Microsoft Print to PDF not showing save as dialogue

Question

Microsoft Print to PDF not showing save as dialogue

David Lambert 26

Recently, when I choose Micorsoft Print to PDF, the dialogue to "Save as" is not opening.

John Jefferson Doyon 89,550 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-27T21:14:49.1166667+00:00
Hi, @David Lambert

After clicking "Print", press Alt + Tab to check whether the save window is hidden behind another window.

Also, try this quick test:

Open Notepad and type a few words.

Press Ctrl + P, select "Microsoft Print to PDF", then click "Print".

Check whether the save window appears.

If the issue still persists, to help narrow down the issue:

Which app are you originally printing from, and does the same issue happen in Notepad?

What Windows version and OS build are you using? Press Windows + R, type winver and press Enter. Please share the version and OS build shown.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Thanks!
Max Charteris 10 Reputation points

2026-09-28T00:55:21.7766667+00:00

I have suddenly started getting this problem. (Last 2 days)

Nothing under AltTab

Getting same problem with Edge and Notepad.
Max Charteris 10 Reputation points

2026-09-28T00:57:16.1833333+00:00

Tried suggestions from AI but still the same

Modify option is greyed out with
Repair: Press Windows key + I > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Edge > ... > Modify > Repair.
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Lynn Pulte 5 Reputation points

2026-09-28T16:23:57.7533333+00:00

we are experiencing this issue at my job as well

it appears it is only an issue with Edge

The dialog prompt box is not hidden in the background

We tested with Word and the dialog box comes up

we tested with Notepad the dialog box comes up

we went to chrome and the dialog box comes up

I have gone into Control Panel>>All Control Panel Items>>Programs and Features>>Turn windows features on and off and "uninstall" Microsoft print to pdf and then "re-installed" didn't help

I tried a different websites on edge and still the dialog box is not popping up

I cleared cookies and cache for all time and closed the browser and re-opened

I went to control Panel>>Internet options and cleared the cookies from there
Rhodes, Christopher (LOT) 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T17:52:29.6566667+00:00

We are seeing this on a few devices in our environment primarily when using Edge.
Rhodes, Christopher (LOT) 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T18:00:58.1333333+00:00

additionally this is not just happening for the Microsoft Print to PDF it is also happening to the Adobe print to PDF, any "Printing to PDF" will not open up the save as prompt.
Owen Engle 5 Reputation points

2026-09-28T18:35:37.53+00:00

Having the same experience as Lynn;

The issue is only with edge. I tried re-enabling popups which did not work. The popup is definitely not being hidden, I checked with Alt+Tab. The dialogue shows up from Win+P, printing from Notepad, Chrome, and other apps. I tried clearing the browser cache and repairing it through Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Microsoft Edge and clicking the three dots and selecting Modify then Repair. From the optionalfeature app, I turned off print to PDF, restarted the PC, turned it back on, and restarted again. I tried disabling and reenabling with commands as well. I also ran sfc /scannow, which found corrupted files and repaired them, but none of this did anything. We are all on the most recent version of window 11 pro, and edge is up to date as well
Erin Rahme 0 Reputation points

2026-09-28T18:50:36.55+00:00

I suddenly have the same problem. I have followed all the instructions & still isn't working. It is working in NotePad but nowhere else. HELP!
Caleb E 5 Reputation points

2026-09-28T23:01:14.4666667+00:00

Since last Friday Microsoft Print to PDF does not work in Edge - Happening on 3 different PCs now
It works in other browsers and apps

Here's what i've tried:
The Save As dialog box never appears
Edge does not freeze
The print job never appears in the print queue
We do not receive any error messages
"Save as PDF" works

Tried disabling and re-enabling the feature with Powershell:
dism /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"
Rebooted
dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"
Rebooted

Reset Edge print settings to Preferences.old
Brand new Edge profile did not work
Lesli P 0 Reputation points

2026-10-01T00:46:36.72+00:00

I am having the same problem. I cannot print any email in Outlook to a pdf since I upgraded to the lastest install.

Answer recommended by moderator

Ramesh 182.4K Volunteer Moderator

Update:

This bug seems to have been fixed in the latest Edge update.

The latest is Version 154.0.4258.48 (Official build) (64-bit)

ParentSimonTISEU-2744 0 Reputation points

2026-09-30T11:58:03.4933333+00:00

this Edge update fixed the "Microsoft Print to PDF" problem for our company. thanks.
Diane 0 Reputation points

2026-09-30T20:52:32.3466667+00:00

The Edge update fixed my "Microsoft Print to PDF" save as dialog box not popping up. None of the other suggestions helped.

4 additional answers

Your answer

John Jefferson Doyon 89,550 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-27T21:14:49.1166667+00:00

Hi, @David Lambert

After clicking "Print", press Alt + Tab to check whether the save window is hidden behind another window.

Also, try this quick test:

Open Notepad and type a few words.

Press Ctrl + P, select "Microsoft Print to PDF", then click "Print".

Check whether the save window appears.

If the issue still persists, to help narrow down the issue:

Which app are you originally printing from, and does the same issue happen in Notepad?

