Start here: if your PDF won’t print, the most common cause is a disabled or misconfigured PDF printer driver — in other words, PDF printing doesn’t work in Windows 10 because the system can’t route the print job to a working PDF printer. This article explains the typical causes (printer-driver problems, Print Spooler errors, app settings, file/path issues, conflicts with third‑party virtual printers, and Windows update or system file corruption) and walks you through step‑by‑step fixes so you can print to PDF again.
You will learn quick symptoms to identify the cause and detailed, beginner‑friendly steps (menus, commands, and tips) to restore PDF printing on Windows 10.
Key Takeaway
If PDF printing fails in Windows 10, start by ensuring Microsoft Print to PDF is installed and set as the active printer, then restart the Print Spooler service; if that doesn’t work, update or reinstall drivers, check file/save permissions and paths, remove conflicting virtual printers, and run system repairs (SFC/DISM) or Windows Update.
Quick Fix Guide
Quick Fix Guide
| Reason for the Problem | Quick Solution |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Print to PDF is disabled or missing | Re-enable or reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF in Turn Windows features on or off or add it via Add a printer. |
| Wrong default printer selected | Set Microsoft Print to PDF as the default in Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners. |
| Corrupt or outdated driver / PDF app | Update or reinstall the PDF app or printer driver via Device Manager or vendor installer. |
| Print Spooler service is stuck or crashed | Restart the Print Spooler with Services.msc or run net stop spooler && net start spooler in an elevated Command Prompt. |
| File path, filename or permission issue | Save to a different folder with a simple filename and check folder permissions. |
| Conflicting third‑party PDF printers | Uninstall third‑party virtual printers or remove them from Devices & Printers. |
| Application-specific print dialog bug | Use a different app (e.g., Edge/Chrome or Adobe Reader) or print to PDF via Print to File/Save As PDF option. |
| Windows updates or system corruption | Install updates and run sfc /scannow and DISM repairs to fix broken system components. |
Detailed Fixes for “tu mets ici le problème du 8 reasons why PDF printing doesn’t work in Windows 10 (and how to fix it)”
1) Microsoft Print to PDF is disabled or missing
Why this causes the problem:
- Windows 10 provides a built‑in virtual printer called Microsoft Print to PDF. If it’s disabled, missing, or corrupted, applications cannot print to a PDF file.
Step-by-step solution:
- Open Control Panel (press Win + R, type control, Enter).
- Go to Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
- Look for Microsoft Print to PDF or Print and Document Services and ensure the checkbox is checked. Click OK and restart if prompted.
- If it’s not listed or still not working, reinstall via Device settings:
- Open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
- Click Add a printer or scanner, then click The printer that I want isn’t listed.
- Choose Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings, click Next.
- Select Use an existing port, pick PORTPROMPT: (Local Port), click Next.
- Under Manufacturer choose Microsoft and under Printers choose Microsoft Print To PDF, then finish the wizard.
- Test by opening Notepad and printing (Ctrl+P) to Microsoft Print To PDF and save.
Tip: You can enable the feature with PowerShell (Admin):
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features -All
2) Wrong default printer selected
Why this causes the problem:
- If another physical printer or a broken virtual printer is set as default, print jobs may route incorrectly or fail.
Step-by-step solution:
- Open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
- Find Microsoft Print to PDF, click it, then click Set as default.
- If Windows keeps changing the default, disable Let Windows manage my default printer (toggle off) in the same page.
- Try printing again from the app.
Note: Some apps override the default printer in their print dialog — check the selected printer in the application’s print window.
3) Corrupt or outdated printer driver or PDF app
Why this causes the problem:
- Corrupt drivers or a malfunctioning PDF application (e.g., older Adobe Reader or virtual printer driver) can block PDF printing.
Step-by-step solution:
- Update the PDF application (e.g., Adobe Reader) from the vendor or use the Microsoft Store version.
- Update the printer driver:
- Press Win + X and choose Device Manager.
- Expand Print queues or Printers, right‑click the printer (e.g., Microsoft Print To PDF or your virtual printer) and choose Update driver.
- Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.
- If update fails, uninstall the device:
- Right‑click the device and select Uninstall device. Restart Windows; the driver should reinstall automatically.
- Reinstall the application if needed: uninstall via Settings > Apps, then reinstall.
Tip: For third‑party virtual PDF printers, download the latest installer from the vendor (CutePDF, Bullzip, PDFCreator, etc.) and run as administrator.
4) Print Spooler service is stuck or crashed
Why this causes the problem:
- The Print Spooler manages print jobs. If it’s stopped, stuck, or has corrupt queued jobs, printing fails.
Step-by-step solution:
- Restart the service via Services:
- Press Win + R, type services.msc, Enter.
- Find Print Spooler, right‑click and choose Restart. If it is stopped, choose Start.
