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Fix ‘0x00000bc4, No printers were found error’ issue on the Windows 11 desktop usually means that there is a problem with the printer driver or the printer spooler service. Even though printers aren’t as important as they used to be because digital data is used more often now, they are still very common, especially in business settings. In these places, printers are usually connected to a network of computers so that people can print a document without leaving their desks.
Even though networked printers aren’t always in worse shape than ones that aren’t connected, there may be more problems when you use them. To be more specific, users may run into different network problems that stop them from using printers. Some people get errors like 0x00000bc4, which makes it hard for them to use their devices correctly.
Printer server error: Can’t add a network printer The operation could not be finished. Add the printer manually by going to the print server’s shared folder and clicking on the print. We have tried adding a printer by hand by giving its full share name. All of them led to the same error message, which you can see below are the ways to Fix ‘0x00000bc4, No printers were found error’ issue.
What is the “0x00000bc4, No printers were found error” issue?
Printer error 0x00000bc4 is a common error code that shows up when a user tries to connect their printer to a network or use a network printer. Usually, this error comes with the message “Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000bc4).” Several things can cause this error, which can be very frustrating. When people try to print from their Windows computers, the 0x00000bc4 error is one of the most common error codes they see. Most of the time, the following things cause this printer error code to show up.
Causes of the “0x00000bc4, No printers were found error” issue?
- Printer connectivity issues: The printer may not be properly connected to the computer or there may be issues with the printer’s USB or network connection.
- Printer driver problems: Outdated or corrupted printer drivers can prevent the computer from detecting and recognizing the printer.
- Printer spooler service: The Print Spooler service, responsible for managing print jobs, may be stopped or not functioning correctly.
- Hardware conflicts: There could be conflicts between the printer and other devices connected to the computer, such as other printers, scanners, or external storage devices.
- Printer software issues: Problems with the printer software or related applications can interfere with the printer detection process.
- Security software: Certain security software, such as firewalls or antivirus programs, may block the printer from being detected or cause conflicts.
Ways to Fix ‘0x00000bc4, No printers were found error’ issue
Configure the Registry Editor
If your system doesn’t have Group Policy, you can set up the relevant policy by setting up the registry. Here are the things you need to change in the registry editor:
- Right-click on the Windows icon and choose Run from the menu.
- Type “regedit” and then press “OK” to start Registry Editor.
- Next, a window called “User Account Control” will pop up. Click “Yes” to give permission to open the registry.
- Use the links on the left to get to the path below –
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\RPC is the location of this file. - Double-click on the RpcOverNamedPipes item in the right pane.
- Change its Value Data from “0” to “1“, and then click OK.
- Make sure to change the Value Data of RpcOverTcp (the default) to “0” as well.
- Click OK to confirm the changes you just made and then restart your computer.
Update Printer Driver
In Windows, you need to install the right Printer driver for it to work right, and if the driver is out of date, you might get an error like this. Check to see if your driver is out of date. If it is, follow these steps to update it:
- Click right on the Start menu.
- Device Manager is one of the choices on the list.
- Now, go to the Printer section and right-click on your Printer.
- Choose the option to Update Driver, and then choose the next option based on what you want.
- Once the driver has been updated, you will need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Check Printer Spooler Service
Printer Spooler service is a very important part, and if it stops working or is turned off in some way, you can run into problems and get error codes like this. Check to see if this is the case with your system. If it is, follow these steps to turn on the service and automate it:
- Open the RUN box by pressing the Win and R keys together.
- Type services.msc in the RUN box and press the OK button to open the Services window.
- Locate the Printer Spooler in the list of services.
- Right-click on Printer Spooler and choose Properties from the drop-down menu.
- Go to the General tab and find the Startup type.
- Ensure that the Startup type is set to Automatic. If it’s not, click the drop-down box and choose Automatic.
- Scroll down to the section called “Service Status” and check if it says “Running.”
- If it doesn’t, click the Start button to start the service.
- Click Apply and then OK to save these changes.
- Attempt to print something to verify if the error code is gone.
Modify Group Policy
Most of the time, your Windows PC will give you the error 0x00000bc4 when the RPC Connection setting is turned on. This is a new policy from Microsoft, and only the most recent versions of Windows, like 22H2, have it. By default, this policy is set to make it hard to find and connect to a network printer. This error code is a result of that.
Also, this will delete all the printers you already have on your device, and if you try to add them by hand, you will get an error message 0x00000709. This error can be fixed by making changes to the relevant policy in the Group Policy Editor. Follow the steps below to set up the protocol options for RPC connections that are going out.
- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type “gpedit.msc” and press OK.
- The Local Group Policy will then be run by your system.
- Use the links on the left to get to the path below:
- Computer Setup > Templates for Administrative Tasks > Printers
- Double-click on the policy “Configure RPC connection settings” in the right pane.
- This policy is turned off by default. So, click the radio button that says “Enabled.”
- Use the drop-down menu just below “Protocol to use for outgoing RPC connections” and choose RPC over named pipes.
- Click “Apply” and then “OK” to confirm the changes you just made.
- Finally, “Restart” your PC.
Run Printer Troubleshooter
- Click the Start button and open the Settings app.
- Choose System from the menu on the left, and then open Troubleshoot.
- Now, in the next window, click on Other Troubleshooter.
- Find the word “Printer,” and then click the “RUN” button next to it.
- Finish the process by following the rest of the steps.
- After that, restart your computer and look for the error.
Conclusion
That’s everything you need to know about how to fix the Windows 11 printer error 0x0000bc4. Also, check out our other guides, such as “Best gaming settings and optimization for Windows 11.” It is important to figure out what went wrong and take the steps needed to fix the problem.
Questions and Answers
Most of the time, this error happens because the printer’s print queue is backed up on the computer where it’s installed and Windows Update isn’t working properly on the computer where this error is happening. So, to fix this error successfully, you will need to do troubleshooting steps on both of these computers.
The error 0x00000bc4 happens because Windows 11 22H2 changed the default RPC connection method. See the tweet below from Thomas Frde, who found the solution to this problem. Use the registry settings in the above article if you are using Windows 11 Home.
They did not find any printers. The operation could not be finished 0x00000bc4 error could be caused by a number of things. It might happen when you try to connect a wireless printer to your computer, for example. The 0x00000bc4 error can also be caused by a problem with the printer’s wireless connection or by a problem with the printer’s spooler.