What Windows version and OS build are you using? Press Windows + R, type winver and press Enter. Please share the version and OS build shown.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Thanks!
Max Charteris 10 Reputation points

2026-09-28T00:55:21.7766667+00:00

I have suddenly started getting this problem. (Last 2 days)

Nothing under AltTab

Getting same problem with Edge and Notepad.
Max Charteris 10 Reputation points

2026-09-28T00:57:16.1833333+00:00

Tried suggestions from AI but still the same

Modify option is greyed out with
Repair: Press Windows key + I > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Edge > ... > Modify > Repair.
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Lynn Pulte 5 Reputation points

2026-09-28T16:23:57.7533333+00:00

we are experiencing this issue at my job as well

it appears it is only an issue with Edge

The dialog prompt box is not hidden in the background

We tested with Word and the dialog box comes up

we tested with Notepad the dialog box comes up

we went to chrome and the dialog box comes up

I have gone into Control Panel>>All Control Panel Items>>Programs and Features>>Turn windows features on and off and "uninstall" Microsoft print to pdf and then "re-installed" didn't help

I tried a different websites on edge and still the dialog box is not popping up

I cleared cookies and cache for all time and closed the browser and re-opened

I went to control Panel>>Internet options and cleared the cookies from there
Rhodes, Christopher (LOT) 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T17:52:29.6566667+00:00

We are seeing this on a few devices in our environment primarily when using Edge.
Rhodes, Christopher (LOT) 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T18:00:58.1333333+00:00

additionally this is not just happening for the Microsoft Print to PDF it is also happening to the Adobe print to PDF, any "Printing to PDF" will not open up the save as prompt.
Owen Engle 5 Reputation points

2026-09-28T18:35:37.53+00:00

Having the same experience as Lynn;

The issue is only with edge. I tried re-enabling popups which did not work. The popup is definitely not being hidden, I checked with Alt+Tab. The dialogue shows up from Win+P, printing from Notepad, Chrome, and other apps. I tried clearing the browser cache and repairing it through Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Microsoft Edge and clicking the three dots and selecting Modify then Repair. From the optionalfeature app, I turned off print to PDF, restarted the PC, turned it back on, and restarted again. I tried disabling and reenabling with commands as well. I also ran sfc /scannow, which found corrupted files and repaired them, but none of this did anything. We are all on the most recent version of window 11 pro, and edge is up to date as well
Erin Rahme 0 Reputation points

2026-09-28T18:50:36.55+00:00

I suddenly have the same problem. I have followed all the instructions & still isn't working. It is working in NotePad but nowhere else. HELP!
Caleb E 5 Reputation points

2026-09-28T23:01:14.4666667+00:00

Since last Friday Microsoft Print to PDF does not work in Edge - Happening on 3 different PCs now
It works in other browsers and apps

Here's what i've tried:
The Save As dialog box never appears
Edge does not freeze
The print job never appears in the print queue
We do not receive any error messages
"Save as PDF" works

Tried disabling and re-enabling the feature with Powershell:
dism /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"
Rebooted
dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"Printing-PrintToPDFServices-Features"
Rebooted

Reset Edge print settings to Preferences.old
Brand new Edge profile did not work
Lesli P 0 Reputation points

2026-10-01T00:46:36.72+00:00

I am having the same problem. I cannot print any email in Outlook to a pdf since I upgraded to the lastest install.
ParentSimonTISEU-2744 0 Reputation points

2026-09-30T11:58:03.4933333+00:00

this Edge update fixed the "Microsoft Print to PDF" problem for our company. thanks.
Diane 0 Reputation points

2026-09-30T20:52:32.3466667+00:00

The Edge update fixed my "Microsoft Print to PDF" save as dialog box not popping up. None of the other suggestions helped.

Answer 1

It's a known issue. No fix has been released yet.

Source: Microsoft Edge known issues | Microsoft Learn

154	In Microsoft Edge version 154, some users may experience printing failures when attempting to print from Microsoft Edge, including through both the standard print experience (Ctrl+P) and the Windows system print dialog (Ctrl+Shift+P). Symptoms include print dialogs failing to appear, closing unexpectedly, or printing operations failing with error messages, exclusively when using the "Microsoft Print to PDF" printer.

Customers using the Microsoft Edge standard print experience (Ctrl+P) can choose the "Save As PDF" printer instead of choosing the "Microsoft Print to PDF" printer. This workaround is not applicable to the Windows system print dialog (Ctrl+Shift+P).
Customers experiencing this issue can also temporarily roll back to Microsoft Edge version 153.

Answer 2

Caleb E 5

I just updated Edge to Version 154.0.4258.48 and Microsoft Print to PDF is working again.

0 comments

Answer 3

Veronica Pavia 0

I am having the same problem, starting in the last few days. It is only happening in Edge. I have removed and reinstalled MS Print to PDF numerous times. I have repaired and reset Edge. I am still not getting the Save As dialogue box after clicking the print button in MS Print to PDF in Edge. Guess I'll have to change to a different browser.

0 comments

Answer 4

Try these checks in order:

Confirm Microsoft Print to PDF is installed.
- Press Win + R.
- Run optionalfeatures.exe.
- Make sure Microsoft Print to PDF is enabled.
- Restart Windows if prompted.
If the issue happens in Microsoft Edge, reset or repair Edge.
- Reset: Edge > Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their default values > Reset.
- Repair: Press Windows key + I > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Edge > ... > Modify > Repair.
If printing from Word opens a save prompt immediately, verify the selected printer.
- In the print dialog, make sure the printer is not set to Microsoft Print to PDF unless the goal is to create a PDF.
- If using a physical printer, select that printer instead.
Check the printer port if the wrong behavior continues with a physical printer.
- Open Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
- Right-click the printer > Printer Properties > Ports.
- If the port is set to Print to File, change it to LPT1 for USB printers or WSD for wireless printers, then save.
If the problem is only in one app, test from another app.
- For example, in Word: Ctrl+P > choose Microsoft Print to PDF > Print. This should open the Save Print Output As dialog.

If Microsoft Print to PDF is selected and no Save Print Output As dialog appears in multiple apps, reinstalling or re-enabling the feature is the supported first step from the available guidance.