- Clear the print queue:
- Stop the service (right‑click Print Spooler > Stop).
- Open File Explorer to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (you may need admin rights).
- Delete all files in the folder.
- Restart the Print Spooler service.
- Command-line method (run Command Prompt as administrator):
- net stop spooler
- Delete spool files: del /Q /F %windir%\System32\spool\PRINTERS*.*
- net start spooler
Note: If Print Spooler repeatedly crashes, check Event Viewer (see the extra section) for error messages and consider driver conflicts.
5) File path, filename or permission issues
Why this causes the problem:
- Windows may fail to save a generated PDF if the save location is protected, the filename contains invalid characters, or the path is too long.
Step-by-step solution:
- In the print/save dialog, choose a simple folder like Desktop or C:\Users\
\Documents . - Use a short filename containing only letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores (avoid / \ : * ? ” < > |).
- Check permissions:
- Right‑click the folder > Properties > Security tab > ensure your user has Write permissions.
- Ensure there’s enough disk space on the target drive.
- If saving to a network share, test saving locally first.
Tip: Long paths (over 260 characters) can cause failures — save to a shorter path.
6) Conflicting third‑party PDF printers or virtual printers
Why this causes the problem:
- Multiple virtual printers can conflict, especially if they install filters or drivers that interfere with the Print Spooler or default PDF prints.
Step-by-step solution:
- Open Settings > Apps and uninstall any unused PDF printer apps (PDFCreator, CutePDF, PrimoPDF, etc.).
- Visit Control Panel > Devices and Printers, right‑click unwanted virtual printers and choose Remove device.
- Restart the Print Spooler (see section 4) and re-test printing to PDF.
- If you need multiple PDF solutions, install one at a time and verify functionality after each installation.
Note: Some older virtual printers install kernel‑level drivers; check vendor uninstall guides or use their cleanup tools.
7) Application‑specific printing settings or bugs
Why this causes the problem:
- Some apps have their own print engines or flawed print dialogs that mis-handle Print to PDF (for example, web pages or complex PDFs).
Step-by-step solution:
- Try printing the same document from a different app (e.g., open PDF in Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or Adobe Reader).
- In Adobe Reader, try File > Print > Advanced > Print as image for problematic PDFs.
- Export or save as PDF from the app (many apps offer Save as PDF or Export > Create PDF).
- Update or reinstall the problematic application.
Tip: For browsers, use Ctrl+P > Destination > Save as PDF (Chrome/Edge) as a workaround.
8) Windows updates or system corruption
Why this causes the problem:
- System files related to printing can be damaged, or an update may have introduced a bug that breaks PDF printing.
Step-by-step solution:
- Install pending updates: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Run System File Checker:
- Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run: sfc /scannow
- Run DISM repair if SFC finds issues:
- DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Then re-run sfc /scannow.
- Reboot and test PDF printing.
- If a recent update caused the problem, consider uninstalling that update in Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates.
Note: Keep backups of important data before major repairs.
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Additional diagnostics and tools
- Check Event Viewer for print errors:
- Open Event Viewer (press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc, Enter).
- Navigate to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > PrintService > Operational. Look for recent errors with event IDs and driver names to identify a culprit.
- Use the Windows Troubleshooter:
- Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Printer and run it.
- Alternative tools:
- If built‑in PDF printing still fails, use a reliable third‑party PDF creator with a dedicated installer (e.g., PDFCreator) as a temporary workaround.
- Advanced: enable PrintService logging:
- In Event Viewer, right‑click Operational, select Enable Log, then reproduce the issue to capture detailed events.
FAQ
What should I do if the PDF prints but the output is blank or garbled?
Try updating the PDF application or driver, use Print as image in Adobe Reader, and ensure the document’s layers/fonts are supported; also test with a different PDF viewer.
Can I reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF without affecting other printers?
Yes — reinstalling or enabling Microsoft Print to PDF only affects that virtual device. Physical printers remain installed unless you explicitly remove them.
How do I prevent Windows from changing my default printer?
Open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners and turn off Let Windows manage my default printer; then set your preferred default manually.
Will running SFC or DISM delete my files?
No — sfc /scannow and DISM /RestoreHealth repair system files only and do not delete user files. Still, keep regular backups before system repairs.
Is there a way to batch-convert documents to PDF if printing is unreliable?
Yes — use dedicated PDF conversion tools (e.g., Adobe Acrobat, PDFCreator) that offer batch conversion, or print to PDF programmatically using scripts if the virtual printer works.
Conclusion
Most PDF printing failures in Windows 10 are fixable by re-enabling or reinstalling the virtual printer, restarting the Print Spooler, and checking drivers, file paths, and permissions. Use the step‑by‑step checks above to isolate and resolve the issue so that PDF printing doesn’t work in Windows 10 becomes a quick problem to fix.
