Windows failed to apply the Deployed Printer Connections settings.

DanHoffa 46

I am experiencing an issue with Deployment of Printers from GPO. This just started last week after I replaced existing 2012r2 DC and 2012R2 Print Server with New 2019 DC and Print Server If a user had already gotten their printers from GPO they are present and work. If a user needs printers to load from GPO they will not. When we run gpupdate /force we get this "Windows failed to apply the Deployed Printer Connections settings. Deployed Printer Connections settings might have its own log file. Please click on the "More information" link."

All other GPOs are processing and working properly.

I have 4 other DCs (3 - 2012r2 and 1 -2019) and 3 other Print Servers (2 - 2012R2 and 1 - 2019) Workstations are all Win10 assorted flavors (1908 through 21H2)

Since I list all printers in the Directory. I can still install the printers manually from the Printer Servers through "Add Printer" and they install without issue even for none admin users.

Microsoft has really made a mess with this recent security update. Did they ever test this with GPO deployment of printers before dumping it out there?

Anyone else seeing this behavior? Has anyone fixed this behavior?

DanHoffa 46 Reputation points

2021-09-29T12:41:04.447+00:00

The stranger part is that this has caused Print Servers that have not had the updates to not deploy via GPO. Most recent print server I installed was 2019 and fully updated with 9/21 rollup. This is when My problem started and it was only that server at first. With in a few hours all my print servers stopped deploying printers from GPO. My other 3 print servers have not had the 9/21 update. 2 of them (1 - 2012R2 and 1 - 2019) have had the 8/21 update and 1 of them (1- 2012R2) has only had 7/21 update.

That single server having the 9/21 update broke all the rest in a few hours.

Microsoft needs to stop passing the buck and admit the screwed everyone that uses print servers and come up with a real fix for the issue.
Mikolaj_M 56 Reputation points

2021-09-29T14:14:40.687+00:00

I have updated server 2019 on 24/09/2021 after I had the first report of missing printers , so my issue appeared before 09/21 update.

Don't you think it may be more related to updates on the Windows 10 devices?

Some of my devices works fine - for sure the computers which I updated recently got this issue.
I will need to check computers which do not have this issue and check when those been updated.
DanHoffa 46 Reputation points

2021-09-29T17:24:00.147+00:00

I don't believe it has to do with the Workstations. I have workstations that haven't been updated in a year that printer deployment via GPO now does work. It doesn't seem to matter if it is 1908 that hasn't been updated in a year or if it is 21h2 that is fully updated.
Matthew Evans 26 Reputation points

2021-12-07T16:13:49.237+00:00

I had the same issue as this but was able to resolve it by changing the way i mapped printers in GPO.
Initially i was getting this issue when tryng to map printers via the User GPO settings in; User Configuration - Policies - Windows Settings - Deployed Printers

However when i started mapping them using the User Configuration - Preferences - Control Panel Settings - Printers
They started to map every logon and i also didnt get the gp error "Windows failed to apply the Deployed Printer Connections settings. Deployed Printer Connections settings might have its own log file. Please click on the "More information" link."

Hope this helps
Jon Hall 21 Reputation points

2021-12-09T14:25:48.81+00:00

I came across this yesterday after moving printers to a new server after the original took a nose dive. Some users were able to get the new connections with just a gpupdate, some required log off/on or reboot, others refused to work at all. GPResult showed the same as others - there was an error and to click More Information, a link which doesn't seem to exist. I changed those GPOs to deploy via Control Panel instead, which I'd really rather not do. Hopefully they get it resolved soon!
Buddy Trujillo CMSA 1 Reputation point

2022-03-01T15:55:51.91+00:00

Did you ever find anything that works for you? I am still fighting this issue.
Marco Grapiglia 42 Reputation points

2022-03-02T12:10:05.973+00:00

Hi,
I had the same issue.
I temporarily set RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators to 0.

As said by you I've tried to use this GPO
User Configuration - Preferences - Control Panel Settings - Printers
but every time I access to my computer the printers start to map and lost default printer.

I can't set default printer via GPO because the same GPO is applied to all users in all offices.

There are any workarounds? I can't deploy printers to computer because there isn't GPO option to deploy shared Printers like in User Settings and my printers are installed in a print server that share them.
NorCal_IT_Guy 6 Reputation points

2022-06-28T16:16:15.213+00:00

Had a similar issue.

I switched accounts, signed in as an admin, ran cmd as admin, and ran gpupdate /force. This solved the issue.
Gianni Gennaro 15 Reputation points

2024-04-30T13:34:06.8933333+00:00

Thanks Matthew Evans, helped me even now!
G-rant 5 Reputation points

2024-07-29T22:43:02.6766667+00:00

matthew evans, that was the solution!
James Smit 0 Reputation points

2024-08-22T12:46:24.6233333+00:00

Thanks Norcal_IT_Guy , changed user to Local Admin. Run GPUPDATE/ FORCE.
When there is no Type4 drivers available. This works. Now to get this automated.

18 answers

Alex Alexander 1 Reputation point

2021-09-28T15:38:51.193+00:00

Yes, the same issue. Exact same.

When you use RSOP.msc all it says is "status failed" "Deployed Printer Connections failed due to the error listed below."

They've done something within the last 3 weeks.
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Maciej Rubin 1 Reputation point

2021-09-28T21:14:23.233+00:00

exactly the same problem in my environment.
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Mikolaj_M 56 Reputation points

2021-09-29T12:23:45.187+00:00

Same issue with mine environment - however I have noticed that problem last week - it may appear only to users who are logging into the machine for the first time - gpupdate doesn't work for them.

Previously I had the issue with the drivers, where admin must install the new drivers, now missing printers...
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Lucy Moreno 1 Reputation point

2022-10-06T22:14:21.113+00:00

I have the same issue. Have you found a solution for this one?
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Tim Housand 1 Reputation point

2021-09-29T17:19:07.927+00:00

Had the same issue after renaming printers for a client. We were trying to push via user, and it wasn't working. We moved the printer to deploy by machine and moved it to the Computer OU, and got it to work.
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DanHoffa 46 Reputation points

2021-09-30T10:38:35.457+00:00

I wish I could change to deployment by machine. Unfortunately I have 50+ printers (BW Lasers, Color Lasers, Wide format printers, label printers, and MFPs) across 4 locations and users are constantly moving around. I have some spoiled users that like having their printers no matter where they are in the company and if they don't you would think the world is coming to an end.
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Chuong Huynh Nguyen 6 Reputation points

2021-09-30T14:44:01.287+00:00

I am also facing the same error. Users with local admin rights run gpudpate successfully, normal users run gpupdate get an error "windows could not apply deployed printer...". Does anyone have a fix for this error? Please help me
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DanHoffa 46 Reputation points

2021-09-30T14:55:37.197+00:00

I have not found anything posted anywhere that actually fixes the issue short of giving a user admin permissions or roll back updates. Here is one of the better discussions that I have found regarding the whole Print Nightmare security fix that created this whole mess to start with.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/517533/pint-server-and-print-nightmare-update.html

I have tried just about everything discussed to try and remedy this issue but none of them have work for me so far.

Olajide Balogun 1 Reputation point

2022-06-02T16:17:14.023+00:00

Please have you find any solution to this, am currently experiencing the same issue.

Chuong Huynh Nguyen 6 Reputation points

2022-08-11T06:47:58.03+00:00

maybe this help is late, I hope you or someone reading this will be helpful
run cmd with administrator -> paste this code
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint" /v RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
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Windows failed to apply the Deployed Printer Connections settings.

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