word doc will not print, disconnects from print spooler

Question

I have Microsoft office Professional Plus 2021. Word Doc is disconnecting from the print spooler. I have to restart or refresh the print spooler each time I want to print. On the print page it says No Printers installed. I am able to print in excel, PDF's, notepad and from my phone.

Answer 1

Dear @Kimberly Daly,

Based on your description, kindly try these steps:

1> Print the document while Word is running in Safe Mode

Press Windows + R > run: winword /safe

Open the affected document and attempt to print it.

2> Download the document as a PDF from Word for the web and test printing

Open the document in Word for the web.

Select File > Save As > Download as PDF.

Once the PDF has been downloaded, open it and attempt to print it.

These tests will help me determine whether the issue is related to the Word desktop application or the document itself.

I hope the information shared helps point you in the right direction. Please try the steps above and let me know if they work. If not, we can continue working together to narrow this down.

The first response may not always resolve the issue right away, but with your help and more details, we can work toward a solution.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

Note: Please follow the steps in the forum documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Answer 2

Since printing works in Excel, PDFs, Notepad, and from the phone, the printer itself is likely working and the issue is specific to Word or to how Word interacts with the Windows print spooler.

Try this in order:

1. Confirm the issue is app-specific
   • Print from another app and another file.
   • Since other apps already print successfully, continue with Word-focused steps.
2. Check the printer selected in Word
   • In Word, go to File > Print.
   • Verify the intended printer is selected.
   • Check that the printer status shows Ready.
   • If Word shows No Printers installed while other apps print, continue with the spooler and Office repair steps below.
3. Restart the Print Spooler service
   • Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   • Locate Print Spooler.
   • Right-click Print Spooler and select Restart.
   Command-line alternatives:
   • Command Prompt as administrator:

          net stop spooler
          net start spooler
     

   • PowerShell as administrator:

          Restart-Service -Name spooler
     

4. Clear and reset the print spooler
   • Warning: this deletes queued print jobs.
   • In the taskbar search box, type services, then open Services.
   • Double-click Print Spooler.
   • Select Stop, then OK.
   • In the taskbar search box, enter %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers.
   • Open %WINDIR%\system32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files in that folder.
   • Open Services again.
   • Double-click Print Spooler.
   • Select Start.
   • Set Startup Type to Automatic, then select OK.
5. Check Word print settings
   • In Word, go to File > Print.
   • Make sure Print to PDF or Print to file is not selected.
   • Confirm page size, orientation, layout, and page range are correct.
6. Print a Windows test page
   • Go to Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
   • Select the printer, then Manage > Printer properties.
   • On the General tab, select Print Test Page.
   • If the test page prints, Windows can still communicate with the printer.
7. Repair Microsoft Office
   • Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
   • Select Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office, then Modify.
   • Run Quick Repair and test printing from Word.
   • If the issue continues, run Online Repair.
8. Update or reinstall the printer driver
   • Open Device Manager.
   • Expand Printers or Print queues.
   • Update the printer driver.
   • If needed, uninstall the printer device, restart the PC, and let Windows reinstall it.
   • Removing old or duplicate printer drivers can also help if the spooler is crashing.
9. If the spooler keeps stopping, check common causes
   • Outdated or conflicting printer drivers
   • Group Policy disabling the Print Spooler service
   • System instability or resource issues
   • Conflicts with anti-virus software

The most relevant path for this scenario is:

• restart the spooler,
• clear/reset the spooler,
• print a Windows test page,
• then run Office Quick Repair and Online Repair if needed.

---

References:

• Fix printing problems in Word, Excel, or other apps
• Troubleshoot printing issues caused by Print Spooler service not running
• Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows