails is the connection between the two PCs, because a Windows security change requires a stronger form of authentication than the connection is using. This guide explains the cause and the fixes in order of how safe they are.

If the code you see is 0x00000709, that is a different problem; see error 0x00000709. If the printer simply shows as offline, see printer offline fix. All other symptoms are in the printer troubleshooting guide.

Why the error happens

When one Windows PC shares a printer, other PCs talk to its print spooler over a remote procedure call (RPC) interface. In January 2021, Microsoft fixed a Print Spooler spoofing vulnerability, CVE-2021-1678, by raising the authentication level required on that interface. At first the stronger level was optional, controlled by a registry value. With the September 14, 2021 updates, Microsoft made it the default, enforced even when the registry value is not present.

According to Microsoft’s deployment notes for this change (KB4599464), both the PC that shares the printer and the PCs that connect to it need to have the update installed; connections from PCs without it break once the higher level is enforced. After the September 2021 updates, many home and small office networks, which do not use a Windows domain, started seeing 0x0000011b.

The error is tied to connections through a shared printer on another PC. A PC that prints straight to a network printer, using the printer’s own IP address, does not use that shared-printer connection.

Step 1: Confirm what kind of connection you have

Look at how the printer is added on the PC that shows the error:

• A name such as \\OFFICE-PC\Printer or “on OFFICE-PC” means the PC connects through another PC’s share. The 0x0000011b fixes below apply.
• A printer added with its own name or IP address, found with Add device, prints directly. If that fails, the problem lies elsewhere; see printer not showing up in Windows 11.

Step 2: Update both PCs

This is the fix Microsoft intends, and it keeps the protection in place.

1. On the PC that shares the printer, open Settings > Windows Update and install all available updates, including optional quality updates if offered. Restart.
2. Do the same on every PC that connects to the shared printer.
3. Remove the shared printer from the connecting PC (Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > select the printer > Remove), then add it again.

A PC running an old version of Windows that no longer receives updates is a common reason the error persists. Such a PC is also a security risk in its own right.

Step 3: Connect directly instead of through the share

If the printer has its own network connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), there is often no need to go through another PC at all.

1. On the connecting PC, remove the shared printer entry.
2. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and choose Add device.
3. Pick the printer when it appears. If it does not, choose the option to add it manually and enter its IP address, which you can find on the printer’s network configuration page.

Each PC then prints straight to the printer. This avoids 0x0000011b, keeps the security protection and removes the dependency on the sharing PC being switched on. It does mean each PC needs the right driver; see printer driver is unavailable if Windows cannot install one.

If the printer is connected to the sharing PC by USB, it has no network address of its own. Consider connecting it to the network directly if it supports Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Step 4: Check the sharing PC and network

Some failures that show 0x0000011b are made worse by ordinary sharing problems:

• The sharing PC must be on and awake, and the printer must still be shared in its printer properties.
• Both PCs should be on a private network profile, with network discovery and file and printer sharing turned on.
• On the sharing PC, restart the Print Spooler service, or restart the PC; see print spooler error fix if the spooler is stuck.

Microsoft’s article on fixing shared printer connection problems, listed in the sources, goes through these settings in detail.

Step 5: The registry option, and why it is a last resort

Microsoft documents a registry value that controls the stronger authentication:

• Location: in Registry Editor, open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Print
• Value: RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled (DWORD)
• 1 enforces the stronger level; 0 turns it off.

Setting it to 0 on the sharing PC is the widely circulated workaround for 0x0000011b. Be clear about what it does: it switches off the protection against CVE-2021-1678. Microsoft’s own documentation says 0 is not recommended and leaves devices unprotected.

If you decide to use it, for example to keep a small office printing while you replace an outdated PC:

1. Back up the registry first (the Microsoft article in the sources explains how).
2. Use it only on a network you trust, never on a PC exposed to public networks.
3. Restart the Print Spooler service or the PC after the change.
4. Make a note to set the value back to 1, or delete it, once the PCs are updated or the printer is connected directly.

Removing security updates to make the error go away is worse: it removes other fixes as well, some for actively exploited vulnerabilities.

Signs the fix has worked, and what to watch for

When the shared connection works again, the printer shows as ready in Printers & scanners on the connecting PC, and a test page prints without the 0x0000011b message. Keep an eye on three things over the following weeks:

• New Windows updates. Install them on both PCs at about the same time. A PC that falls behind on updates is the most common reason the error comes back.
• A replaced or reinstalled PC. If the PC that shares the printer is rebuilt, the share and its driver have to be set up again, and every connecting PC needs to add the printer again.
• Temporary workarounds. If you used the registry option, put a reminder in your calendar to reverse it. It is easy to forget, and it leaves the protection switched off indefinitely.

In a small office, the most robust long-term setup is usually a network printer that every PC adds directly, with no PC acting as a print server for it.

After it works

Print a test page from each connecting PC. If jobs reach the queue but stall, see printer paused in Windows 11. If a PC refuses to keep the printer as its default, the error 0x00000709 guide covers that separately.