How to fix error 0x0000011b when printing over the network on Windows 10

A conflict between the January security update and the September Windows Patch Tuesday has caused some users to encounter error 0x0000011b when printing over the network. If you are experiencing the error of not being able to print over the network, error code 0x0000011b, this article will provide you with a solution.

In January 2021, Microsoft released a security update to address the " Windows Print Spooler Spoofing Vulnerability " issue, CVE-2021-1678. This update does not automatically protect devices from the vulnerability. It creates a new Registry key that administrators can use to increase the RPC authentication level commonly used for network printing.

In other words, this update does not patch the vulnerability unless a Windows administrator creates the following Registry key:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print]
"RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled"=dword:00000001

However, in the September Patch Tuesday, Microsoft automatically enabled this setting by default for all Windows devices. Even if your computer does not have the RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled key created in the Registry, the protection is still enabled.

And as soon as this protection setting was enabled by default, Windows users started getting error 0x0000011b when printing over the network.

This bug mainly occurs in home and small business networks, which often cannot take advantage of Kerberos setup on Windows domains. Uninstalling the September Patch Tuesday will fix the problem, but it will leave your computer vulnerable to two other vulnerabilities, PrintNightmare and MSHTML, which are actively being exploited by hackers.

So the temporary solution is to disable the patch for CVE-2021-1678 until Microsoft provides new guidance. This solution is less dangerous because CVE-2021-1678 is not actively exploited by hackers.

Details on how to fix network printing error 0x0000011b

Method 1: Install update KB5005611, or KB5006670 (for Windows 10 21H1 users)

As Microsoft states, after installing update KB5005565, devices attempting to connect to a network printer for the first time may fail to download and install the necessary printer driver, resulting in error 0x0000011b. This issue is fixed in KB5005611, so go ahead and download and install KB5005611 from Microsoft Update.

Additionally, Windows 10 21H1 users only encountered this error after installing the cumulative update - KB5006670. Therefore, the temporary solution is to uninstall the KB5006670 update.

Also, in theory, if you can't find the above two updates, you can try uninstalling the most recent update or the update before the date the error occurred.

Method 2: Add a network printer using a local port

Another way to fix error 0000011b when installing a network printer on Windows 10 is to add the printer manually using a local port.

1. Navigate to Control Panel > Devices and Printers .

2. Click Add a printer .

3. On the next screen, click on The printer that I want isn't listed .

4. Select Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings and click Next.

5. Click Create a new port and select Local Port from the drop-down menu. Click Next.

6. On the screen, specify the port name in one of the following formats and click OK :

• \\ComputerName\SharedPrinterName
• \\ComputerIPAdress\SharedPrinterName

For example:

a) If the name of the computer using the network printer is "Computer01" and the name of the printer is "HP1100" , then the port name is "\\Computer01\HP1100"

b) If the IP address of the computer using the network printer is "192.168.1.20" and the name of the printer is "HP1100" , then the port name is "\\192.168.1.20\HP1100".

7. On the next screen, select your network printer model and click Next.

Note : If you cannot find your printer model here, download the printer driver from the manufacturer and then install the printer locally on your PC (LPT1). After installation, repeat the steps in this method to manually install the printer using the local port option.

8. When the printer installation is complete, print a test page to check.

Method 3: Fix Error 0x0000011b via Registry

To fix network printing error 0x0000011b without uninstalling the update (KB5005565) you need to do the following:

• Press Windows + R to open Run then type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor .
• Find the key:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print

• Create a new DWORD-32 bit value named RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled and set its value to 0 like the image you can see below:

• Or there is an easier method, you download the .reg file that WebTech360 created and then double-click on it to automatically create a 32-bit DWORD value.
• Download file sualoi-0x0000011b.reg .
• Restart your computer and print a test to see if the problem is fixed.

If you need to restore RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled, download the following .reg file and run it:

• Activate-RpcAuthn.reg .

Method 4: Fix error 0x0000011b using Registry (2nd method)

There is another Registry fix you can try to fix error 0x0000011b. However, before you try it, make sure you back up the Registry first so you can restore it if something goes wrong.

The steps are as follows:

• Press Win + R to open Run then type regedit and press Enter to run Registry Editor.
• Find the key below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint

• Look to the right frame and find the key RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators.
• If not, right-click on the frame and create a new DWORD key called RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators.
• Double-click the newly created key and enter 1 in the Value data box .
• Click OK then exit Registry Editor and restart your computer.
• Check if error 0x0000011b is fixed.
• You can quickly add the key to the Registry by opening Command Prompt as admin and then running the following command:

reg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint” /v RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

• Restart your computer to confirm the changes.

In addition to the above methods, you can also try running the Printer Troubleshooter. However, despite being a debugger, Windows Troubleshooter is not very good at fixing errors. You can also try updating the printer driver or restarting the Print Spooler Service to see if it solves the 0x0000011b error.

Good luck!